PLACE DU PETIT-SACONNEX
1211 GENEVA 19
| INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION PLACE DU PETIT-SACONNEX 1211 GENEVA 19 |
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Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Johannes
Rau, opened the 102nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference.
The Inaugural Ceremony was held in the Reichstag building of the
German capital in the presence of the President of the Bundestag,
Mr Wolfgang Thierse, the representative of the UN Secretary-General,
Mr Vladimir Petrovsky and the acting President of the Council
of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Mrs Najma Heptulla.
In his address, the President of the Bundestag, Mr Wolfgang Thierse
said: "At the end of this century, the IPU needs to prepare
itself to assume a larger and more important tasks in the future.
The end of the East-West conflict has not led to a state of permanent
peace as postulated by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant as
a primary task for those who have dedicated themselves to the
"public use of reason". On the contrary, even after
the collapse of communism, our common task continues to be that
of making and preserving peace."
"For us parliamentarians, this means no acceptance of the
use of violence to resolve conflicts. The recent conflict in Kosovo
is a clear example of this. The brutal human rights violations
we have observed in recent weeks in East Timor have again made
it clear the parliamentary democracies of the world must not look
on passively when fundamental human rights are being trodden underfoot.
The sending of a UN protection force to East Timor is an important
and encouraging sign in this connection", Mr Thierse added.
He went on to say that "in its role as a global parliamentary
organisation, the IPU will need to work together more strongly
with the United Nations - as the representation of governments
- to try to resolve such conflicts. As the parliamentary arm of
the United Nations, the IPU will face new and growing challenges.
It needs to be prepared for this increasing international responsibility
and it needs to face up to it. For this reason, we need to continue
to expand and deepen co-operation between the UN and the IPU."
The representative of the UN Secretary-General and Director-General
of the UN Office in Geneva, Mr Vladimir Petrovsky, said: "our
meeting takes place in the Reichstag which, as an institution,
stands as a symbol of democratic traditions. However, the history
of this building also reminds us that parliamentary democracy
and the rule of law should never be taken for granted. I would
like first of all to deliver the message of the United Nations
Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, addressed to the participants
of this Conference. I quote : "The working relationship between
the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union is still
a relatively young one, since the Agreement of co-operation only
dates back to 1996, but this relationship is already thriving
with multiple initiatives and it is very promising for both parties.
... In dealing with the issues on global, regional and local levels
both the IPU and the UN have their own comparative advantages.
The parliamentarians have a profound knowledge of the needs of
the people, their wishes and their sorrows. Combined, they represent
an extraordinary network on a planetary scale and in as much as
all members hold elective office, they bring to their activities
a high level of legitimacy." ...
The Acting President of the Council of the Inter-Parliamentary
Union, Mrs Najma Heptulla, recalled that "History is replete
with symbolic coincidences. In 1928, the 25th IPU
Conference took place in Germany. On that occasion, Professor
Schüking, who presided over the Conference, said that the
IPU's future mission was not only to eliminate war as a legal
institution, but also to combat the sociological causes of war
by helping to achieve peaceful coexistence between peoples everywhere
and ensuring respect for their natural rights."
"A significant declaration was adopted at that Conference,
the "Declaration of the Rights and Duties of States".
It marked an important step in the development of the doctrine
of a new international legal order. Indeed, in the years that
followed, the IPU contributed substantively to the development
of international law."
"Sixty years later, we are back in Germany and again the
question of the international legal order and, in particular,
of laws relating to war and armed conflicts are high on the international
agenda. We are living in a time when armed conflicts are taking
place around the globe."
The Acting President of the IPU Council noted that the Conference
agenda included an item on "the need to promote international
humanitarian law on the occasion of the 50th anniversary
of the Geneva Conventions. I look forward to a fruitful debate.
I am very pleased to announce that we will launch tomorrow a parliamentary
handbook that has been prepared, in co-operation with the International
Committee of the Red Cross, on the implementation of the Geneva
Conventions."
She went on to stress that "the financial and economic crisis,
first in Latin America and more recently in East Asia, has highlighted
the fragility of the international financial infrastructure. This
crisis has directly affected the relatively open economies among
developing countries with access to foreign capital. But another,
more silent crisis, continues to affect a large number of poorer
developing countries with mounting debts, little access to foreign
capital flows, stagnating development aid flows and relegation
to the margins of the international trading system. Although these
issues have been debated in the past, the fresh crises have introduced
a new sense of urgency. Indeed, there is today a growing recognition
that we need to revise the current global financial and economic
model. The issue is being debated in many different fora and has
also been placed on the agenda for the Conference here in Berlin."
In conclusion, Mrs Heptulla called on the 1470 delegates to the
102nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Berlin to "remember
that it is an artificial democracy that does not reflect the aspirations
of half the population, women. The two genders have been equal
partners in the history of evolution. Women cannot be relegated
to an inferior economic and social status in a democratic society."
On declaring the 102nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference
open, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Johannes
Rau, emphasised that "democracy is not a product of the West.
It is universal, since the roots of democracy, the desire to participate
in public life are to be found in all political cultures: in Asia,
Africa, North America, Latin America and Europe. In the years
to come, it will be important to seize opportunities for economic,
political and social co-operation in order to globalise democracy."
The 716 parliamentarians (including 53 Presiding Officers of parliaments)
who will be meeting as from tomorrow, Monday, at the Berlin International
Conference Centre will discuss, among other things, the "Contribution
of parliaments to ensuring respect for and promoting international
humanitarian law on the occasion of the 50th anniversary
of the Geneva Conventions", as well as "The need to
revise the current global financial and economic model".
The three guests of honour of the 102nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference are the German Chancellor, Mr Gherard Schröder, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mr Cornelio Sommaruga and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Mary Robinson, who will address the Conference on the afternoon of Monday, 11 October as from 4.30 p.m.
Contact: Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer in Geneva. Tel.: (41.22) 919.41.16 or 919 41 27, fax: (41.22) 733 31 41 or 919 41 60, e-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cd@mail.ipu.org, (in Berlin from 6 to 16 October): tel. (49.30) 3038 6203/04 or (0049) 0172 326 77 01, fax: (49.30) 3038 6067. |