Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Geneva & Rome, November 1996
N° 59

Some 200 Members of Parliament from over 60 countries are expected to attend "Parliamentarians' Day" on 15 November in Rome, during the World Food Summit, and ensure that the views of the representatives of the people are heard at the Summit.

The inaugural session will be addressed by the Prime Minister of Italy, Mr Romano Prodi, the Speakers of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and Senate, respectively Mr Luciano Violante and Mr Nicolas Mancino, the FAO Director General, Dr Jacques Diouf, and the President of the Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and President of the Egyptian Parliament, Dr Ahmed Fathy Sorour.

Parliamentarians' Day will be held in Palazzo Madama, the Italian Senate building, under the chairmanship of the President of the Italian IPU Group, Mr Antonio Martino. During the one-day meeting, MPs will receive first-hand knowledge of the main issues and orientations of the Summit as well as information on last-minute developments with regard to preparation of the Summit's Policy Statement and Plan of Action to Achieve Universal Food Security. The parliamentarians will be able to exchange views on parliamentary strategies for effective follow-up to the Summit, in particular through the adoption of appropriate legislation and the mobilization of adequate financial resources.

The parliamentarians will convey a Declaration to the Summit the following day, 16 November, in an address by Dr Sorour.

Parliamentarians' Day is organized by the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union - the world organization of parliaments - and held at the invitation of the Italian Parliament, with the assistance of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It will start at 9.30 a.m. with the inaugural ceremony, and end with the Declaration setting out MPs' views and commitments for follow-up action.

According to Pierre Cornillon, IPU Secretary General, who will also be in Rome:

"Parliamentarians' Day in Rome will allow MPs to co-ordinate their initiatives in the framework of the Summit and give their backing to the commitments of States which will be made, and above all ensure that these commitments and the policies decided on at the Summit will be effectively followed through by solid parliamentary action."

"The welcoming at the current UN General Assembly session of the UN-IPU Co-operation Agreement concluded in July, shows that governments recognize the fact that parliaments are essential partners in formulating and implementing solutions to the world's problems."

The IPU is the international organization which brings together the world's parliaments. Through its conferences and other activities it promotes and carries out political dialogue on the entire range of questions of international interest, including peace and security, human rights and democracy, and sustainable human development. At its most recent world-wide conference, in Beijing in September, the IPU called on the Heads of State and Government at the World Food Summit to adopt "practical decisions" to guarantee all persons the right to food, and to give the FAO a mandate to draft an "international Code of Conduct" to ensure the application of the policies and plans of action adopted at the Summit.

9.30 - 10.15: Inaugural session
10.30-13.00: Working session

• Presentation of main issues and orientations of the World Food Summit.
• Contribution of parliaments to the Summit: debate on the themes and ideas included in the Summit's Policy Statement and the Plan of Action as perceived by MPs in the light of their national experience.

14.00-18.00: Continuation of working session

• Parliamentary strategies for effective follow-up of the Summit in particular through the adoption of appropriate legislation and the mobilization of adequate financial resources.
• Adoption of Declaration.
  

For more information, contact:
IPU Information Officer in Geneva, Robin Newmann
Tel: (41.22) 919.41.25/50
Fax: (41.22) 733.31.41