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HOME PAGE -> LATEST NEWS -> NEWS ARCHIVES (JUNE - SEPTEMBER 2011)
News Archives
(June - September 2011)
IPU President on Saudi Arabia's decision to grant women the right to vote and stand for election
26 September 2011. Saudi Arabia's decision to allow women to vote and run in municipal elections means that no country in the world now discriminates against women on the books when it comes to electing leaders, the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union said on Monday. "We have checked the records", Theo-Ben Gurirab, who is also Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia, told AFP (Agence France Presse) by phone from his home country. "King Abdullah has done the right thing by saying that the door would also be open for women to participate in the politics of the country, to be nominated, to serve on the Consultative Council (Majlis Al-Shura) and that they will be visible in government … But now that that commitment has been announced, we will be monitoring the evolution in terms of policy, action and implementation" and the IPU is ready to send assistance if so desired, he said. Gurirab recognized, however, that there was a difference between the laws on the books and actual implementation. |
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IPU President attends UN General Debate in New York
23 September 2011. IPU President Theo-Ben Gurirab attended a series of high-level meetings organized at United Nations Headquarters in New York during the week of 19 September, in the context of the opening of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly. Speaker Gurirab held a series of bilateral meetings with heads of State and Government, Ministers and UN officials, including General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser (Qatar) and UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, President Jorge Sampaio (Portugal). In the course of the week, IPU addressed several of the high-level meetings, on issues which include non-communicable diseases, the peaceful resolution of disputes, as well as the achievement of international commitments in the global fight against racism. On 21 September, Speaker Gurirab chaired a briefing session with legislators attending the UN General Debate, which allowed for an exchange of views and interaction among the MPs, as well as with the President of the General Assembly and the Director of the Policy and Mediation Division at the UN Department for Political Affairs. [ More on the subject ... ] |
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Trade in natural resources - A curse or blessing?
21 September 2011. Natural resources underlie - directly or indirectly - economic activities in all countries and represent roughly a quarter of world trade. Not only can access to natural resources be a source of political tension, but volatile prices too can result in economic instability and social unrest. Trade in natural resources thus seemed a logical choice of theme for the IPU and the European Parliament, co-organizers of the Parliamentary Panel held in the framework of the WTO Public Forum 2011. Attended by over 150 participants, including parliamentarians from all over the world, the Panel, moderated by Swiss journalist Ram Etwareea, has become one of the highlights of the Forum's general programme, which this year included over 40 events held under the overall theme "Seeking answers to global trade challenges". The discussion initiated at the Parliamentary Panel on 20 September continued the following day at a session of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, held at IPU Headquarters. Composed of representatives of some 30 national parliaments and regional parliamentary assemblies and bodies, the Committee was briefed by Ms. Valentine Rugwabiza, WTO Deputy Director-General, on the current state of play in the Doha Round of negotiations. The Committee stated unanimously that, despite the protracted stalemate in the WTO talks, every effort should be made to salvage the Round. In a bid to lend political support to these efforts, the Committee decided to pursue the activities of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO in 2012, as well as in the weeks leading up to the 8th WTO Ministerial Conference, to be held in Geneva from 15 to 17 December 2011. [ More on the subject ... ] |
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IPU committed to Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health
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20 September 2011. In 2010, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Every Woman Every Child campaign, a global effort to mobilize and intensify action to improve the health of women and children around the world. To mark the one-year anniversary of the campaign, the UN Secretary-General announced new commitments to the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, including the one made by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The IPU's commitment centres on mobilizing support for the Global Strategy within the world parliamentary community and adopting a resolution that calls for parliamentary action in support of women's and children's health. IPU support is intended to enhance access to and accountability for improved health services for women and children. At the country level, the IPU will provide targeted assistance to strengthen the legislative and oversight functions of parliaments in countries where women and children do not have equitable access to essential health services. |
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Asian Parliamentarians resolve to strengthen enforcement of legislation on violence against women in their region
20 September 2011. Parliamentarians from 11 Asian countries met in a seminar in New Delhi (India) from 15-17 September, to share experiences and good practices on preventing and responding to violence against women and girls. The seminar was jointly organized by the IPU and the Parliament of India. The inaugural addresses by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Ms. Meira Kumar, and the President of the IPU, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, set the tone for this event. Participants reviewed the situation of violence against women and girls in the region and analysed its root causes. They noted that this phenomenon was often justified and rendered acceptable by ingrained social and cultural patterns. They debated preventive measures and mechanisms to secure the effective enforcement of relevant legislation to tackle the scourge, including parliaments’ oversight and budgetary powers, the role of parliamentary women’s caucuses, and parliaments’ ability to monitor and facilitate law enforcement. They also underscored the crucial involvement of men, in particular men parliamentarians and opinion leaders, as part of the solution to end this human rights violation. At the end of three days of substantive discussions, the participants endorsed priority steps that parliaments should take to secure a more robust response to violence against women. [ More on the subject ... ] |
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10 years of incommunicado detention: a call to action to help 11 former MPs in Eritrea
16 September 2011. On 18 September 2001, exactly 10 years ago, 11 members of the Parliament of Eritrea were arrested and have since been held without any contact with the outside world and have never been brought before a judge. Their only mistake was to call for democratic reforms in their country. Among them are the country's vice-president and former foreign minister, Mahmoud Ahmed Sheriffo, two other former foreign ministers, Haile Woldetensae and Petros Solomon, and the former army chief, Ogbe Abraha. The Eritrean authorities have consistently refused to heed any calls for their release. They have rejected a decision of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights to this effect and have consistently refused to provide any information about their situation. To mark the 10 years of intolerable incommunicado detention, and at the Committee's request, the IPU Secretary General has made a written appeal to all IPU Member Parliaments, calling on them to take action in solidarity with the 11 former MPs. [ More on the subject ... ] |
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IPU President condemns the bomb attack on UN headquarters in Nigeria
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29 August 2011. The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, in the strongest terms condemned the car bomb attack which hit the United Nations headquarters in Abuja. "I was outraged to hear about the bomb blast that killed at least 18 people in that dastardly bloody attack. I wholly condemn this terrible and cowardly act. I convey my own and IPU's sincere sympathy and condolences to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and to the families and loved ones of all those who have suffered in this cruel act. The IPU stands together with the United Nations family, the people of Nigeria, the families of the victims and all those who devote their lives to helping others." |
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Statement by the IPU President on the famine in the Horn of Africa
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23 August 2011. The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, has appealed to the international community and parliaments in particular to mobilize relief efforts in the face of the tragic situation in the Horn of Africa, which is suffering from famine of a magnitude not seen for decades. It is estimated that some 12 million persons are under threat from the drought in the Horn of Africa, Somalia being the hardest hit country. Over one million children risk dying and nearly half the population of Somalia is affected by the famine. Massive and urgent humanitarian aid is needed but the mobilization efforts have fallen short. He urged parliaments and parliamentarians to encourage their governments, as well as the private sector, in particular those of wealthy countries, to rapidly amass the aid required to deal with this tragedy. |
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The IPU welcomes the recognition by the State of Colombia of its responsibility in the assassination of Senator Manuel Cepeda
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11 August 2011. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) welcomes the public recognition by the State of Colombia, in compliance with the ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights of 26 May 2010, of its responsibility in the assassination of Senator Manuel Cepeda in August 1994. In a public act held on 9 August, in the Capitolio Nacional, the Colombian Minister of the Interior and of Justice acknowledged before the Congress of the Republic the Colombian State’s responsibility for the extrajudicial execution of Senator Cepeda and apologized for that act. The IPU, through its Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, has been examining Senator Cepeda’s case ever since his 1994 assassination, which occurred in the context of the systematic elimination of sympathizers, members and leaders of the Unión Patriótica conceived at the highest level of the Colombian military establishment. The world organization of parliaments has consistently recalled the duty of the State to identify and bring to justice those responsible for this crime, carried out on-site missions to convey its concerns directly to the competent authorities, and submitted an amicus curiae brief to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. [ See press release ... ] |
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IPU President condemns the bomb blast and shootings in Norway
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25 July 2011. IPU President Theo-Ben Gurirab made the following statement today: "I was horrified to hear about the bomb blast in Oslo and shooting attack in Utoeva, killing and injuring innocent people. I condemn in the strongest possible terms these heinous acts of violence. I would like to convey my sincere condolences to the Norwegian Government, the Norwegian people and the families and loved ones of all those who have suffered in these cruel and cowardly acts. The IPU stands together with the people of Norway at this terrible moment."
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IPU, UNDP and the European Union enter into a tripartite partnership to support the Palestinian Legislative Council Secretariat
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11 July 2011. The IPU and UNDP have signed an agreement to jointly implement a Euro 1.4 million project funded by the European Union intended to strengthen the Secretariat of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The project is based on the assumption that the Secretariat can put to use the current suspension of the activities of the Palestinian Legislative Council to develop its capacity to serve the PLC in a timely, efficient and effective manner. Specifically, the project will assist the PLC Secretariat in preparing for the resumption of parliamentary work by addressing procedural, legislative and administrative shortcomings as well as designing operational plans for the crucial period following resumption of parliamentary work. |
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IPU President congratulates South Sudan upon achieving independence
9 July 2011. The IPU President, Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, today extended his warmest congratulations to the people and government of South Sudan on the birth of their nation. "I convey to you the best wishes of the world parliamentary community. We have accompanied you during your years of struggle and we join you today in celebrating and commemorating the sacrifice and struggle of millions of Southern Sudanese which have led to this historic and momentous occasion. I also wish to pay tribute to the support which the international community has given to you over the years and, in particular during the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement." Speaking from his native Namibia which gained its own independence twenty-one years ago after a long struggle, Dr. Gurirab stated, "I know how extraordinary this moment must feel. It represents a truly unique milestone in history and it crowns your efforts in uniting the Southern Sudanese people under one roof through a peace process. I know that this moment also represents a beginning. Over the months and years to come you will be building a strong, stable and democratic South Sudan. I pledge to you the support of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in these efforts. We look forward to welcoming the parliament of South Sudan in our organization and to assisting you in developing a democratic parliament at the service of the people." |
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Belgian Senator Philippe Mahoux new President of the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians
5 July 2011. Belgian Senator Philippe Mahoux has been elected President of the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians. The new President of the IPU Committee is a medical doctor and surgeon. He was Chief of the Department of Abdominal Surgery at the Namur regional hospital in Belgium from 1985 to 1996 and has participated in a number of humanitarian missions to Africa, Asia and the Middle East, including with Médecins sans frontières and Oxfam. Senator Mahoux started his political career in 1990 when he was elected to the Senate for the first time. He left parliament for a few years - 1994 -1997 - to take over the post of Minister of Education and Broadcasting before returning to the Senate again. He held the position of Vice-President of the Senate and subsequently became President of the Socialist Group (French community) in the Belgian Senate, a position he still holds today. Senator Mahoux was the vice-president and rapporteur of the parliamentary commission on the Tutsi genocide and the assassination of 10 Belgian paratroopers in Rwanda. Other members of the IPU human rights committee present in Geneva are Mexican Senator Ms. Rosario Green (Vice-President of the Committee), Mr. Bogdan Barovič (MP, Slovenia), Mr. Kazem Jalali (MP, Islamic Republic of Iran), Mr. Kassoum Tapo (MP, Mali) and Senator Francis Pangilinan (Philippines). [ See press release ... ] |
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National seminar in Cameroon targets violence against women
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24 June 2011. What can parliamentarians do to end violence against women? The members of Cameroon's National Assembly asked themselves that question at a seminar held in Yaoundé on 22 and 23 June 2011. Organized at the instigation of the National Assembly's Network of Parliamentarians for the Promotion of Gender Equality (REPAGE), the meeting followed on the regional seminar organized by the IPU in March 2011 in Ouagadougou for West and Central African parliamentarians on the importance of taking legislative action to end violence against women and girls. At the close of their deliberations, the Cameroonian parliamentarians identified what they had to do as a priority to help accelerate the pace of legislative reform in favour of women. Measures of reform include revising the Family Code and drafting legislation to combat violence against women, including domestic violence, sexual attacks, female genital mutilation and other harmful practices such as breast ironing. |
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MPs at UN High Level Meeting in New York: translating AIDS commitments into reality
8 June 2011. The world's parliamentarians have a crucial role to play in an effective response to the AIDS epidemic. They provide leadership, help shape the national agenda, craft laws and authorize AIDS spending. How this influence can be harnessed to address the challenge to HIV was the central theme of the Parliamentary Briefing organized by the IPU, UNAIDS and UNDP on the eve of the UN High Level Meeting on AIDS in New York. The event was attended by members of parliament and ministers taking part in the High Level Meeting. The gathering examined the underlying politics of the new global consensus on HIV and looked at the main outcomes likely to emerge from the High Level Meeting. The emphasis throughout was firmly on concrete and practical action and translating AIDS commitments into reality, using the full range of parliamentary powers, from leadership and budget allocation to law-making and reform. [ More on the event ... ] |
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Sierra Leone parliament considers more effective role in overseeing the strategic management of extractive industry revenues
3 June 2011. The management of revenues from the extractive industries has been a divisive issue in Sierra Leone, like in many resource-rich countries. In a bid to make parliament more involved in the distribution of these resources for the general good, Members of the Sierra Leone Parliament met on 1 and 2 June in Freetown. The meeting was sponsored by the IPU and GIZ. The proceedings highlighted the challenges faced by parliament, particularly in the committees, in carrying out effective oversight of the natural resource related contracts concluded between the Government and the private sector The workshop also enabled members of the Parliament to acquire a basic understanding of the salient provisions of Sierra Leone laws relevant to management of extractive industry revenues. Participants drafted a work plan for the Committee on Mineral resources aimed at improving parliament's oversight of extractive industry revenues. The work plan included increased engagement of Members in the review and scrutiny of relevant documentation such as the Mines and Minerals Act, Mining agreements and the mining industry regulations currently being developed in Sierra Leone. It also called for increased cooperation between parliamentary committees dealing with issues related to the mining industry. |
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Togolese Parliament organizes consultation on violence against women and girls
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1 June 2011. A public consultation was held in Lomé on 30 and 31 May 2011 with IPU support with a view to drafting a bill on violence against women and girls in Togo. The Human Rights Committee and the women members of parliament of the Togolese National Assembly were behind the initiative. The consultation brought together MPs, government officials, prefects, magistrates, representatives of the security forces and health services, religious and traditional leaders and NGOs working with women who are victims of violence, from the country's six regions. Different views were heard and information was provided on the various forms of violence to which women and girls fall prey. At the end of the consultation, the participants presented a report outlining the different forms of violence, identifying root causes and proposing strategies to tackle the problem. This document will serve as a basis for the committee tasked with drafting the bill, which was set up on that occasion. |
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