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HOME PAGE -> LATEST NEWS -> NEWS ARCHIVES (MARCH - APRIL 2009)
News Archives
(March - April 2009)
Women MPs in Burundi and local women councillors from 10 provinces join forces to develop legislation to promote women’s rights
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22 April 2009. With the backing of the project in support of women parliamentarians in Burundi, spearheaded by the IPU and the Parliament of Burundi, 54 women MPs and over a hundred local women councillors gathered in Ngozi, in northern Burundi, on 17 and 18 April 2009. The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss legislation to promote women’s rights. The women parliamentarians sensitized their local counterparts to the amendments to the Criminal Code recently passed by Parliament with a view to making the instrument more gender-sensitive. They took note of the concerns expressed by the local councillors. The main conclusion of the event was the need to legislate in the areas of: gender-based violence, marriage settlements, inheritance and liberalities, combating poverty and making regular field visits. |
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Parliaments lay the groundwork for racism-free societies
21 April 2009. IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson addressed the United Nations anti-racism conference, known as Durban II, in Geneva today. He said that in democracies, parliament is the institution that brings together the diverse opinions of society and channels this diversity in the political process. The parliamentary chamber is the place for compromise par excellence. It is the arena where political views are on display, where national policies are debated and where a common determination to take action can be forged. "In short, it is precisely in parliament where societies can and should lay the groundwork for inclusive and tolerant societies free from racism and intolerance". |
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IPU addresses UN anti-racism conference in Geneva
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21 April 2009. Taking the floor at the UN Durban Review Conference, IPU Secretary General, Anders B. Johnsson, said that the exercise of democracy is the acceptance and the respect of others. Democratic life means both the right to differ and the acceptance of such differences by all. “The point is to recognize difference and allow it to exist rather than refuse it or, as is all too often the case these days, demonize it in order to suppress it”, he pointed out, adding that democratic institutions exist to mediate tensions and maintain equilibrium between competing interests. “It is therefore sad that several countries have chosen to be absent from this Conference and not to contribute to a highly necessary debate. Their absence is a setback for the victims of racism and racial discrimination. It does not help create better understanding and more tolerant societies and it rhymes poorly with the renewed optimism which surrounds multilateralism today”. The IPU Secretary General also said “it is equally sad to see this forum being used to further polarize an already divided world. Proclaiming the victory of right over wrong or us over them makes little sense at a conference which is held to celebrate our diversity and help build greater tolerance”. [ Full text of the speech ... ] |
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Guidelines for Parliamentary Websites – new edition
20 April 2009. The Guidelines published by IPU in 2000 helped many parliaments to set up or develop their website. Now almost every parliament in the world is present online. Today’s challenge is to make the most effective use of the Internet to enhance the relation between parliaments and citizens. The new edition of the Guidelines offers guidance on how to use the key elements of a successful website – content, tools, design, management – in the parliamentary context. The revised Guidelines take into account changes in technology and lessons learned since 2000, and have been prepared in cooperation with the United Nations and the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament. [ Order or download the Guidelines for Parliamentary Websites ... ] |
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Women and Men parliamentarians identify discriminatory provisions in Jordanian national legislation
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31 March 2009. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), members of parliament met on 31 March 2009 at the House of Representatives of Jordan to discuss discriminatory legislation. Organized by the House of Representatives, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UNDP, the meeting took place as part of a series of activities aimed at strengthening parliament's action for the implementation of international conventions related to women’s rights and equality. Participants from both houses of parliament, national human rights and women’s rights institutions, civil society and international organizations identified discriminatory provisions contained in some of Jordan’s national laws. While recalling regional and national specificities, progress made in the field of legislation, and specificities of some laws due to provisions in Sharia law on personal status, debates focused on discriminatory provisions contained in the labour code, the law on social security and the electoral law, among others. |
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Panorama of parliamentary elections in 2008
27 March 2009. 8,560 of the world's 45,000 parliamentary seats were renewed through direct elections in 2008. In 19 of the 35 countries where the composition of government depended on the results of the parliamentary elections, the ruling party was returned to office. Fourteen countries voted the ruling party out of office. The Panorama of parliamentary elections provides an annual overview of major electoral events. Full statistics and reports on every parliamentary election can be found in the PARLINE database on national parliaments. [ Order or download the Panorama of parliamentary elections ... ] |
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IPU President calls for immediate return to constitutional order in Madagascar
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20 March 2009. The IPU called today for the immediate return to constitutional order in Madagascar. IPU President Theo-Ben Gurirab condemned in the strongest terms the ousting of the democratically elected President of Madagascar. He reiterated that any process which overturns a government by unconstitutional means is fundamentally flawed and totally unacceptable. IPU will consult with SADC, African Union and other relevant authorities on steps to be taken to restore stability and the rule of law in Madagascar as soon as possible. |
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Parliamentarians from South-East Asia discuss their role in promoting peace, reconciliation and sustainable development
11 March 2009. At the invitation of the Parliament of Cambodia and the IPU, parliamentarians met in Phnom Penh from 9 to 11 March to discuss challenges to the promotion of peaceful and sustainable societies in the region. Participants affirmed that while great strides had been made in the last decade to bring peace and stability, areas of violent conflict and tension remained. National action and regional cooperation and, where needed, assistance from the international community were critical to finding long-lasting solutions to these challenges. Participants stressed that parliamentarians had a great responsibility to prepare their constituents for the road to peace, which inevitably required compromises and sacrifices. They should have a crucial say in devising the new post-conflict legal and institutional framework. There was a need for state institutions, including Parliament itself, to be continuously nurtured, including long after conflict settlement, to make them more effective and for parliamentarians to work together, in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust in which decisions are taken by the majority while taking into account the views of the minority. [ More on the Seminar ... ] |
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Commission of Experts meets at IPU Headquarters to discuss economic crisis
10 March 2009. The Commission of Experts of the President of the United Nations General Assembly on Reforms of the International Monetary and Financial System started its second plenary meeting at IPU Headquarters today. The Commission is chaired by Nobel Prize Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, and is composed of senior economists and specialists from all regions. The IPU President invited the Commission to hold its second meeting at IPU Headquarters when he met with the UNGA President late last year. The IPU is committed to facilitating the work of the United Nations in addressing the global economic crisis. IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson addressed the Commission on the eve of its meeting. The building where you will be meeting goes by the name of the House of Parliaments, he said. Like Parliament it stands as a symbol for the basic tenets of democracy, transparency and accountability. I hope this setting will offer you additional inspiration for your work, he concluded. [ Full text of the speech of the IPU Secretary General ... ] |
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IPU President concludes tour of the Middle East
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8 March 2009. IPU President Theo-Ben Gurirab concluded today his tour of the Middle East by addressing the Conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union in Muscat. President Gurirab outlined his tour of the region and emphasised the suffering and destruction he had witnessed in Gaza. He once again called for a negotiated end to the conflict in the region. My experience in fighting for the freedom of my country, stated the IPU President, teaches me that peace can not be won on the battlefield. Peace will only come, he said, when the guns are silenced and the parties have sat down at the negotiating table and hammered out the details of an agreement that puts an end to occupation. The IPU President congratulated the Speaker of the Shura Council of Oman, Mr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Issai, on his election as President of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union. The two leaders exchanged views on the situation in the region. The IPU President also met with many of the Speakers attending the conference, including the Speakers and leaders of parliamentary delegations from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and the UAE. Dr. Gurirab met with the Speaker of the Palestine National Council, Mr. Salim Al-Zanoon. The two leaders discussed the membership accorded by the IPU to the Palestinian Parliament at its October session last year. The IPU President also met with several members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, including Deputy Speaker, Dr. Ahmed Bahr. In his remarks, President Gurirab reminded the participants that the Conference coincided with the international women’s day. We see steady progress in women’s participation in political life and women represent today 18.3 percent of all members of parliament, he stated. This is good, said the IPU President, but it is certainly not good enough. The IPU President ended his intervention by calling on the Arab Speakers and members of Parliament to invest more political capital in achieving gender parity in political life. Experience everywhere proves that we can make huge advances if political leaders like us speak up and provide leadership, he said. Let us live up to that challenge. The IPU President will present a full report on his mission to the Middle East on the occasion of the 120th IPU Assembly in Addis Ababa. By that time he hopes he will also have had an opportunity to visit Israel for talks with the new Israeli government and parliament. [ Full text of the speech of the IPU President in Muscat ... ] |
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Parliamentary events at the UN Commission on the Status of Women
6 March 2009. Some 140 MPs came together on 4 March for a parliamentary meeting at the margin of this year's United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. The meeting reviewed the Role of parliaments in promoting equal sharing of responsibilities between men and women. Participants took part in a lively debate and stressed the relevance of the topic especially in a period of economic upheaval. The meeting paid particular attention to the links between equal sharing of care responsibilities and women’s political participation, as managing both public and private responsibilities is one of the first obstacles. On March 5, the IPU presented its annual analysis of progress and setbacks of women in politics. On March 6, a side event on Gender Equality and Political Accountability was organised by the IPU and UNIFEM. It provided an opportunity to present the findings of IPU’s survey on Equality in Politics and UNIFEM’s Progress of the World’s Women Report "Who answers to women?" " [ More on the Meeting in conjunction with the CSW, the analysis of progress and setbacks of women in politics and the Survey on equality in politics ... ] |
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IPU President received by Palestinian leaders in Ramallah
5 March 2009. IPU President Theo-Ben Gurirab arrived this morning in Ramallah for meetings with several Palestinian leaders. Dr. Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority and the IPU President discussed the outcome of the donors’ conference which took place in Sharm El-Sheikh earlier in the week. The Prime Minister expressed appreciation for the financial and political support which the donor community had pledged, including by calling upon Israel to lift the siege of Gaza. Both leaders concurred in the urgency of establishing a Palestinian unity government and for the Legislative Council to start working again. The IPU President met with Dr. Saeb Erakat, Head of the Palestine Liberation Organization Negotiations Affairs Department to talk about the prospects for peace. Dr. Erakat insisted that both parties to the conflict should be held to the same standards, including by recognizing a two-State solution. He also pleaded for an end to the vicious cycle of violence and destruction in the region. For this to happen, said Dr. Gurirab, the international community must also help put an end to impunity. It must also act in support of a peaceful solution to the conflict and the establishment of two States living side by side in peace and security. Dr. Gurirab was received at the Palestinian Legislative Council by the President of the Fatah parliamentary block, Mr. Azzam Alahmad and several members of the legislature. They exchanged views on the current situation in the region and the politics of peace. It is imperative that the Palestinian people speak with one voice, and I urge the Palestinian parties and factions to reconcile their differences and establish a unity government, said the IPU President. They explored different avenues for strengthening the cooperation between the IPU and the Palestinian Parliament, which had received full membership at the last IPU Assembly in October last year. I look forward to initiating legislative strengthening and capacity building activities with the parliament, said Dr. Gurirab. I will also do all I can to provide support to building peace in the region through political dialogue and cooperation, he concluded. The IPU President was also presented a petition by the 1500 residents of the Al Bustan neighbourhood in East Jerusalem to intervene with the Israeli authorities to prevent the execution of eviction orders they have received to make way for the demolition of their houses. |
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IPU President holds talks in Cairo and Amman
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4 March 2009. IPU President Theo-Ben Gurirab met this morning with Dr. Ahmed Fathy Sorour, Speaker of the Egyptian Parliament. The two speakers discussed the crisis in the region and the destruction in Gaza. Dr. Gurirab informed his host of the findings of his visit to Gaza the previous day. It is very important, said Dr. Gurirab, that we speak with all parties, and particularly those who have been elected by the people to represent them in Parliament. He shared with Speaker Sorour his thoughts on activities the IPU could undertake with the help of its member parliaments in support of the Palestinian Legislative Council (Parliament). Speaker Sorour underscored the importance of carrying out fact finding missions to Gaza to establish the truth so that justice can be upheld and those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law can be brought to justice. The IPU President subsequently travelled to Amman, where he met with the Speaker of the Parliament of Jordan, Mr. Abdulhadi Majali. The two leaders had a long-ranging discussion on the imperative need to return to the one central objective of achieving peace in the region. We need to be clear that both the Israeli and Palestinian people want to live in peace and we must make sure that this becomes the focus of all our attention and not the politics of confrontation and destruction, said Dr. Gurirab. The IPU President is leaving tomorrow for Ramallah where he will continue his dicussions with Palestinian leaders and members of Parliament. |
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IPU field mission examines UN reform in Viet Nam
4 March 2009. A small delegation from the Advisory Group to the IPU Committee on United Nations Affairs traveled to Viet Nam last week, to examine progress in implementing One United Nations reform at the national level and parliamentary involvement therein. This is the second in a series of IPU field missions to One UN pilot countries, following a previous one to Tanzania in September 2008. The delegation met with the Deputy Speaker of Viet Nam's National Assembly, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and other senior parliamentarians, leaders of several UN organizations, as well as with government officials, the World Bank, the IMF, NGOs and donors. The findings of the mission will be submitted for consideration by the IPU Committee on UN Affairs when it meets in plenary later this year, and its recommendations will be shared with the broader United Nations system. [ More about the Advisory Group ... ] |
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IPU President tours war torn Gaza
3 March 2009. IPU President Theo-Ben Gurirab toured Gaza today and saw at first hand numerous examples of the destruction caused by the Israeli attack on the territory at the beginning of the year. The American school in Gaza had taken a direct hit, and shells had landed in
the United Nations compound. "I am shocked at the extent of the destruction I have witnessed", said Dr. Gurirab. I have visited hospitals and schools in ruins, a whole industrial area reduced to twisted metal and rubble, and bombed out ministries and other institutions of governance, he said. The IPU President also saw many individual dwellings and housing complexes that had been destroyed through bombardment and tank fire. "I am appalled at the suffering that has been inflicted on the Palestinian people in Gaza", said Dr. Gurirab, "particularly the many thousands of innocent women and children who once again have found themselves in the frontline of fire". The IPU President met with members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and other political leaders in Gaza and discussed prospects for Palestinian reconciliation and unity. The IPU President underscored that achieving Palestinian self-determination and Statehood required political dialogue and negotiation. He reiterated his conviction that a solution to the current conflict is best served by the parties meeting around the conference table, not on the battlefield. The IPU Secretary General, Anders B. Johnsson, outlined IPU’s work in defence of the human rights of the Palestinian members of Parliament who are kept in Israeli detention. The IPU does all it can, he said, to seek their release from unlawful detention. During the visit, the Palestinian legislators requested IPU to provide technical support and capacity building for the Legislative Council. We look forward to initiate such activities as soon as possible, stated the IPU President. The IPU delegation visited the newly constructed building of the Palestinian Legislative Council in Gaza, which had been destroyed during the recent conflict. Dr. Gurirab also met with John Ging, Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza who briefed of the IPU delegation on the work it carried out during and after the latest crisis. They concurred on the need to establish the truth about what has happened during the conflict and to ensure that justice prevails. The IPU President called once again on the Israeli authorities to lift current restrictions and provide greater access so that the urgent humanitarian needs of the people Gaza can be met and the difficult process of reconstruction can begin, as agreed yesterday by the donor community in Sharm El-Sheikh. |
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IPU President attends donors conference in Sharm El-Sheikh
2 March 2009. The President of the IPU, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, attended today the international conference in support of the Palestinian economy for the reconstruction of Gaza. The Conference met at the invitation of the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to enlist support of the international community for early recovery and reconstruction in Palestine, particularly Gaza. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad presented a 2.8 billion dollar plan that includes assistance in the social, infrastructure, economic, governance, natural resources and environment sectors, and budget support. Palestinians living in Gaza suffered the worst assault since they were forced from their homes over sixty years ago, he said, leaving thousands dead and injured and hundreds of thousands without sustenance, shelter or basic services. The plan he presented represents a first step to construct a better life for the Palestinian people and was met with significant pledges of financial support. Speaker after speaker highlighted the need to put an end to the vicious cycle of construction, destruction, re-construction and renewed destruction on the Palestinian territories. Recovery and reconstruction, they said, must go hand in hand with a political process leading to a comprehensive peace in the Middle East involving two sovereign States - Israel and Palestine - living side by side in peace and security. This just underscores how important it is to nurture and maintain a political dialogue with all parties to the conflict at all times, said IPU President Gurirab. I believe this is an area where the IPU can assist through its work with the Israeli, Palestinian and other Parliaments in the region, he noted. The IPU President met with many of the leaders attending the conference including the UN Secretary-General, the Foreign Ministers of Algeria, Brazil, Egypt, France, Germany, Russian Federation and the United States of America, US envoy George Mitchell and EU High Representative Javier Solana. With all of them he raised the support the IPU can bring to overall efforts at bringing peace to the region. President Gurirab received a full briefing from the Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Ms. Karen Koning AbuZayd ahead of his visit tomorrow to Gaza. |
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IPU President meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
1 March 2009. The President of the IPU, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, met today with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas. The two leaders discussed the current situation and efforts underway to achieve a two-State solution to the conflict. Dr. Gurirab underlined IPU’s commitment to facilitate political dialogue and strengthen the Palestinian Parliament. President Abbas informed the IPU President of his efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation. He expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the recent meeting in Cairo which had brought together representatives of the different factions. He hoped that the five working groups which had been set up would conclude their work by the end of March and pave the way for the establishment of a government of national unity. President Abbas spoke of the needs of the Palestinian people for immediate humanitarian assistance and international support for reconstruction in Gaza. President Abbas expressed appreciation for the decision taken by the IPU last October to admit the Palestinian Legislative Council as a member of the Organization and to entrust the Palestine National Council with the responsibility to exercise that membership until such time as the Legislative Council could resume its work. He explained that he was working towards organizing Presidential and Parliamentary elections before 25 January 2010 and that he would be welcome support from the IPU to facilitate the elections. The two leaders met in Sharm El-Sheikh on the eve of the international conference in support of the Palestinian economy for the reconstruction of Gaza that opens tomorrow. President Abbas welcomed the fact that the IPU President would subsequently travel to Gaza where to assess the impact of the recent crisis. Dr. Gurirab explained that he is also in contact with the Israeli authorities and that it is his intention to visit Israel as soon as a new government has been formed. The IPU President, who is accompanied by the Secretary General, Anders B. Johnsson, will also visit the West Bank, Cairo, and Amman for political talks. He will end the tour of the region in Muscat (Oman), where he will hold talks with the Speakers of all the Arab Parliaments present at the Conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union. |
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