PLACE DU PETIT-SACONNEX
1211 GENEVA 19
| INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION PLACE DU PETIT-SACONNEX 1211 GENEVA 19 |
|
Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the world organization of parliaments, will hold for the first time in the People's Republic of China its international Conference of representatives of the world's national parliaments. The 96th Inter-Parliamentary Conference will take place in Beijing (at the Beijing International Conference Centre), from 16 to 20 September 1996, at the invitation of the Chinese Parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC). The two principal themes that will be debated by the 600 parliamentarians present are: "Promoting greater respect and protection of human rights in general and in particular for women and children", and "Policies and strategies to ensure the right to food in this time of globalization of the economy and trade liberalization". The Inter-Parliamentary Union currently has a membership of 133 national parliaments world-wide. Fostering contacts and the exchange of ideas among parliamentarians of all countries and considering questions of international interest are a key part of the IPU's work, which also includes the defence and promotion of representative democracy and of MPs' rights to free speech. The Conference will be opened by the President of the People's Republic of China, H.E. Mr Jiang Zemin, during an inaugural ceremony in the Grand Assembly Hall of the Great Hall of the People, starting at 11.30 a.m. on Monday 16 September. Other speakers at the opening ceremony will be the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council (IPU governing body) and President of the Egyptian People's Assembly, Dr Ahmed Fathy Sorour; the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Mr Qiao Shi; the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Ambassador Joseph V. Reed (who will deliver a message to the Conference from Dr Boutros Boutros-Ghali); and the Vice-chairman of the National People's Congress, Mr Tian Jiyun (who will chair the Conference). The Prime Minister of China, Mr Li Peng, will address the Conference on Thursday 19 September during a general debate on the political, economic and social situation in the world. A supplementary item - a third main topic of discussion - will be chosen on the opening day of the Conference, from proposals forwarded by different parliaments. The proposals deal with the U.S. Helms-Burton Law (on sanctions against those doing business with Cuba - proposed by Cuba), and the U.S. D'Amato-Kennedy Law (on sanctions against foreign entities investing in the petroleum industry in Libya and Iran - proposed by Iran); parliaments and public relations (Russian Federation); a world-wide ban of anti-personnel mines (Canada), and mine clearance (Germany); combating child labour (Norway); international legality concerning the holy city of Jerusalem (Morocco, on behalf of Arab countries' parliaments); and the effect of economic sanctions on peace and security (Iraq). Various IPU committees will also meet during the week of the conference, dealing with subjects such as the defense of the human rights of parliamentarians (tackling some 140 cases of MPs under threat in 24 countries); Security and Co-operation in the Mediterranean (CSCM); the situation in Cyprus; Middle East questions; and respect for International Humanitarian Law. The Beijing meeting will also be an opportunity for parliamentary diplomacy - parliamentarians conferring with their counterparts from other countries on bilateral issues.
Women MPs will meet before the Conference starts, on Sunday 15 September, also in the Beijing International Conference Centre (starting at 9.30 a.m.), essentially to see what concrete follow-up parliaments should give to the results of the IVth World Conference on Women that was held exactly one year ago in Beijing. The Vice-President of the NPC Standing Committee, Mrs Chen Muhua - who presided over the World Conference - will chair the meeting at which over 100 women MPs are expected to attend. Mrs Chen also chaired the IPU's "Parliamentarians' Day" that was held during the World Conference and adopted the Beijing Parliamentary Declaration pledging parliamentary support and follow-up. The women parliamentarians' meeting will focus on two of the key areas for action identified by the World Conference - poverty and extreme poverty: women as victims of this phenomenon and as key actors in its eradication, and women's participation in politics. The work on poverty coincides with 1996 being the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty, declared by the UN General Assembly. And the item on political participation will review the IPU's work in promoting implementation of its 1994 Plan of Action to correct imbalances in the participation of men and women in politics, and review progress on the IPU survey underway on women in politics (looking into how the activities of political parties and electoral systems and procedures affect women's chances to become MPs and on how women occupy positions of leadership in parliament). It will also finalize preparations for the IPU symposium on "Towards Partnership between Men and Women", to take place in New Delhi, in February 1997. It all its work, the IPU advocates "partnership" between men and women in the belief that democracy will only assume true significance when political policies and national legislation are decided upon jointly by women and men in the interests of both halves of the population.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact: IPU Press Officer: Robin Newmann, tel: (41-22) 919.41.50; fax (41-22) 733.31.41 Chinese Press attachés: tel: (86-10) 651.33.993, fax (86-10) 651.22.858
|