" Promises made should be promises kept "

On 11 and 12 June, over one hundred legislators from 46 countries met at the headquarters of the Latin American Parliament in São Paulo on the occasion of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XI), at the invitation of the IPU and the Brazilian National Congress. They adopted a Declaration in which they recalled that the Bangkok Plan of Action, considered the road map to managing globalisation, was an objective that had yet to be fulfilled. The Declaration states that "promises made should be promises kept", and adds that the problem has been compounded by globalised uncertainty and growing insecurity.

In their Declaration, which was presented by the President of the IPU, Chilean Senator Sergio Páez Verdugo, to UNCTAD XI on Monday, 14 June, the parliamentarians insisted on the importance of "coherence among the public sector policies and programmes pursued by bilateral, regional and multilateral economic institutions". They underlined that globalisation involves extensive integration among national economies and that the adoption of international rules places limits on discretionary public policy formulation at the national level: "it is urgent for governments acting nationally and internationally to strike the right balance between the two, (i.e., integration and national policy), thus ensuring that development strategies are nationally owned and that they converge with international rules in order to generate jobs, growth and overall development."

Speaker of the chamber of deputies of brazil calls for a forum allowing legislators to participate more fully in international trade talks

M. João Paulo Cunha

In a short interview, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, Mr. João Paulo Cunha, noted that all international treaties were submitted to parliaments. "We should therefore take a position as to whether such treaties are well-founded, and have political provisions, not only at the national level, but also in respect of international relations. Specifically, we should fight for international trade to be fair. Trade relations must not exist only between rich countries; the poorest countries must benefit from them more fully".

Are governments willing to give more say to parliamentarians? Mr. Cunha replied, "I do not know whether they are willing to do so, but it is for us as parliamentarians to demand it, so as participate more fully in international trade talks and have our voices heard".

Can the IPU play a more active role in making governments,WTO and UNCTAD more aware of this? The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil concluded that "the IPU is a very old organisation with a great deal of authority. It can indeed be the spokesperson for parliaments and parliamentarians, to ensure more active participation in the discussions on international trade rules".

"INTERNATIONAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS DEAL WITH FIELDS AT THE HEART OF NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY"

In São Paulo, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rubens Ricupero spoke to parliamentarians. Interview.

Mr. Rubens Ricupero

What role can parliaments and parliamentarians play in international negotiations held by UNCTAD and WTO?

Mr. Ruben Ricupero : I believe there has been a radical change in international trade. Previously, trade negotiations exclusively addressed tariffs. These days, they deal with fields that are at the heart of national sovereignty, such as investments and environmental rules, for example, which are in the remit of the national parliaments. I think that parliaments must therefore take part in negotiations and must be kept up to date on everything that is discussed before, during and after a decision is made, and not only after an agreement is signed.

Do you think that in order for that to happen relations between the IPU and UNCTAD should be strengthened?

R. R. : I have no doubt about it. I even think that we should establish mechanisms to launch initiatives to assist parliamentarians in becoming better informed on the issues that I mentioned.