In a statement given at the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament that was held on Tuesday in Vienna, Austria, Egypt's Parliamentary Speaker Hanafy Gebaly said that Egypt has always been keen to respect human rights and ensure equality between the two sexes. The two-day conference was called into session on Tuesday, and it will be discussing several issues, including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the future of democracy, fighting the spread of misleading information and hate speech on the internet, and the role of parliaments in supporting rational governance. "The Egyptian state has exerted efforts on all levels to help Egyptian women gain their rights in political, social, and economic areas," said Gebaly, referring to how a law on toughening penalties on sexual harassment crimes was passed in Egypt in the first half of this year as an example. The speaker heading the Egyptian parliamentary delegation will also be participating in the first international parliamentary summit on fighting terrorism and extremism on 9-10 September organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations. On the sidelines of the conference, Gebaly also met with his Austrian counterpart, Wolfgang Sobotka, to discuss strengthening parliamentary cooperation. A statement said that the Egyptian speaker reviewed Egypt's development efforts at all levels, particularly in the area of fighting terrorism and improving the lives of citizens within the framework of the 'Presidential Decent Life Initiative'. The two speakers agreed that a joint Egyptian-Austrian parliamentary friendship association should be set up to promote political and legislative cooperation between the two parliaments of Egypt and Austria, particularly in the area of passing legislations aiming to fight terrorism.
