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HOME PAGE -> LATEST NEWS -> NEWS ARCHIVES (FEBRUARY - MAY 2006)
News Archives
(February - May 2006)
Legislators visited the devastated district of Garissa in Kenya
13 May 2006. Following the appeal launched some weeks ago by President Pier Ferdinando Casini, the IPU and UNICEF sent a joint mission that included legislators from donor countries to Garissa district in Kenya's North-Eastern province. The mission reported back to the 114th IPU Assembly in Nairobi. Speaking of behalf of the parliamentarians, British Member of Parliament John Austin, said: "Having witnessed for ourselves the distressing sight of people, and particularly women and their children, suffering the impact of malnutrition and the various diseases to which it exposes them, it is our intention to report to our parliaments and governments on what we have seen. We shall encourage them to consider their assistance to the drought-stricken areas and, where appropriate, to take emergency steps to expedite relief. We shall also testify within our constituencies to the situation in the areas we visited".
New publication shows that democratic change is possible
8 May 2006. Parliament and democracy in the twenty-first century: A guide to good practice was launched today at the opening of the 114th IPU Assembly. The Guide provides a comprehensive and systematic account of the central role that parliament plays in a democracy. It identifies the five key objectives for a parliament: to be representative, transparent, accessible, accountable and effective. It then proceeds to give examples of how parliaments, in concrete terms, are seeking to fulfil those objectives. Drawing on submissions from more than 75 national parliaments, the Guide provides clear evidence that democratic change is possible, and offers some very practical illustrations of how it might be brought about. [Read or order the Guide ... ]
International Conference on effective legislative-executive relations in Afghanistan
18 April 2006. Following a long period of crisis and armed conflict, the system of
institutional checks and balances in Afghanistan is being rebuilt. To succeed, mutual trust and confidence are essential, and require a clear understanding of parliamentary process and parliament's role in the oversight of the executive. Targeted at members of the Meshrano Jirga (House of Elders) and key government representatives, the International Conference therefore examines issues and trends in executive-legislative relations in the context of Afghanistan, and offers examples of good practice and lessons learned from other parliamentary institutions. It is organized from 15-17 April 2006 by the National Assembly of Afghanistan and the UNDP-led SEAL Project, in cooperation with the IPU. [ More on IPU's programme of technical assistance to parliaments ... ]
IPU appeal to save 20 million people in Africa
30 March 2006. The Inter-Parliamentary Union launches an appeal to its 143 Member Parliaments for assistance to Africa. It points out, in particular, the urgency of the situation for those living in the Horn of Africa where more than 20 million people in Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia and the United Republic of Tanzania are currently living under the threat of starvation because of the drought. The IPU, which will hold its 114th Assembly in Nairobi from 7 to 12 May 2006, underlines that Kenya needs emergency assistance for some 3,5 million people who are running out of food and water in north-eastern Kenya. The organization of world's parliaments invites its Members to urge their governments to provide immediate financial and material assistance to the affected countries and to try and ensure that all sums pledged are promptly disbursed.
New edition of groundbreaking study on free and fair elections
24 March 2006. The IPU is publishing today an expanded edition of its publication Free and Fair Elections written by Professor Guy Goodwin-Gill (All Souls College, Oxford University). The study reviews a decade - 1994-2004 - of progress in the law and practice of elections around the world. It points out that the elections debate is no longer a matter concerning States in transition from conflict or from authoritarian forms of government. On the contrary, it is of growing relevance to all democratic systems, now facing the internal challenges of alienation and distrust of the process. [ Order or download the publication ... ]
Chinese version of the Refugee Protection Handbook
22 March 2006. The Chinese version of the Refugee Protection Handbook was launched on 21 March 2006, in Beijing, in the presence of the High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr Guterres, and Mr. Lü Congmin, Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Chinese National People's Congress (NPC) and Member of the IPU Executive Committee. The handbook, jointly produced by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 2001, aims at helping members of parliament and governmental officials become more familiar with the general principles of international refugee law. The book has been translated into 34 languages. Also present at the ceremony were delegates from the General Office of the NPC Standing Committee, Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council, the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the Red Cross Society of China, offices of relevant UN branches in China and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. [ Order the Handbook ... ]
Promoting IPU-WTO cooperation
22 March 2006. IPU Secretary General, Mr. Anders B. Johnsson, was received by the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Mr. Pascal Lamy, at the WTO Headquarters in Geneva. Discussion was focused on ways of extending cooperation between the two organizations and on prospects for further development of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO as a de facto parliamentary dimension of the WTO. The next session of the Parliamentary Conference is tentatively scheduled to take place in Geneva in December 2006. Its agenda, to be established by the Conference Steering Committee next June, will be geared to promoting the role of parliaments in advancing the Doha Development Agenda.
International Women's Day: Far from equality, despite certain progress
8 March 2006. Women transform parliaments by being themselves. Their presence in parliament and their active participation in the legislative process is necessary for the articulation of women's issues. Women change parliament to make it reflect the society they want to create. These are some of the conclusions of the meeting of women Speakers of parliament organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union at the United Nations Headquarters last week and attended by half of the women Speakers of the world. While it is true that one woman can make a difference, it is equally true that women will only make a significant impact in parliament if they are present in sufficient numbers. The statistics gathered by the IPU on women in politics reveal that we are far from equality, despite certain progress. [ See Percentage of women in national parliaments ... ]
Women Presiding Officers of parliament meet in New York
27 February 2006. Globally, there are 262 Presiding Officers of parliament or one of its houses: only 27 of them are currently women. As the 50th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women opens, the IPU is organizing a meeting to examine the role and specific contribution of women Presiding Officers to changing the nature of parliamentary bodies and politics. The meeting, where speakers include Mrs. Immaculée Nahayo, Speaker of the National Assembly of Burundi and Mrs. Syringa Marshall-Burnett, President of the Senate of Jamaica, will discuss the issue of equality between men and women in decision making and examine how women are transforming parliaments. [ More on women Presiding Officers of parliament ... ]
One out of five parliamentarians elected in 2005 is a woman
27 February 2006. One fifth of parliamentarians elected in 2005 were women, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which today is presenting its latest statistics on elections in single or lower chambers of parliament in the 39 countries that held parliamentary elections last year. In total, 20 per cent of legislators elected in single or lower chambers in 2005 were women. The President of the organization of the world's parliaments, Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini, who is also the Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, has emphasized that last year was marked by continued progress and new records for women's participation in the political field. The statistics of the IPU also reveal that by the end of 2005, an average of 16.3 per cent of members in the upper and lower houses of parliament were women, up from 15.7 per cent in December 2004. This trend confirms the sustained progress made since 1995, when the proportion of women in parliament stood at 11.3 per cent. [ Full text of the press release ... ]
Women in politics: More parliaments reach the 30 per cent threshold
27 February 2006. Increases in the ratio of women parliamentarians were registered in 28 of the 39 parliaments (72%), underlines the IPU. Significantly, in nine countries, more than 30 per cent of those elected or returned to parliament were women. Norway topped the ranks in 2005; some 37.9 per cent of those elected were women, placing it in third position behind Rwanda and Sweden in the global ranking. [ see statistical table "Women in national parliaments" ... ]
IPU facilitates specialized exchange for parliamentarians from Burundi
17 February 2006. A group of senior parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from both
chambers in Burundi are currently visiting Europe to study the organization of the function of the "questeur". The "questeurs" are responsible for the financial management of parliament in many countries that use the French parliamentary tradition. The IPU is facilitating the French leg of the study tour, in collaboration with the French Senate. [ More on IPU activities to strengthen parliaments ... ]
Parliamentarians of the Asia-Pacific region to focus on protecting the rights of children
15 February 2006. Exploitation, violence, prostitution, trafficking. Each year, millions of children in all parts of the world suffer abuse. The Inter-Parliamentary Union and UNICEF are holding a regional seminar for legislators from across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss ways of using their powers to promote a protective framework for children, from 15 to 17 February 2006. The seminar is hosted by the National Assembly of Vietnam. Former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, once said: "we owe our children - the most vulnerable citizens in any society - a life free from violence and fear". "This calls for the commitment of all actors of society, especially parliamentarians. They have a key role to play in ensuring that laws are passed at national level, international treaties are respected and budgets are adopted in order to ensure that a real protective environment for children is created in all regions of the world", added the Secretary General of the IPU, Anders B. Johnsson. Parliamentarians from Australia, Cambodia, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, along with experts from Africa, Europe and Latin America have confirmed their attendance in Hanoi. They will discuss some of the more complex and pervasive child protection issues in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly child trafficking and violence against children. [ More on the seminar ... ]
Female Genital Mutilations : Parliamentarians must speak the language of truth
6 February 2006. "Many parliamentarians have said they are afraid to address these questions with those who sent them to the Assembly. But I believe this problem will persist as long as members of parliament do not take the bull by the horns. Broaching this topic with our constituents is an act of courage. Even if it means losing your mandate, it is time to speak the language of truth", underlined Mrs. Aminata Mbengue Ndiaye, a deputy and former Senegalese Minister for the Condition of Women. [ Full text of the press release ... ]
International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation
6 February 2006. IPU President Pier Ferdinando Casini, who is also the Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, has declared that "On 6 February, the International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) we, the representatives of the international parliamentary community - a 40,000-strong community of elected parliamentary representatives - are determined to mobilize our efforts, along with traditional and religious leaders, government agencies and non-governmental organizations, so that these practices will be abandoned as quickly as possible". The IPU President recalled that according to the statistics of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), on average, a girl or young woman is subjected every 15 seconds to FGM, which causes excruciating pain. Between 100 and 140 million women and girls have undergone excision, infibulation or another form of genital mutilation, not only in Africa, but also in some host countries of African immigration. [ See also Declaration adopted in Dakar ... ]
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