The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) presented at the International Virtual Conference on Research & Library Services – Towards an agenda for next decade, Oct 6-8, 2021 that was inaugurated by Secretary General Inter Parliamentary Union IPU Mr. Martin Chungong on Wednesday Oct 6, 2021 at 5 pm PST. Conference themes included:
Session One: Parliamentary Strengthening in support of library and research services, What works? Oct 6, 2021 (6 – 8 pm PST): Mr Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka, Founding Member of Team PIPS and DG Research, spoke in the 2 hour opening session on Oct 6, 2021 at 6 pm to 8 pm PST attended by 269 parliamentary researchers and librarians across 100 member states worldwide. The prestigious international panel included former Ms Donna Scheeder, Chief Information Officer (US Congressional Research Service), Ms Susan Swift, Director, Legislative Library & Research Service Canada, Eva Malackova, Director Parliamentary Library Slovak Republic, Mr. Innocent Rugambwa, Director Parliament of Uganda, Alejandro Lorenzo Cesar Santa, Director Coord General, Argentina Parliament, Ms. Natalia Svecova, Director Parliamentary Institute of National Council of Slovak Republic, Mr. Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka, Director General (Research) Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) and Mr Tom Cormier President and CEO, Parliamentary Centre Canada. Mr Ivo Balinov Director Programs (PC Canada) also attended the Meet. Ms Ellie Valentine, renowned Librarian and Member IFLAPARL moderated the panel discussion. Interpretation to and from English, French and Spanish were available.
Mr Zaka, Director General (Research) PIPS covered significant key questions such as Mandate of Parliamentary research service, Ensuring Objectivity and Non-Partisanship in addition to offering platform for stake holders input, Principles of authoritative parliamentary research and library products and services and last but not the least, What works in Parliamentary Strengthening in support of library and research services. The session also included a detailed Q and A session that was actively participated by Mr. Qaiser Iqbal, Librarian PIPS and Mr. Fayaz Gul, Asstt. Librarian, PIPS amongst 269 parliamentary researchers and librarians worldwide.
On Day Two, Director General Research PIPS participated in Session Two on Oct 7, 2021 on Accessibility, Diversity and inclusion in parliamentary Library and research services , words matter, which was attended by 106 participants worldwide.
Closing Session, Oct . 8, 2021 (6 pm to 8 pm): Mr Zaka, DG Research, PIPS, also spoke on the concluding session of the three-day conference on Oct 8, 2021 attended by 165 parliamentary researchers and librarians that presented the key recommendations of the conference. Mr Andy Richardson, Director Programs IPU, recognized that session one on day one set up a very high bar and as a result the conference has been a huge success. Thereafter Mr Andy Richardson and Ms Josefa Fuentus, Director Spanish Parliament; who represented two of the oldest parliamentary unions (IPU setup in 1889 and IFLAPARL in 1927), presented the Vote of Thanks and Concluded the Conference.The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of people who rely on libraries and information professionals. An independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization, IFLA was founded in Scotland in 1927 and maintains headquarters at the National Library of the Netherlands in The Hague. IFLA sponsors the annual IFLA World Library and Information Congress, promoting universal and equitable access to information, ideas, and works of imagination for social, educational, cultural, democratic, and economic empowerment. The three-day Int’ll IPU and IFLAPARL Virtual Conference on Research & Library Services – Towards an Agenda for next decade, Oct 6-8, 2021 was attended by 500 parliamentary researchers and librarians across member states of IPU and IFLAPARL throughout the three days, which included several sessions of presentation and panel discussion.