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On Monday, 16 May, representatives of the parliament and the non-governmental sector discussed national strategic development at the forum Stability, Partnership, Development. At the conclusion of the forum, Solvita Āboltiņa, Speaker of the Saeima, pointed out that sustainable development of the state is possible if politicians, entrepreneurs and society work together.

“In order to bring about change in our country, it is imperative for people to want to change something and to change themselves. Sustainable development of the state is possible if all MPs, the government, entrepreneurs and society work together on these issues,” said the Speaker at the conclusion of the forum.

“In our country, the sovereign power is vested in its people; these are not simply words in our Constitution, they declare the basic principle that should be observed in parliamentary work. People have to get involved not only once every four years to elect a hundred MPs but also during the period between elections. Together we are shaping our country; each person can take part and thus can influence the political decision-making process,” stressed Speaker Āboltiņa.

“The greatest treasure of a democratic state is its people and the fact that people themselves can decide on the course of development that the country should take. We ourselves are shaping our future; we have been given this opportunity and we cannot afford to waste it. I am convinced that the forum was not the end of our discussions and that we will continue working together to guide our country towards development,” emphasised Āboltiņa.

This year’s forum consisted of three round-table discussions with a cross-sectoral approach. The first discussion was devoted to national development planning in conjunction with long-term budget planning and priorities in the area of foreign affairs. The second discussion was devoted to demographic trends, including factors such as migration, family policy, social security system, as well as the role and involvement opportunities of the non-governmental sector in shaping these policies. A separate discussion was held on the role of education and research in sustainable development of our state and particular sectors of the economy.

The discussions were moderated by chairpersons of the Saeima committees in collaboration with representatives of the non-governmental sector. Each theme featured experts’ reports followed by discussions.

The forum has become an annual tradition since 2006, when the Saeima adopted a declaration which sets forth the principles for cooperation between the Saeima and non-governmental organisations, as well as tasks to be implemented for improving this cooperation.

Photos from the forum are available at:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157626607539345/with/5725303071/

Video from the forum is available at: https://www.youtube.com/saeimaSAB#p/a/u/0/hNam4SUp1zw
When using the material, please give credit to the Saeima.

Saeima Press Service