The President of Indonesia, Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, today opened the 116th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The ceremony was attended by the Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Mr. Agung Laksono, the IPU President, Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini, the Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Mr. Shafqat Kakakhel, and the IPU Secretary General, Mr. Anders B. Johnsson.
In his opening remarks, the President of Indonesia said that "As the world community tries to build a new international order, we must make certain that the world’s civilizations, religions and cultures not only co-exist but also connect harmoniously. Dialogue and outreach are necessary because too many of our problems are rooted in ignorance and misunderstanding".
Speaking on another item on the Assembly’s agenda, President Bambang Yodhoyono stressed that the impact of climate change would be fundamental, severe and very costly. It would change not only geography but also the distribution of human population.
Referring to the Kyoto Protocol, he declared: "we must be sure that developing countries are part of those global efforts. We must also make sure that the United States, which produces one fourth of global greenhouse emissions, will take part in post-Kyoto arrangements". Developed countries should do their utmost to reduce greenhouse emissions, invest more in technology for clean energy, and share this knowledge with the developing world. "We have learned since Kyoto that we can cut greenhouse emissions without cutting on jobs or competitiveness".
The Speaker of the host parliament, Mr. Agung Laksono, declared that democracy is indispensable for the preservation of peace. "Obviously, we are apprehensive when democracy does not grow well in a country". He cited Myanmar and Thailand and expressed the hope that the IPU would be able to provide support so that both countries could, among other things, hold democratic and peaceful general elections.
Mr. Laksono went on to say that tension between nations, the threat of terrorism and ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world were other serious issues that should become matters of common concern. "We have no intention of resolving these problems based on the selfish interest of certain countries while overlooking human rights and justice issues. We must emphasize to all nations that efforts to solve global, regional and international world problems must be pursued through peaceful means and dialogue". He condemned any recourse to force and said that "the peace process in the Middle East must be conducted through peaceful means".
Mr. Laksono also spoke about the growing instability in Iraq, which "is really becoming our main concern". He hoped that the IPU would be able to "demand the United Sates and its allies to withdraw from Iraqi territory and subsequently ask the international community, under the auspices of the United Nations," to help preserve stable security and restore the Iraqi people’s sovereignty. He added that Indonesia was deeply disturbed by the Iranian nuclear issue, for which no clear resolution was in sight. He urged that the problem "be resolved through peaceful means and dialogue, which is impartial, unconditional and based on mutual respect".
The IPU President, Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini, declared that "peace is central to our proceedings at this Assembly, and we will be scrutinizing the many ways in which it can be protected wherever it exists and nurtured in the all too frequent cases where it is absent".
He underlined the importance of the Assembly's overriding theme, which is the highly topical issue of climate change. "To some, the relationship between climate change and peace may seem to be indirect at best. However, I would beg to differ. Only a few days ago, the world’s most eminent body dedicated to action to counter threats to peace, the United Nations Security Council, debated the question of climate change for the very first time. The significance of this should not be underestimated".
In the past, threats to peace were conceived of as acts of military aggression. In more recent years, the definition has been broadened, and "we all recall the landmark decision in the year 2000 to include HIV/AIDS on the agenda of the Security Council. That, too, was a bold step to change our thinking in this deeply troubled world of ours. The fact that climate change and global warming are now being discussed in the most powerful of the United Nations deliberative organs bears ample proof to the growing consensus that climate change is far from being a matter of mere scientific interest. It concerns our collective security as citizens of the globe".
President Casini referred to the 104th Inter-Parliamentary Conference, held in Jakarta in 2000, and said that "the challenges facing us as politicians are now immeasurably more complicated. The divisions that separate our people and our nations are becoming ever more acute. Radicalism, often in some very unsavoury forms, has taken a grip on world affairs in ways we would not even have imagined seven years ago. In the next few days, we will be discussing the need for peaceful co-existence between all religious communities, and the relevance of that theme to our troubled world will be lost on no one".
Mr. Shafwat Kakakhel, UNEP Deputy Executive Director, read a message from the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon. "You gather to consider some of the leading challenges facing the international community. Among my immediate priorities are ending the tragedy of Darfur, advancing peace in the Middle East and resolving the situation in Kosovo", said the United Nations Secretary-General. For Mr. Ban Ki-moon, "national parliaments can play a critical role in strengthening the work of the United Nations".
He welcomed efforts to build a more strategic partnership between the two world organizations. "The recent cooperation agreement between the United Nations Democracy Fund and the IPU is an encouraging step. I look forward to further strengthening your collaboration with the Peacebuilding Commission, and establishing close cooperation with the Human Right Council. I also count on your active engagement as the Economic and Social Council carries out its new functions. Indeed, the parliamentary ‘voice’ and the experience of national parliaments in political dialogue will be critical to ensuring that these institutional innovations get off to a strong start".
In his message, Mr. Ban Ki-moon said that this year will also be critical for the Millennium Development Goals, as it marks the midpoint between their adoption and the target date of 2015. "Climate change is also one of my main priorities, and is a matter of urgency that requires sustained, concerted, high-level attention. I therefore very much welcome your focus on global warming in this assembly".
Finally, the United Nations Secretary-General pointed out that national action needed a strong global framework to ensure coherent and effective responses. The United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in Bali in December will be critical to delivering a long-term global response. "The cost of inaction far outweighs the cost of action. Parliaments have a contribution to make in ensuring that the necessary resources are made available. But of course your role goes well beyond that. Your legislative role is especially important, since in your hands lies considerable power to forge the laws, guidelines, frameworks and incentives that will allow business, industry and other actors to play their part in achieving deep and necessary emissions cuts. Every person on earth will be affected by climate change. As representatives of those people, you will help define your country's national and global engagement on this challenge".
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