Senior representatives of socialist parties from across the world are gathering in Malta this weekend as the country hosts a council meeting of Socialist International.
Robert Abela met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who presides over the global organisation, on Friday evening ahead of the Council meeting.
In a brief speech to the Socialist International Presidium – the association’s leadership body – on Friday, Abela urged socialist parties to work together to ensure just societies for their peoples.
He highlighted the Labour Party’s 13 years in power in Malta and its work to introduce major social reforms and strengthen civil liberties.
It was an honour for Malta to host such meetings, he said, adding that he hoped the event would “lead to the strengthening of democracy, the safeguarding of liberties, and more work in the best interests of the people.”
Abela will be delivering a keynote speech to the association’s broader Council on Saturday morning. Labour deputy leaders Ian Borg and Alex Agius Saliba will also take part in the event.
The Council meeting has been themed “Leading Together” and is intended to promote collaboration among member parties and stregthen dialogue between governments and progressive movements, while also providing opportunities for bilateral meetings on the fringes of the event, which ends on Sunday.
Senior representatives and delegates from member parties across Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East will attend.
Socialist International is the global organisation of social democratic, socialist, and labour parties. Its Council meets twice every year. The association is led by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, working with the association’s general coordinator Chantal Kambiwa.
Malta’s Labour Party has had a bumpy history of Socialist International membership. After decades of active membership, Malta was demoted to observer status and delisted two years later after it declined to pay its membership fees.
It only rejoined the association last January. The party provided no explanation for its change of heart.
The Malta meeting, which is being held in St Julian’s, is expected to end with the Council adopting a series of resolutions reaffirming Socialist International’s stance on democracy, peace and equality.
It will also “recognise the leadership and contributions of member parties through the presentation of the Peña Gómez Award,” a briefing note stated.
The award is named after Jose Francisco Peña Gómez, a Dominican politician of Afro-Haitian descent who started off as a shoe shiner but ended up studying at the Sorbonne in Paris before becoming the first black president in Latin America and the Caribbean.