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HOME PAGE -> LATEST NEWS -> NEWS ARCHIVES (MAY - JULY 2009)
News Archives
(May - July 2009)
IPU President attends Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament in Vienna
14 July 2009. "Partnership between men and women in politics and the economy is key to a healthy and democratic decision-making process", said IPU President, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, at the annual meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament. He commended the Women Speakers for setting common objectives and working together to achieve them. President Gurirab welcomed their views and recommendations for the third World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, due to take place in 2010 in Geneva. |
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Women Speakers of Parliament address the challenge of violence against women
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14 July 2009. The Fifth Annual Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament, hosted by the Austrian Parliament in Vienna, addressed challenges encountered in achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 3 to promote gender equality, in particular violence against women and the financial crisis. Women Speakers and Deputy Speakers of 15 national parliaments and one regional parliament highlighted how the financial crisis increased women’s vulnerability to violence. Economic independence, they said, is one of the best prevention mechanisms. Women Speakers also underscored how violence against women limited women’s economic empowerment. The consequences of such violence hampered development, imperilled poverty reduction and impaired women’s contribution to development, democracy, peace and security. It thus posed a serious threat to the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the achievement of the internationally agreed MDGs, underscored Ms. Barbara Prammer, Speaker of the Austrian National Council and host of the meeting. Women Speakers undertook to take the lead in their parliament in this field. They also signed up to UNIFEM’s Say NO to Violence against Women Campaign. |
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In Jordan, a results-based budget paves the way for gender-sensitive budgeting
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9 July 2009. At a seminar organized by the IPU, the Jordanian House of Representatives and UNDP in Amman, Jordanian members of parliament discussed the role of parliament in the budget process from a gender perspective. It is a topic "of capital importance, not only for members of parliament, but for all of society", said the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Abdulhadi Al Majali, at the opening of the seminar. The members of parliament met representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Audit Office, relevant national agencies and international and non-governmental organizations. In their discussions with experts from Belgium, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, the participants discussed the objectives set by the budget, the measures taken recently in Jordan to develop a results-based budget and the road to a gender-sensitive budget. In spite of certain technical and statistical hurdles, they noted that a budget that takes into account the specific needs of men and women is crucial to development and to the welfare of the entire population. The discussions also focused on the budget from a decentralization perspective. |
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Parliamentary working group in Jordan to identify discriminatory laws and help enforce CEDAW
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7 July 2009. Under a programme of activities spearheaded jointly by the House of Representatives of Jordan, the IPU and UNDP, a group tasked with following up the Seminar on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and a meeting on discriminatory laws organized in 2009, began its work at the Jordanian Parliament. The follow-up group, composed of men and women parliamentarians and representatives of national human rights organizations and women's associations, met at the House of Representatives on 7 July 2009 and agreed a work plan for the next two months. Its purpose is to eliminate discriminatory provisions in laws under examination or review, in particular the Social Security Act, the Criminal Code and the Taxation Act. The working group will also be involved in drawing up Jordan's fifth country report on the status of implementation of the Convention. To that end, it has designated three of its members as liaison officers for the parliament. They will take part in the various meetings and activities related to elaboration of the report. The group has also undertaken to devise a media strategy with a view to better informing the public about CEDAW. In the medium term, it hopes to conduct sensitization activities in the different regions in cooperation with local partners. |
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Outcome document of UN conference on financial crisis welcomes contribution from IPU
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30 June 2009. The United Nations Conference on the World Financial Crisis and its Impact on Development that began on 24 June came to a close officially today after hearing from some 150 representatives of member states. An outcome document was adopted at the eleventh hour which provides a shared understanding of the causes of the crisis and of the critical measures required going forward. In what amounts to a clear indication of the role that parliaments too are expected to play, the document ends with the following exhortation: "We [Heads of State and Government] encourage the Inter-Parliamentary Union to continue to contribute to the development of global responses to the crisis." The IPU Secretary General, Mr. Anders Johnsson, thanked member states for this expression of partnership between the two organizations in his address to the conference. [ Speech of the IPU Secretary General ... ]
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IPU President calls for immediate return to constitutional order in Honduras
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29 June 2009. The IPU called today for the immediate return to constitutional order in Honduras. IPU President Theo-Ben Gurirab condemned in the strongest possible terms the ousting from office of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. The IPU President called on the military to exercise restraint and allow the people of Honduras to freely express their will. "Any act to overturn a government by unconstitutional means is totally unacceptable", he declared. The IPU supports all efforts of the Organization of American States to help restore stability and the rule of law in Honduras as soon as possible.
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Two years project in support to women MPs in Burundi completed
26 June 2009. Launched in 2007, the project, which was spearheaded by the IPU in collaboration with the Parliament of Burundi and funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund, ended its work after two years. Its purpose was to support parliamentary action on questions related to women's rights and gender equality. A series of activities bringing together both men and women MPs was organized to inform the parliamentarians about regional and international conventions, identify discriminatory laws and devise necessary parliamentary action. The women parliamentarians spearheaded the recent review of the Criminal Code with the support of several partners. The aim of that exercise was to propose major amendments with a view to punishing different forms of violence against women. This was made possible through partnership with male MPs and close collaboration with women’s associations and civil society organizations. Capacity-building activities were conducted to enable women MPs to act in a visible manner and send a series of messages in parliament and through the media to promote the development and equality objectives pursued at the national level.
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IPU President at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
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22 June 2009. IPU President Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab today addressed the opening of the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In Strasbourg, the IPU President explained that in celebrating the achievements of the 120 years since it was founded, the imperative of the IPU for renewal and rejuvenation should never be forgotten. "Just as our parliaments need constant critical appraisal, so too do their organisations", he said. In a world where the institutions that embody democracy are judged more harshly than ever, "we must work ambitiously - even adventurously - if we are to remain useful to the people we serve". The ambitions of the IPU include bringing more genuine democracy to international affairs and to the principal organisation that manages them, the United Nations. [ Full text of the speech ... ]
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IPU President paid an official visit to Italy
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19 June 2009. IPU President Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab paid an official visit to Italy. He was accompanied by the IPU Secretary General, Mr. Anders B. Johnsson. In Rome, they held talks with Mr. Gianfranco Fini, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Ms. Angela Napoli, member of the Italian IPU Group, and with the former IPU President, Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini. President Gurirab was also received by the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Mr. Jacques Diouf.
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UN panel on renewable energies features strong MP voice
18 June 2009. A thematic debate on energy efficiency, energy conservation and new and renewable sources of energy took place at the United Nations in New York. The meeting is one of two high level events to be held at the United Nations this year to help mobilize more political support for crucial negotiations on a new climate change agreement at the end of December in Copenhagen. Speaking on behalf of the IPU, a member of parliament from Denmark, Mr. Steen Gade, made it clear that a switch to renewable energies is not only desirable but entirely possible. His own country, which went from near total dependency on fossil fuels 30 years ago to an energy supply with some 30 per cent of renewables in the mix provides a clear illustration. All it takes, Mr. Gade said, is political will and a legislative package of strong incentives and regulations. Mr. Gade also called for the new post-Kyoto deal to include targets on renewable energies, and not just on greenhouse emissions cuts. [ Text of UN press brief ... ]
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IPU addresses UN General Assembly on HIV/AIDS
17 June 2009. The need for parliaments to help remove many of the obstacles that still stand in the way of key international commitments on HIV/AIDS was highlighted today at the annual plenary meeting of the General Assembly. In a statement delivered by the Hon. Sapana Pradhan Malla, a member of parliament from Nepal and an advocate for the rights of people living with HIV, the IPU called again for the end of laws that discriminate based on HIV status, including travel bans, and for a fairer drug production, distribution and pricing regime. The IPU will organize a parliamentary meeting on the occasion of next year’s high-level conference of the United Nations in Vienna, when a global assessment of progress in achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care will be made. [ Full text of the speech ... ]
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Senator Sheila Finestone: in memoriam
9 June 2009. The IPU was greatly saddened to learn of the passing of former Canadian Senator Sheila Finestone. Members of our organization will long remember Senator Finestone for her commitment and dedication to the causes of gender equality and respect for human rights and humanitarian law. Sheila was a true firebrand. She spoke up fearlessly in defence of women everywhere. She did an enormous amount to support women's participation in politics and public life, as well as helping the IPU develop its own program for partnership between men and women in politics. She was also at the forefront of many humanitarian causes, playing a leading role in championing the international land mine convention. The IPU salutes Sheila Finestone with admiration, respect and affection.
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IPU Secretary General addresses OSCE PA Economic Conference
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28 May 2009. Addressing the Sixth Economic Conference of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA), the Secretary General of the IPU, Mr. Anders B. Johnsson, stressed that a global economic crisis required a global response. The Conference took place in Dublin (Ireland) and was attended by a large spectrum of parliamentarians from across North America, Europe and Central Asia. Its conclusions were in many ways consonant with those of a global parliamentary meeting on the same subject convened by the IPU in Geneva on 7 and 8 May 2009. Recalling what had been said during that meeting, the IPU Secretary General referred to the fundamental notion that people controlled the functioning of government and public institutions through an elected parliament. In the face of an unprecedented crisis, parliaments had some soul searching to do to determine why they were unable to put this responsibility to better use. He identified four broad areas where the involvement of members of parliament was particularly essential from the point of view of good governance. [ Full text of the speech by the IPU Secretary General ... ]
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Policy brief on the IPU response to the financial and economic crisis
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26 May 2009. As part of the follow-up to the Parliamentary Conference on the Global Economic Crisis, convened by the IPU on 7 and 8 May 2009 in Geneva, the IPU has published on its website transcripts of keynote speeches, PowerPoint presentations and substantive documents of the session. The most recent addition to this collection is an IPU policy brief on the mobilization of parliaments as part of the global response to the financial and economic crisis. It has been prepared with a view to providing an overall picture of the IPU work in this field. Conclusions of the Parliamentary Conference were also presented by the IPU Secretary General at UNCTAD's Public Symposium, held in Geneva on 18 and 19 May. [ See Policy brief ... ]
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Parliamentarians must contribute to the design of a new economic system
11 May 2009. At the end of the Parliamentary Conference on the Global Economic Crisis, which gathered nearly 400 legislators from 80 parliaments in Geneva, IPU President Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab said that the immediate solution to the crisis will involve the disbursement of very significant amounts of remedial funding. The financial and economic crisis has its origins in the most developed economies. However, it is affecting all countries and particularly the developing and least developed nations, which bear no responsibility for today's crisis. Parliamentarians must contribute to the design of a new system which is better attuned to the deeper aspirations of our citizens. "We should ensure much closer parliamentary interaction with the international financial institutions in a bid to exercise greater parliamentary oversight", added the IPU President. [ Full text of President's concluding remarks ... ]
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