The 124th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Noting that the popular uprisings seeking to consolidate democracy that have spread across the Middle East and North Africa are the most prominent social and political development to have taken place in the months leading up to the 124th Assembly,

Affirming the rights of those peoples and countries to determine their own political future, and recalling that democracies should reflect a diversity of histories and cultures,

Also affirming that democracies should all be built on recognized norms, standards and principles, including those relating to human rights, equality, including gender equality, transparency and accountability, and respect for plurality of opinion,

Expressing concern for the humanitarian impact of the political changes in the region on vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, and noting that 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day,

1. Affirms the importance of holding free and fair elections as soon as practicable;
2. Also affirms the particular importance of empowering women, including by ensuring their full participation in the democratic process;
3. Urges all parties to refrain from violence and ensure in particular that human rights are respected;
4. Calls on all governments to respect the right to peaceful self-determination of peoples;
5. Underscores the pivotal role the IPU can play in assisting fledgling democracies.

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Note: you can download a complete electronic version of the brochure "Results of the 124th Assembly and related meetings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union" in PDF format (file size approximately 746 Kb). This version requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download free of charge.

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