UN/IPU Day

The Secretary-General's remarks to Parliamentarians attending the 56th Session of the General Assembly

From left to right: Ms Gillian Sorensen, UN Assistant-Secretary-General for External Relations; M. Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General; Mr. Mosé Tjitendero, Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia and Vice-President of the IPU Executive Committee; Mr. Anders B. Johnsson, IPU Secretary General; Mr. Santiago Romero-Perez, Director of the IPU Liaison Office with the UN in New York

I am very pleased that we are continuing the momentum generated by last year's historic meeting, on the eve of the Millennium; Summit, at which 145 presiding officers of national parliaments set out their vision of peace and progress for the new century.

The parliamentary voice - the voice of the people - must be an integral component of the work of the United Nations.

Parliaments are places where much of a country's most important business is carried out. It is in parliament that a tapestry of views, traditions and beliefs, comes together for dialogue and debate. And it is in parliament that the laws of the land are made.

Today, your role is more pivotal than ever.

With the spread of democracy, you embody the will of the people and are most closely in touch with their needs and aspirations.

And since most of today's major challenges have a global dimension, you who are schooled in the art of discussion and compromise can help the nations of the world rise above their differences and work together. What is certainly true of the struggle against terrorism that has acquired new urgency in the aftermath of last September's attacks on the United States.

As you know, the Security Council adopted a broad resolution - 1373 - that is aimed at targeting terrorists and those who harbour, aid or support them. The resolution requires Member states to cooperate in a wide range of areas: including suppressing the financing of terrorism, cooperating in criminal investigations anal exchanging information on possible terrorist acts. Parliamentarians will be responsible for enacting the legislation that must give force to this resolution on the national level.

Moreover, implementation of this resolution will require technical expertise that many Member States do not possess. Many Member States will also need help in implementing the 12 conventions and protocols on international terrorism that have already been drafted and adopted under United Nations auspices. I call on you and your parliaments to provide this assistance, promptly and generously.

But the struggle against terrorism and the situation in Afghanistan are not the only items on our agenda. Issues such as conflict, poverty, AIDS, environmental degradation and advancing the rule of law have not become any less urgent. Quite the opposite. Your advocacy will be essential to ensure that we do not lose sight of these pressing challenges.

I hope that in the year ahead you will pay particular attention to two United Nations events: the International Conference on Financing for Development to be held in March in Mexico, and the World Summit on Sustainable Development, in Johannesburg next September.

These hold great promise for reinvigorating the development process, and ensuring that vie do pursue a path of economic growth that will enable our children, and their children, to meet their needs. Again, it is your unique legislative power - not least the power of the purse - that can translate international agreements into action at home, in your communities.

Finally I hope you will do your utmost not only to improve the representation of women among your ranks, but also to enact legislation that will protect their rights, promote their participation in decision-making, and provide for their well-being and advancement.

Some parliaments have been real leaders in this struggle; I hope the rest will emulate those pioneers.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am strongly committed to strengthening the parliamentary dimension in the work of the United Nations. The cooperation agreement between our two organizations signed in 1996 has enabled us to make good progress. But we need to build on this.

Accordingly, as you know I have recommended that we go further - that we establish a new, strengthened and formalized relationship, and that the General Assembly grant the IPU observer status. I know that the majority of Member States share my views on this question and have endorsed my recommendations. I hope that when the General Assembly considers the matter, it will codify our relationship and usher in a new era in our already long-standing cooperation.

Thank you again for your support.

The IPU and the United Nations

On December 4, 2001, the Inter-Parliamentary Union held its now traditional meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York. This gathering allows members of parliament attending the annual session of the General Assembly to meet UN officials at the highest level, acquire information about the major issues that the UN is addressing in the political, socio-economic and humanitarian areas and engage in a "parliamentary hearing" with the UN representatives.

Like other events at UN Headquarters, this year's meeting, which normally takes place in October, had to be postponed because of the tragic events of 11 September in the United States. The December date, which coincides with important national parliamentary business, prevented many of our members from attending the occasion. Nevertheless, 97 participants from 29 countries and one regional parliamentary assembly were able to attend. Additionally, observers from nine permanent missions to the UN represented their absent parliamentary colleagues.

The Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia and Vice-President of the IPU Executive Committee, Mosé Tjitendero, chaired the proceedings. The UN Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, opened the meeting, expressing his strong commitment to strengthening the parliamentary dimension to the work of the United Nations and welcoming the long-standing cooperation between the two organizations.

This year, because of the major preoccupation with the struggle against terrorism at the UN, the meeting had, for the first time, a speaker from among the ambassadorial ranks. Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the UN, addressed the gathering in his capacity as Chairman of the Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee. The committee is undertaking an organized and collective effort to engage Member States worldwide in long-term action to fight terrorism. He outlined the various measures that Member States were being asked to take and called for the support of parliaments in ensuring Executive action in this regard.

Ms. Carolyn McAskie, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, spoke of the UN's efforts to ensure a coordinated international response to the victims of conflict and natural disasters. In referring to the innovative tool of a "consolidated appeal" process, she highlighted the role of parliament in approving much-needed financial resources. She also dwelt on the specific problems that women faced in crisis situations. Ms. McAskie welcomed the opportunity to work with IPU to raise awareness of the UN's humanitarian needs.

The Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Sir Kieran Prendergast, explained the UN's work in Afghanistan to ensure the establishment of a new representative government, before referring to ongoing efforts in the Great Lakes Region of Africa and in the Middle East. He noted the increasing importance to the UN of actions aimed at conflict prevention, most particularly because most conflicts had ceased to be inter-State ones and become conflicts within States. That development posed new challenges to the UN.

The Assistant Secretary-General for Social and Economic Affairs, Patrizio Civili emphasized the growing importance of parliaments "to focus the political will and commitment of governments…for advancing development". He briefed participants on the major UN conferences of 2002: Financing for Development, the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Food Summit and the General Assembly Special Session on Children. The Executive Secretary of the Financing for Development Conference, Oscar de Rojas, then gave a detailed briefing on preparations for the FfD conference in Monterrey in March 2002, highlighting the importance of a parliamentary voice at that event.

Meanwhile, in the General Assembly, pursuant to a reform introduced this year, all items addressing cooperation between the UN and international organizations are henceforth to be addressed under a single item with 13 sub-items. One of these sub-items included cooperation between the UN and the IPU.

A representative of the Permanent Mission of India introduced the draft resolution on IPU/UN cooperation. The debate included statements from 33 Member States, 17 of which included references to the growing importance of the close association between the UN and IPU. While expressing regret that the General Assembly was unable to grant the IPU an appropriate status, "despite clear consensus among its members", during the 2001 session, all speakers expressed their hopes that the next session would redress the situation and give the IPU a status that would allow it to bring the voice of parliaments to the UN. The Ambassador of Norway made a call for the IPU to be granted the right to circulate documents at the United Nations.

At the end of the deliberations, the draft resolution co-sponsored by 122 Member States was adopted by consensus.