Mr Selfe made a presentation on behalf of the Africa geopolitical group. In his presentation he noted, with thanks, the scale of activities undertaken by the President and the Secretariat of the IPU on behalf of its member parliaments in respect of issues that vitally affected the international community. In particular, he noted that the Africa geopolitical group welcomed the President's initiatives to intercede in trouble-spots and to heighten awareness of the role the IPU fulfilled. It was noted that the wider the scale of these activities and the more complicated the issues confronting the IPU, the more money it required to provide it with the ability to make a meaningful contribution. It was thus commendable that the IPU had fulfilled most of its obligations within its budget and shown a slight surplus.