The 206th Session of the Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) got underway on Sunday, with the participation of HE the Shura Council Speaker, Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud, via videoconferencing. During the four-day session, a new IPU president will be elected to succeed Gabriela Cuevas Barron, who will present a report on her public activities during her three-year tenure. A number of reports on the union's activities during the past year will also be discussed, along with the letters of the geopolitical parliamentary groups and the union's work programme during the next phase. The Shura Council delegation participating in this session includes its members HE Dahlan bin Jaman al-Hamad and HE Reem bint Mohamed al-Mansoori.