130th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly

President Abdelwahad Radi
Secretary General Johnsson
Excellencies
Dear Colleagues:

It is my great pleasure to be here today, not only to open the General Debate of the 130th IPU Assembly with you, but also to celebrate the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s 125th birthday. Congratulations to IPU on this milestone!

We continue to see on a daily basis the critical role that parliaments play in promoting a better world for all. You are the voice of your constituents; you translate their needs into action. We also continue to see a lack of trust in governance structures and traditional ways of doing business. This lack of trust has manifested itself in protests across the world, in some countries even in conflict and violence. The message is clear: people want responsive governments and institutions, and accountable leaders. I am sure that in the next few days, this challenge will feature prominently in your discussions.

Your programme also focuses on issues that are at the heart of the work of the United Nations and where parliaments are important partners: peace and security, human rights and sustainable development.

Let me address each area briefly, and then conclude with a few observations about the relationship between the United Nations, parliaments and the IPU.

First, on disarmament as a key component of peace and security:

Disarmament and non-proliferation are the foundation of a safe and secure world. This point cannot be overstated, but is all too often under-used. The sceptics say that a world free of weapons of mass destruction is a utopian dream. I think that is wrong. A world free of nuclear dangers is not only possible, it is an imperative and a shared obligation. Because weapons of mass destruction threaten humankind. It is as simple as that.
Yet, the Conference on Disarmament – the world’s single standing negotiating body on disarmament which is based here in Geneva – has not even been able to agree on a Programme of Work for the past 17 years. I think this is unacceptable. As the Acting Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament, my message to you is that we simply must do more to overcome the political and institutional challenges that prevent our advancement on disarmament. This agenda cannot be allowed to languish, it must advance for our common humanity.

You as parliamentarians have a very important contribution to make, in strengthening our legal frameworks through the ratification of disarmament agreements and by enhancing advocacy for disarmament and non-proliferation.

I take this opportunity to ask you to facilitate an early entry into force of those disarmament agreements that are still pending. These include the Comprehensive Nuclear-test Ban Treaty – the CTBT – and the Arms Trade Treaty, the landmark treaty which was adopted last year to help regulate the trade in small arms and light weapons that are the weapons of choice in the armed conflicts raging across the world today.

Parliaments and parliamentarians have a key role to play in nuclear disarmament, as detailed in the draft resolution of your Standing Committee on Peace and International Security. You can address risks and build the necessary legislative and political framework to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world. The Nuclear Security Summit which will open next week in The Hague is particularly relevant to your endeavours.

Second, human rights as the indispensable underpinning of all our efforts:

Human rights are the birthright of all human beings, yet they are threatened around the world on a daily basis. There can be no doubt that we need to work better together to ensure that the fundamental rights of all are respected.

The United Nations human rights machinery has evolved extraordinarily over the past 20 years. I have witnessed this progress first-hand while participating in sessions of the Human Rights Council and in interactions with colleagues across the United Nations system. From peacekeeping to development to humanitarian action, in areas where the words were barely spoken just a decade or so ago, human rights have increasingly been mainstreamed into all that we do.

The increasing awareness at the international level of the importance of human rights is mirrored by a growing –and most welcome – emphasis at national level, in many contexts driven by ever-more active parliaments. Parliamentarians are indeed critical in the protection and promotion of human rights – by ensuring that international legal instruments on human rights are ratified, by agreeing on domestic legislation in line with international law, by consolidating the rule of law more broadly and by empowering women and youth.

I therefore welcome the active engagement of the IPU with the United Nations family on human rights, connecting and reinforcing the stronger focus at national and international levels. A central part of this is the growing cooperation between the IPU and the Human Rights Council, in particular involving parliaments more in the Universal Periodic Review process. It is crucial that you be informed of the reports concerning the human rights situation in your own country, and that you have the opportunity to monitor implementation of the recommendations that emerge from this national review. I encourage you all to expand further this dimension of our collective work.

Third, sustainable development and the well-being of all people:

Defining a new development agenda is a key priority for the United Nations and for the entire international community over the next 18 months. We need a single and cohesive development agenda for post-2015, with sustainable development at its core, and imbued with the key principles of human rights, equality and fairness.

Parliamentarians need to be an integral part of this process, in identifying priorities, monitoring progress, mobilizing resources for development, enhancing accountability through legislative oversight and giving voice to the most vulnerable through proper representation.

Let me conclude with a couple of observations about the relationship of the United Nations with parliaments and with the IPU:

First, the United Nations and parliaments share a commitment to serving the people of our world. We are united in the responsibility to deliver for people who believe in us. We need to honour their confidence in us with results. This is not an easy task, but it is the very basis of our legitimacy. Working together makes us better equipped to live up to this obligation.

Second, the relationship between the United Nations and parliaments is a two-way street. While effective parliaments are in the interest of the United Nations, an effective United Nations is in the interest of you and your constituents. Great efforts have been made in the past decade or so - thanks to the hard work and engagement of the IPU - to inject the parliamentary dimension into the work of the United Nations. We would like for us, together, to do more to inject the United Nations dimension into the work of parliaments.

Our work has a direct impact on the life of each individual on this planet, advancing peace, protecting rights and promoting well-being. You, as parliaments, have a crucial role in explaining the impact of what the United Nations does for your citizens and decision-makers in your countries, and in ensuring support for these efforts, also at times of competing priorities.

Third, good governance and democracy are fundamental to progress for all – now and post-2015. We have a shared interest in promoting inclusive, accountable governance at all levels – international, national and local.

The importance of the IPU’s promotion of greater international involvement of parliaments continues to grow. In this respect, the partnership between the United Nations and IPU has come a long way over the past two decades. Soon, the United Nations Secretary-General will be issuing his 2014 report on interaction between the United Nations, parliaments and the IPU. The General Assembly too, will be adopting a new resolution on this agenda item.

A main driving force behind this expanding relationship has been my friend, Secretary General Anders Johnsson, and I am very happy to have the opportunity here to pay tribute to him and to what he has achieved over the past 16 years at the helm of the IPU. He has been a tireless advocate of engagement with the United Nations and a clear voice in support of parliamentarians on the international stage, all based on a firm belief in the value of dialogue and exchange. A true friend of the United Nations and a stalwart of parliamentary democracy.

Building on the foundation laid by Anders and his team, we look forward to taking the relationship between the United Nations and the IPU even further, and forging a truly strong strategic partnership between our two organizations. I am confident that this will add an important contribution to peace and democracy worldwide.

I wish you all the best for an inspired Assembly!

Thank you very much.