The Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States is holding its events in St Petersburg.
Valentina Matvienko, Chair of the IPA CIS Council and Speaker of the Federation Council, presided over the 58th plenary session of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly.
The session was attended by Sahiba Gafarova (Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan), Alen Simonyan (National Assembly of Armenia), Natalia Kochanova (Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus), Maulen Ashimbayev (Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan), Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu (Zhogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic), Rustam Emomali (Majlisi Milli Majlisi Oli of Tajikistan), and Tanzila Narbaeva (Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan).
The Federation Council Speaker recalled that, on the eve of the Year of Peace and Unity in the Fight against Nazism – declared in the CIS to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War – the IPA Council approved the Assembly’s action plan. “We will review its implementation in detail at the autumn IPA Council meeting, but even now, we can note some outcomes,” said Valentina Matvienko. “Notably, the CIS IPA Council adopted a commemorative address for the 80th anniversary of Victory and submitted it to international parliamentary organisations.”
According to the Federation Council Speaker, delegations have been visiting military memorial sites throughout the year to honour the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. She expressed gratitude to the heads of delegations for taking part in the flower-laying ceremony at Piskaryovskoye Cemetery held prior to the meeting.
The Speaker of the Federation Council also noted that, at the initiative of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, the Children of the Commonwealth forum will be held in June, followed by a meeting of the Youth Interparliamentary Assembly in October – both events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory.
“Over the past six months, the Assembly and its bodies have operated according to plan. As part of model lawmaking efforts, the standing committees prepared nine legislative documents. Several events were also held, including those focused on youth: the International Olympiad in Humanities and Social Sciences for CIS schoolchildren, the International Youth Parliamentary School, the annual scientific conference Tauride Readings, and the international forum Eurasian Economic Perspective,” Valentina Matvienko said. She also reported on the outcomes of the CIS IPA Council meeting held the previous day.
Lilia Gumerova, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture, presented amendments to the model Educational Code for CIS member states addressing digitalisation. She explained that the amendments aim to enhance the modern educational environment by incorporating more effective forms of interactivity and multimedia. “In drafting the model code, we considered current legislative trends and law enforcement practices across CIS member states,” the Senator noted. “The revised text includes new articles regulating the use of distance learning technologies and e-learning.”
Notably, the Code’s conceptual framework has been expanded to include terms such as “e-learning,” “information and communications technologies,” and “inclusive education.” New articles have also been introduced to address the use of distance learning tools, e-learning, and artificial intelligence technologies, particularly in the delivery of educational programmes in a network format.
“Throughout the drafting process, we were unanimous in upholding the principle that technology is not a substitute for teachers, but a tool to support the educational process,” Lilia Gumerova emphasised.
She also introduced a draft model law titled On Artificial Intelligence Technologies. “The goal of this initiative is to help establish unified legal approaches to regulating social relations arising from the use of AI technologies. These approaches prioritise the individual, aim to enhance quality of life and safety, and seek to boost the efficiency of national economies across CIS member states by encouraging the development, deployment, and use of artificial intelligence,” Lilia Gumerova said.
According to the Senator, the draft model law applies to artificial intelligence technologies and the systems that utilise them, excluding those developed for military or defence purposes. “A key feature of the model law is the need to establish a forward-looking regulatory framework that incorporates impact assessments of AI technologies. This approach helps minimise the risk of unfounded decisions and mitigates the potential negative effects of technological progress on humanity,” she said.
The meeting participants also reviewed legislative updates to the Special Part of the Model Tax Code for CIS Member States, addressing property, land, and transport taxes, and discussed the draft model law On the Management of Radioactive Waste.
The session concluded with an awards ceremony held by the Interparliamentary Assembly of CIS member states.