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HOME PAGE -> LATEST NEWS -> NEWS ARCHIVES (NOVEMBER 2009 -FEBRUARY 2010)
News Archives
(November 2009 - February 2010)
Statement by IPU President Theo-Ben Gurirab after Niger coup
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19 February 2010. I was deeply dismayed to learn of the forceful seizure of power in Niger yesterday. Whatever difficulties this country's democratic institutions may have undergone in the recent past, I must state unequivocally that the recourse to a military coup d'état is a reprehensible act which the IPU strongly condemns. I urge this country and its leaders to restore the national institutions as soon as possible, and especially the parliament, the pillar of any democracy. |
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International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM: Men take action
6 February 2010. On the occasion of the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), the IPU, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC) and the Human Rights Office of Geneva (ODH-DSPE) organized a panel discussion entitled Men take action, at the University of Geneva, as well as a temporary exhibition on FGM and ways of putting an end to it at the Museum of Ethnography (MEG). FGM affects between 100 million and 140 million girls and women throughout the world, and each year threatens three million girls in Africa and in certain countries of migration. The panel - attended by more than 250 people - aimed at exploring in greater depth the role that men can play in putting an end to this practice. The panellists included Dr. Oumar Mariko, a physician and a member of parliament from Mali, who underlined the need for genuine political will in order to eradicate this practice. “Putting an end to the practice of FGM requires long-term commitment anchored in people speaking with one voice and a large-scale mobilization of stakeholders. These voices are being echoed in civil society, within the medical community, among religious and lay leaders, in the media, in government, in parliament and in international organizations. All of these voices are crucial both for arguing against the practice and for creating a social environment that is conducive to behavioural change”, added IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson at the inauguration of the exhibition. [ More on the IPU campaign against FGM ... ] |
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Earthquake in Haiti: statement by the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
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14 January 2010. The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, made the following statement after the earthquake in Haiti. "When I saw the images of the devastation caused by yesterday's earthquake in Haiti, I confess I was lost for words. It is impossible to understand how a people whose lives are already difficult enough can be subjected to the murderous forces of nature in such an appalling way. My heart goes out to the people of Haiti and I am sure that I speak on behalf of all the IPU Members. We offer them our unreserved solidarity. I am writing to parliaments throughout the world calling on them to help ensure that timely and generous assistance will be provided to the people of Haiti. The extent of the devastation caused by this earthquake has not yet been fully mapped, but we do know that many public buildings now lie in ruins. Not least among these is the Parliament. I wish to state that the Inter-Parliamentary Union stands ready to provide all of the assistance at its disposal to help set this Parliament back on its feet. In Haiti's hour of need, on behalf of the parliaments around the world, I would like to express my solidarity and heartfelt sympathy to the victims of this terrible earthquake." |
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Members of the Palestine National Council at the House of Parliaments
12 January 2010. A delegation of members of the Palestine National Council (PNC) attended a two-day seminar at the House of Parliaments. The delegation headed by the PNC Deputy Speaker, Mr. Taysir Quba'a, was briefed on IPU activities relating to democracy, technical assistance to parliaments, reconciliation, partnership between men and women in politics, human rights, development questions, and IPU cooperation with the United Nations. The IPU Secretary General and the PNC delegation also exchanged views on political questions relating to the Middle East. |
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An ambitious agenda for parliamentary action beyond COP15
16 December 2009. "We want to see commitments to address climate change that are politically, operationally and legally binding," stated IPU President, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, at the opening of the Parliamentary Meeting which the IPU and the Danish Parliament jointly organized on the occasion of the United Nations Climate Change Conference. The meeting brought together several hundred members of parliament from over sixty countries to discuss what the post-Copenhagen agenda should look like and how parliaments can contribute to its implementation. The President of the Republic of Maldives, Mr. Mohamed Nasheed, was among those who provided an initial response to these questions. [ Full text of the IPU statement issued upon the conclusion of the Meeting ... ] |
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IPU Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS field activities in Viet Nam
12 December 2009. The IPU Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS, led by its chair Hon. Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu of South Africa, held a series of events in Viet Nam from 8 to 12 December 2009. The two-day field visit at the beginning of the week provided an opportunity to learn about Viet Nam's response to HIV/AIDS and share experiences with parliamentarians, medical professionals and people living with HIV. The field visit included meetings with the National Assembly's Social Affairs Committee, the Deputy Minister of Health, and visits to hospitals, community centers and methadone substitution facilities.
The regional training seminar for the parliaments of the IPU Asia-Pacific Group was hosted by the National Assembly of Viet Nam under the direct supervision of the Deputy Speaker, Ms. Tong Thi Phong. It provided members of parliament from the region with an opportunity to discuss the role of parliaments in dealing with HIV in accordance with ethical norms and human rights standards. Within this broad topic, the participants focused on responses that address HIV prevalence among populations at higher risk from HIV, including sex workers and intravenous drug users. The parliamentarians also heard presentations on trade rules and intellectual property laws and their effects on drug prices, which triggered a lively discussion around the impediments to wider access to anti-retroviral treatment.
[ More on the Seminar ... ] |
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Migration and violence against women in Europe
11 December 2009. As part of its campaign Parliaments Take Action on Violence against Women, the IPU jointly organised with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) a regional conference on the question of migration and violence against women in Europe. Hosted by the French National Assembly in Paris on 10 and 11 December 2009, the meeting was open to members of parliaments of PACE and of the IPU Twelve Plus Group. The debates focused on migrant women's heightened vulnerability to gender-based violence within their family, their community and in the host community. Participants also discussed effective responses to problems such as gender-based persecution and asylum, human trafficking, and economic exploitation of migrant women. To conclude the meeting, participants identified seven main areas for parliamentary action and follow-up at the national level. [ More on the Conference ... ] |
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Women MPs of the Gulf States discuss national plans of action to promote equality between men and women
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10 December 2009. Development goals and the principles of fundamental human rights and gender equality give greater weight to national strategies and plans to promote women. These principles are enshrined in the national Constitutions of the Gulf States, the majority of which have adopted national plans to achieve them. On the occasion of their fourth annual conference, organized jointly by the IPU and the Parliament of Bahrain, women parliamentarians from the Gulf States identified parliamentary actions needed for the effective implementation of these plans that aim to enhance in concrete terms the situation of women in the region. These actions consist of making use of available data and statistics, eliminating discriminatory provisions in laws, obtaining information on ministry programmes, questioning the government about the status of implementation of national strategies and plans and ensuring that adequate resources are earmarked. Women parliamentarians, ministers, parliamentary advisers and heads of national women's councils from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen participated in the Conference, which was held in Bahrain on 9 and 10 December 2010. [ More on the regional Conference ... ] |
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Parliamentarians from Great Lakes region call for stronger parliamentary action to address security challenges
10 December 2009. The National Assembly of Kenya, in cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), hosted a regional seminar from 7 to 9 December 2009. The meeting sought to examine major challenges to effectively implementing a security agenda in the extended Great Lakes region. Delegations from eight countries participated in the event, which underscored the advantages of an integrated regional approach to promoting peace and stability through the work of the Amani Parliamentary Forum, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and its recently established parliamentary wing, the IPU and DCAF. Participants highlighted a number of obstacles to effective parliamentary oversight of the security sector at the national level. On the basis of the presentations and ensuing debate, the Rapporteur of the Seminar presented 10 key recommendations to clear these hurdles and bolster the contribution of parliaments in the area of security. [ More on the Seminar ... ] |
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Parliamentarians discuss ways to ensure access to health for all women and children
7 December 2009. Every year, more than half a million women die due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth. And every year, 600,000 newborn are infected with HIV, mainly through mother-to-child-transmission. In line with their efforts to mobilize parliamentarians on this issue, the IPU and the WHO jointly organized a third conference on maternal health and child survival, on the specific topic of the role of parliaments in ensuring access to health for all women and children. The Conference was held in Kampala from 23 to 25 November 2009, at the invitation of the Parliament of Uganda. Participants addressed the particular challenge of women's and children's access to health, especially within rural and poor communities, and of building parliamentarians' capacity to support health care needs of mothers and babies, irrespective of socio-economic situations. At the end of two and a half days of debates, participants reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring access to health services for women and newborn by focusing on a series of concrete priority actions in the areas of financing, legislation and policy, oversight, human resources, service delivery, awareness and creation of advocacy, coordination and cooperation, women's empowerment and partnerships. [ More on the Conference ... ] |
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Parliaments to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
25 November 2009. One out of every two women in the world is a victim of violence inflicted by her partner and one out of five is subjected to or threatened with sexual assault. As part of its campaign Parliaments Take Action on Violence against Women, the IPU urges parliaments to mark the 10th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women by organizing events on or around 25 November 2009 (see scheduled meetings). "The challenge that all parliaments and all governments face is that we have not done enough, despite the existence of well-documented international instruments to end violence against women. We must adopt laws that specifically tackle violence against women and must have the courage to enforce them", said IPU President, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, who is also Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia. The statistics on violence against women are alarming: based on country data available, up to 70 per cent of women experience physical or sexual violence by men in their lifetime. It happens everywhere – at home and at work, on the streets and in schools, during peacetime and in conflict - according to the United Nations Development Fund for Women. Parliaments have a key role to play in ending violence against women. Many of them have organized an event today. [ More on IPU campaign to end violence against women ... ] |
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The status of implementation of CEDAW in the only country where women are in the majority in parliament
20 November 2009. Rwandan parliamentarians met on 19 and 20 November 2009 at the Parliament building in Kigali to take stock of the status of implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Representatives of government agencies and civil society organizations participated in the event organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Rwandan Parliament and the Forum of Rwandan Women Parliamentarians. The participants highlighted among the main achievements clear political will and political commitment to promote women's empowerment and their participation at all levels, institutional mechanisms and a gender-sensitive legislative framework. Gender equality, however, remains a slow process and important challenges have to addressed, notably in the areas of sensitizing the public about equality and making women aware of their rights. The meeting identified the following priority actions for parliaments: making use of sex-disaggregated data, eliminating discriminatory provisions from the Criminal Code, the Labour Code and the Commercial Code and meeting the specific needs of the most vulnerable women. |
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Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations addresses the global crisis
20 November 2009. The 2009 Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations was held on 19-20 November in New York, with delegations from some 50 national parliaments and regional organizations in attendance. The Hearing focused on The Way Forward: Building political support and implementing effective responses to the global economic crisis, and was addressed by parliamentary leaders, officials from the United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions, as well as by representatives from the diplomatic and academic communities. In his statement at the commencement of the Hearing, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underlined that national parliaments are key allies of the United Nations in its efforts to haul the world's most vulnerable people out of the global economic crisis. In turn, in his opening address IPU President Theo-Ben Gurirab highlighted the role and responsibility of legislators in stepping up and seizing the opportunities for meaningful change. As also pointed out in his concluding remarks, "it is fair to say that we [as parliamentarians] have resolved to try and change the way we think about the economy and the environment, and to influence others to do the same". [ More on the Hearing ... ] |
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Parliaments and the right to food
16 November 2009. Members of parliament hold an important key to finding solutions to implement the right to food through accountability and enhanced and democratic governance, said IPU President, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, at the close of a parliamentary meeting organized jointly by the IPU and the Italian Parliament in Rome. The meeting was held in the run-up to the World Summit on Food Security, which starts today in the Italian capital. Parliamentarians can adopt legal frameworks and laws to protect the right to food and ensure that there is a comprehensive national strategy in place to ensure food for all. They can also ensure that women are empowered, for example by adopting entitlement laws that covers women's access to land, credit and markets. Legislators can also give agricultural development the priority it deserves in the budget, examine current agricultural policies from a climate change perspective and promote different policies and methods that have a less severe impact on climate. Finally, parliamentarians can monitor implementation of programmes to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable in society are met and the impact of trade agreements on the right to food. [ More on the Conference ... ] |
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Using technology to better engage citizens in the work of parliament
9 November 2009. Modern information and communication technology (ICT) is essential to democracy and development. The World e-Parliament Conference - the annual forum on how ICT can help to strengthen parliaments - met in Washington D.C. from 3 to 5 November 2009, hosted by Ms. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. It brought together four hundred elected members and staff of ninety-five parliaments. In his opening remarks, IPU Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson drew attention to the gulf that separates public aspirations for democratic governance and vigorous public debate, and the widely-held perception of political life as a closed space where there is little room for dissent and real consideration of alternative policy options. As noted in the outcome of the conference, ICTs may hold some of the solutions, especially where young people are concerned, since information technology is pervasive in many young people's lives in a way that formal politics is not. [ More on the Conference ... ] |
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