The 107th Inter-Parliamentary Conference, which took place from 17 to 23 March in the Marrakech Palais des Congrès, ended this morning with the last sitting of the Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the governing body of the world organization of parliaments. In particular, the Council adopted resolutions from the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians concerning public cases in the following countries: Belarus, Burundi, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, Gambia, Guinea, Honduras, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Zimbabwe.
The President of the Committee, Chilean MP Juan Pablo Letelier, recalled that several parliamentarians figures had paid the ultimate price for having done their work as representatives of the people. He recalled in particular the assassination of Colombian Senator Marta Catalina Daniels, who was attempting to alleviate the plight of seven of her colleagues kidnapped by a Colombian guerrilla group.
At its session in Marrakech, the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians examined 24 public and confidential cases concerning 139 parliamentarians from 18 countries.
MIDDLE EAST COMMITTEE SUPPORTS A MEETING
BETWEEN ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN MPs IN RAMALLAH
The Council also examined the report of the Committee on Middle East Questions, presented by its President, French MP Yves Tavernier. Several delegations participated in the work of the Committee, notably an Israeli delegation led by the Speaker of the Knesset, Mr Avraham Burg, a Palestinian delegation led by the Vice-President of the Legislative Council, Mr Ibrahim Abu Al Naja, an Egyptian delegation led by the President of the People’s Assembly, Mr Ahmed Fathi Sorour, and a Jordanian delegation.
The Committee supports the various parliamentary and inter-parliamentary initiatives, particularly the one by Mr Ahmed Fathi Sorour to host in Sharm-el-Sheikh, at the initiave of the President of the French National Assembly, Mr Raymond Forni, the Presiding Officers of the Israeli and Palestinian Parliaments on 12 April 2002. The Committee wishes to participate in this meeting. It also supports the plan for a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian parliamentarians in Ramallah in the presence of the Presiding Officers of national parliaments and the IPU. The Committee expressed concern that the democratically elected Palestinian Legislative Council had been unable to meet for 18 months, yet its contribution to the peace process and to dialogue with the Knesset was fundamental.
MEETING OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PARTIES TO THE CSCM PROCESS
The representatives of the parties to the process of the Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean (CSCM) also met in Marrakech, with Mr Alaoui My. Abdelaziz El Hafidi, First Vice-President of the Moroccan Chamber of Representatives, in the Chair. The representatives instructed the President of their Coordinating Committee to consult with the President of the Committee on Middle East Questions on the possibility of a joint effort for peace and security in the region. The participants adopted an instrument relating to the establishment, in the long term, of a Parliamentary Assembly of Mediterranean States, while recognizing once again that, politically speaking, now was not the time to envisage the early establishment of such an assembly, in view of the situation in the Middle East.
COOPERATION WITH THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM
The Council also took note of the report by the Panel on "The worst forms of child labour", presented by Mrs Beth Mugo (Kenya), which took place on 20 March 2002 within the framework of the 107th Conference and in close cooperation with the ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour and the Moroccan Parliament; UNICEF was also associated with the event.
Placed under the patronage of HRH Princess Lalla Meryem, and chaired by the Moroccan Minister for the Advancement of Women, Mrs Nezha Chekrouni, the Panel provided an opportunity for the launching of the IPU/ILO Handbook on "Eradicating the worst forms of child labour". Several speakers stressed the need to emphasize the situation of girls, not only because they are particularly vulnerable as a group but owing to the essential role they will play as mothers. The emphasis was also placed on ensuring that school attendance is made compulsory everywhere, and on mobilizing the necessary resources to provide all children with access to education up to the age of 15 years.
With regard to IPU/UN cooperation, the Council proposed a draft resolution on observer status for the IPU in the UN General Assembly which will be presented to that body at its 57th session in September of this year. The Council also recommends that the IPU be granted the right to circulate its official documents at the United Nations, and the UN Secretary-General suggested that the General Assembly take a decision on that matter as well.
ELECTIONS
Mrs Joan Fraser (Canada) and Mrs Pia Larsen (Denmark) were elected to the IPU Executive Committee to replace Mrs Sheila Finestone (Canada) and Mr H. Gjellerod (Denmark).
Mrs G. Mahlangu (South Africa) was elected President of the Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians and Mrs Y. Kamikawa (Japan) and Mrs A. Möller (Iceland) were elected First and Second Vice-Presidents, respectively.
NEXT MEETING
The 108th IPU Conference will take place in Santiago (Chile) from 6 to 12 April 2003. The items on its agenda will be chosen at the next Council session, due to be held in Geneva in September 2002.
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