Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Geneva-Jakarta, 29 September 2000
N° 1

At the invitation of the Indonesian Parliament, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will hold its 104th statutory Conference and related events from Sunday, 15 October to Saturday, 21 October at the Jakarta Convention Centre. The Inaugural Ceremony will take place on Sunday, 15 October at 7 p.m., at the Nasuntara Hall, Parliament Building, in the presence of H.E. Mr Abdurrahman Wahid, the President of the Republic of Indonesia.

In addition to the general debate on the political, economic and social situation in the world, two topics have been placed on the agenda of this Conference :

• "The prevention of military and other coups against democratically elected governments and against the free will of the peoples expressed through direct suffrage, and action to address grave violations of the human rights of parliamentarians", and
• "Financing for developmdevelopment and a new paradigm of economic and social development designed to eradicate poverty".

• "Free and fair elections", submitted by Germany.
• "Debt forgiveness in the interests of sustainable development in developing economies", submitted by Nigeria.
• "Action by parliaments to halt the use of minors in military operations", submitted by Italy.
• "The role of parliamentarians in the peaceful settlement of regional disputes with a view to establishing worldwide peace and security", submitted by Algeria (on behalf of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Groups).
• "Closing the technological and "digital divide" gaps between the industrialised and emerging nations", submitted by Israel.
• "The problem of money laundering perspectives for a global policy", submitted by Argentina.
• "Responding to natural disasters in developing countries", submitted by South Africa.
• "Are embargoes and economic sanctions still ethically acceptable, do they still work, and are they suited to achieving their purpose in an ever more globalised world ?", submitted by Belgium.
• "Contribution of parliamentarians to the release and repatriation of prisoners of war", submitted by Kuwait.

The IPU, founded in 1889 and based in Geneva, currently has 138 member parliaments affiliated and 5 regional parliamentary organisations associated. It also has a Liaison Office with the UN in New York.