Welcoming delegates of 120 parliaments meeting in Manila, the President of the Philippines, Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, has inaugurated the 112^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The ceremony was attended by the Speaker of the Philippine Senate, Franklin M. Drilon, the President of the IPU, Chilean Senator Sergio Páez, the Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, Mr. José de Venecia, and the IPU Secretary General, Mr. Anders B. Johnsson. The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, Mr. Robert Orr, read out a message from Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

"While we celebrate democracy itself, the agenda of this IPU reflects the long road ahead for many nations and peoples as we struggle to create a better life, provide more liberty and secure more happiness for our peoples. The eradication of poverty, strengthening security in the face of terrorism while preserving individual liberties, understanding the forces of globalisation and the need to insure that all our citizens – men and women alike – prosper together, in equality, are all pressing issues we are trying to tackle together in this Assembly and in our own respective countries" stressed Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo.

Before starting his speech, Drilon requested all delegates to stand up for one minute to pray for Pope John Paul II, who had passed away in the early hours (Manila time).

Referring to the international situation, Senator Drilon said that "unless there is economic stability, peace and security in this century will remain elusive. International terrorism thrives where poverty, inequality, lack of political choices and social opportunities abound. Those who live in extreme poverty are much more vulnerable to perpetrating violence or participating in terrorist acts".

As host of the 112^th IPU Assembly, Senator Drilon declared that "this is an opportune time for us to consider the possibility and suitability of ensuring that those who make the laws in their respective countries must have a direct hand in the formulation of international treaties before they are signed by individual States. The UN and the IPU, an organisation of parliaments, can and must institute this reform".

IPU President Sergio Páez stressed the need to work for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The united fight to stem the uncontrollable spread of AIDS and the march towards effective global justice to end impunity were all subjects requiring urgent attention. "Representatives must be sensitive to the popular will, and forever closer to the needs and aspirations of the people of the five continents. We as the parliamentarians of our day are called upon to develop, in our policies, a culture of peace. Peace is not the flag of the weak before the great national and supranational powers. It is a way of living and acting courageously and boldly, and always putting forward the settlement of conflicts on the basis of reason and the law."

The Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, Mr. José de Venecia, referred to the fight against violence. "A campaign against terrorism is also a war of ideas", he declared. "We should elevate this confrontation with the extremists from the level of bombs and violence to that of the heart and the intellect. Not only must we isolate the extremists and radicals. We must also help eliminate poverty that breeds hatred, injustice, alienation, distrust, conflict and terrorism – and we must aim to create a world order that offers full participation to all the world’s people. The parliaments and delegates of the IPU – Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews and Confucians – must persist in our efforts to bring peoples, cultures and civilisations together. We must reinterpret our traditions to embrace pluralism in culture and in society".

In his message, which was delivered by the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Robert Orr, Secretary-General Kofi Annan, asked States "to commit themselves to treat any threat to one of them as a threat to all, and to work together to prevent catastrophic terrorism, stop the proliferation of deadly weapons, end civil wars and build lasting peace in war-torn countries". He also urged all States to agree to strengthen the rule of law, human rights and democracy in concrete ways and in particular to embrace the principle of "responsibility to protect", as a basis for collective action against genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity; and to ratify and implement all treaties relating to protection of civilians.

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the IPU, the oldest multilateral political organisation, currently brings together 140 affiliated parliaments and seven regional assemblies as associate members. The world organisation of parliaments has an Office in New York, which acts as its Permanent Observer at the United Nations.
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Contact for additional information or interviews:

In Geneva: Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer PICC Manila Tel. +63 2 832 1386 Fax +63 2 831 4539 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org Philippines Group: Press service of the 112th Assembly: Mr. Raymondo Corro, Public Relations and Information Bureau of the Philippines Senate Tel. +63 2 552 6723 Fax +63 2 552 6755 E-mail: raycorro@hotmail.com