>> VERSION FRANCAISE   
ISSUE N°12
DECEMBER 2003
 
C O N T E N T S
OF THE ISSUE
 
white cube Editorial
white cube Inauguration of the House of Parliaments
white cube Interview with
European Commissioner, Mr. Pascal Lamy
white cube Cooperation with the UN
white cube Interview with Prosecutor of ICC, Mr.Moreno Ocampo
white cube Seminar in Sarajevo
white cube Women: elections in Rwanda, seminar in Sri Lanka
white cube Technical cooperation update
white cube Parliamentary developments
white cube Read in the press

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The World of Parliaments
Inauguration of the House of Parliaments


The ribbon of the inauguration of the House of Parliaments was cut.

The House of Parliaments, the new IPU Headquarters, was officially inaugurated by the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Senator Sergio Páez, on 3rd October 2003. This event took place in the presence of the President of the Swiss National Council, Mr. Yves Christen, the Swiss Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Micheline Calmy-Rey, the President of the State Council of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, Mr. Laurent Moutinot, and other dignitaries. Many MPs attending the 109th IPU Assembly were also present.

“I wish long life to the new IPU Headquarters”, declared the President of the Swiss National Council, Mr. Yves Christen. “Our Parliaments embody the "peoples of the United Nations" and the Inter-Parliamentary Union that brings almost all of them together is a robust and sprightly centenarian ! I say "almost all" because the absence of the United States Congress is regrettable indeed and weakens our efforts. The America of Wilson, Roosevelt, Kennedy and even Bush Senior was represented at the IPU. I need mention only one name, that of the former Senator from Florida, Claude Pepper, for whom our organization proved to be a second home where his internationalist ideals could flourish. United States Congressmen, I urge you to join with us in working to build a better world !”, he said.

“I hope that in the future they will express their views even more convincingly, thus giving the concerns of civil society greater impact on the international scene”

“The House of Parliaments illustrates remarkably well the importance of the role of national parliaments in the work of international organisations. The contribution of parliaments to multilateral negotiations is more important than ever. I hope that in the future they will express their views even more convincingly, thus giving the concerns of civil society greater impact on the international scene”, she said.

The President of the Council of State of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, Mr. Laurent Moutinot, emphasised “the importance” of the IPU which “strengthens parliamentary democracy, that is, the political system which guarantees that laws reflect the people's will in the broadest sense of the term”.



UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, and IPU Secretary General, Anders B. Johnsson.

The Director General of the Office of the United Nations in Geneva, Mr. Sergueï Ordzhonikidze, read a message addressed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan. “In our era of globalisation and interdependence, your work to foster international cooperation among parliamentarians in the cause of peace, development and human rights, and to promote representative government and parliamentary democracy, is as important as it has ever been”.

In his message, Mr. Kofi Annan said that the relation between the United Nations and the organisation of the world’s parliaments found a fitting symbol when the United Nations postal authority issued a stamp earlier this year with a depiction of the House of Parliaments. "Through letters posted to men and women everywhere, the image of this beautiful house has already been carried to all quarters of the globe. I hope that the work done in and through this house will be felt all around the world as well”.

IPU President expresses gratitude
The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Senator Sergio Páez, thanked the Swiss Parliament and the Government of Switzerland “which offered us a generous, interest-free loan to finance the major part of the project and subsequently gave us a further grant to help us complete it. Our thanks also go to the Canton of Geneva, which greatly facilitated IPU’s acquisition of the Villa Gardiol and contributed financially to the restoration work. Let me also thank the city of Geneva and the commune of Grand-Saconnex for their support”.

The IPU President also expressed his gratitude to the IPU Members, especially the Parliaments of Germany, Belgium, France, Italy and the United Kingdom, which had made generous contributions to the renovation of the building, and the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which donated the magnificent carpet that adorns the main hall at the entrance of the building. He also thanked FIPOI, the Building Foundation for International Organisations, the architects Brauen & Waelchli and their partners at Techne.

The project was originally approved in 1998 by the IPU Council under the presidency of Mr. Miguel Angel Martínez. The foundation stone was laid in June 2001 by the then Council President, Dr. Najma Heptulla. The IPU Headquarters has changed countries three times :

1892-1911 : Bern (Switzerland)
1911-1914 Brussels (Belgium)
1914-1920 Oslo (Norway)
since 1921, the IPU Headquarters is in Geneva :
1921-March 1926 : 2, chemin de la Tour de Champel
March 1926 - May 1931 : 5, place Claparède
Mars 1965 – December 2002 : Place du Petit-Saconnex
Since December 2002 : 5, chemin du Pommier, Le Grand-Saconnex

UN Secretary-General pays a courtesy visit to IPU Headquarter


UN Secretary-General to IPU Headquarters.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan paid a courtesy visit to IPU Headquarters, The House of Parliaments, on 9 December 2003. The visit served to reinforce the ties between the United Nations and the organisation of the world’s parliaments, in the words of Mr. Kofi Annan, an important partner of the UN.
During his visit Mr. Kofi Annan and the IPU Secretary General, Mr. Anders B. Johnsson, discussed preparations for the Second Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments. The UN Secretary-General also toured the new Headquarters and met with IPU staff members.


 

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