Sharjah24 – WAM: The Federal National Council (FNC) today held the first session of the fourth term of its 17th legislative chapter in Zayed Hall at its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, chaired by Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the FNC.

During the session, the FNC members voted on its observers and the structure of its standing committees.

In his speech, Ghobash said that the FNC will continue the work that began at the start of the 17th legislative chapter, to serve the nation and its citizens, and achieve the objectives set by the country's leadership, led by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and Their Highnesses Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates.

The session was attended by Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention and Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs.

At the start of the session, Dr. Omar Abdul Rahman Al Nuaimi, FNC Secretary-General, read the meeting’s agenda.

The FNC members elected two observers, Mohammed Issa Al Kashf and Somaya Al Suwaidi, and formed its various standing committees.

The committees include the Committee on Constitutional, Legislative and Appeals Affairs; the Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee; the Financial, Economic and Industrial Affairs Committee; the Technology, Energy and Mineral Resources Committee; the Education, Culture, Youth, Sports and Media Affairs Committee; the Health and Environmental Affairs Committee; the Social Affairs, Labour, Population and Human Resources Committee; the Islamic Affairs, Endowments, and Public Utilities Committee, and the Complaints Committee.

The FNC also issued 11 federal decrees to ratify international agreements signed by the UAE government and reviewed eight letters issued to the government, and 12 letters from the government, including six concerning the UAE Cabinet’s deliberations on general topics and six more concerning their approval of the FNC's recommendations on six other topics. The council also reviewed several draft laws submitted to its committees.

The FNC then formed various parliamentary unions groups, such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union Group, the Arab Parliamentary Union Group, the Arab Parliament Group, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Member States Council Union Group, the Asian Parliamentary Assembly Group, the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly Group, and the Latin American and Caribbean Parliaments Group.

The FNC also selected the members of friendship groups with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Arab, Asian, European, African, Latin American and North American parliaments.