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HOME PAGE -> LATEST NEWS -> NEWS ARCHIVES (NOVEMBER 2005 - JANUARY 2006)
News Archives
(November 2005 - January 2006)
Needs assessment mission underway in Burundi
31 January 2006. Following successful parliamentary and presidential elections in July 2005, the transition period in Burundi has officially ended. Yet the challenge of rebuilding strong institutions, after years of conflict, is only beginning. At the request of the Parliament of Burundi, the IPU has sent a team of experts from the Pan-African Parliament and the parliaments of France and Italy to carry out a needs assessment mission. Accompanied by representatives of IFES, specialized in electoral systems, the mission will analyse the current situation within the parliament, identify needs and propose solutions, with particular attention to training skilled parliamentary staff. In agreement with the parliamentary authorities, the team's recommendations will form the basis of a proposal for a technical assistance project in Burundi.
Guide to democratic practice in parliament nears completion
25 January 2006. The third meeting of the Working Group on Parliaments' Contribution to Democracy convened in Geneva to review progress on a major new IPU publication that will set out the objectives of a democratic parliament, illustrated by examples of democratic practice from parliaments around the world. During two days of lively debate, parliamentarians, academics and legislative specialists analysed the responses to the challenges facing parliaments in the twenty-first century. Their findings will be presented in
the form of a practical guide at the 114th IPU Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, in May 2006.
IPU Committee welcomes the liberation of two former Syrian parliamentarians
23 January 2006. The Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union welcomes the liberation of two former members of parliament of the Syrian Arab Republic, Mr. Riad Seef and Mamoun Al-Homsi. In its resolutions, the IPU Committee has held that the two former parliamentarians had been sentenced and imprisoned for exercising their freedom of speech, of assembly and of association. In May 2002, it sent a mission to Damascus calling for their release, and intervened to this effect with President Bashar al-Assad and the Speaker of the Syrian Arab Republic's parliament, who accepted to cooperate with the IPU. [ Full text of the press release ... ]
IPU seeks to strengthen the parliamentary dimension to international
cooperation
19 January 2006. The Working Group on IPU Reform that is meeting during two days in Geneva will discuss ways to give the IPU a greater role in providing a parliamentary dimension to international cooperation. This dimension includes parliamentary oversight of international commitments adopted by governments, and also the oversight of the activities of international organisations. The Working Group, which includes a number of Speakers of parliament, has been convened at the initiative of IPU President Pier Ferdinando Casini. Its deliberations feed into the reform process launched by the IPU in 2000, which aims to ensure that the organisation remains relevant, topical and visible in the twenty-first century.
Eradicating the illegal trade in small arms and light weapons
13 January 2006. The proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons is the cause of tremendous human suffering. Parliaments are responsible for creating a national legislative framework for the entire "life cycle" of a weapon, from production to shipping. In particular, Parliaments are called upon to pass legislation strengthening penalties for those who arm, recruit or use children or minors in armed conflicts. A guideline and action plan for Parliaments in their efforts to control trafficking of small arms and light weapons is one of the expected outcomes of the 114th IPU Assembly in May 2006. These were some of the key messages in a statement by the IPU to the committee charged with preparing the United Nations conference to review progress in the fight against the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons that will take place in June and July. [ IPU statements at the United Nations ... ]
Hong Kong parliamentary declaration transmitted to the WTO
16 December 2005. Representatives of the IPU and the European Parliament attending the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong transmitted to the WTO Director-General, Mr. Pascal Lamy, the text of the declaration adopted at the end of the parliamentary session, which had taken place on 12 and 15 December in conjunction with the Ministerial Conference. The declaration expresses concern at the lack of progress in WTO negotiations dealing with all key sectors, especially the major development issues, and urges trade ministers to bear in mind that the very lives and livelihoods of literally hundreds of millions of persons depend on the achievement of balanced, fair and equitable results in multilateral negotiations. Despite the great diversity of views expressed during the two-day parliamentary session in Hong Kong, its outcome declaration was adopted by consensus, thus sending a strong political signal to government negotiators still deadlocked in WTO talks. [ Text of the parliamentary declaration ... ]
WTO Director General Pascal Lamy addresses parliamentarians in Hong Kong
12 December 2005. "I would like to thank Mr. Casini for his call on the Parliamentary Conference to remind negotiators of the imperative of reaching a successful outcome. This is precisely the sort of message that would give momentum to this critical of week of negotiations", said the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), at the opening of the Hong Kong session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament. [ Full text of the speech ... ]
A critical moment for the WTO, say parliamentarians
12 December 2005. Some 400 members of national parliaments representing 69 countries and regional parliamentary assemblies are taking part in the Hong Kong session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, organized by the IPU and the European Parliament, on 12 and 15 December 2005, in conjunction with the sixth WTO Ministerial Conference. "The keywords for our debate will be agriculture, non-agricultural market access, services, rules and institutional capacity building, among others. I would place "political will" on the very top of this list, because of the importance of this factor at a time when success depends upon leadership, vision and firm adherence to the international commitments inscribed in the Doha Declaration", stressed the IPU President and Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini. [ Full text of the press release ... ]
Female genital mutilation: parliamentarians commit to abandoning FGM within a generation
5 December 2005. Some 100 participants, including parliamentarians from more than 20 national parliaments, traditional and religious leaders, and representatives of United Nations agencies and civil society movements, took part in the African parliamentary conference on Violence against women, abandoning female genital mutilation: The role of national parliaments, hosted by the National Assembly of Senegal and organized by the APU, in cooperation with the IPU and UNICEF. At the close of two days of debates, the parliamentarians unanimously adopted a Final Declaration to end female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C). Acknowledging that the abandonment of FGM/C can be achieved only as a result of a comprehensive movement, which involves all public and private stakeholders in society, they committed themselves to spare no effort to end FGM/C and to achieve the goal of abandoning this practice within a generation. [ More information on the fight against female genital mutilation ... ]
President Casini: Information societies have the potential to enrich and renew democracy
18 November 2005. Speaking at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis (WSIS), IPU President Pier Ferdinando Casini declared that information and communication technologies (ICT) reinforce the connection between citizens, parliaments and governments. However, the digital divide means that the full benefits of ICT are currently not available in all countries. Parliaments will need to work with governments, civil society and the private sector to ensure the equitable development of information societies, notably by adopting laws and approving budgets. Mr. Casini also reported on the proposals made by participants at the parliamentary meeting the previous day, which include the creation of structures in each parliament to hold governments to account over the implementation of the decisions taken at this World Summit. [ Full text of the speech ... ]
Launch of the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament
16 November 2005. IPU is a founding partner of this ambitious five-year project, which was officially launched on Wednesday 16 November, in cooperation with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The Global Centre will build the capacity of parliaments to integrate information and communication technologies (ICT) into their work, drawing on the lessons learnt in parliaments around the world. Speaking at the launch, which took place at a parallel meeting at the World Summit on the Information Society, IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson pledged to bring more than 10 years of experience in parliamentary ICT projects, which have been implemented under the IPU's programme of technical assistance to parliaments. [ Website of the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament ... ]
IPU President Casini Meets Speaker of United States Congress
3 November 2005. During his first official visit to the United States as President of the IPU, Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini was received in Washington by the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Mr. Dennis Hastert. After a frank and cordial meeting, the two leaders agreed to explore avenues for future cooperation between the IPU and the United State Congress. President Casini, who is also the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, also met with a number of members of the United States Congress, including Mr. David Dreier, Mrs. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Jerry Weller, Mr. Joe Wilson, Mr. John Mica and Mr. Bill Pascrell.
IPU President Casini: Strategic partnership between the United Nations and parliaments
1 November 2005. A strategic partnership between the United Nations and the world's parliaments is needed, with closer cooperation in peace negotiations and in United Nations reform, according to the newly elected President of the IPU, Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini. Speaking at the opening of the annual Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations, with over a hundred members of parliament and the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Jan Eliasson, in attendance, Mr. Casini - who is also the Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies - stressed that "parliaments can make a valuable contribution to peace-building and to reconciliation" in many countries. After the Parliamentary Hearing, President Casini was received by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan.
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