Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
New York, 1 September 2000
N° 4

The first Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in cooperation with the United Nations, closed its three days of sessions in New York with the adoption by acclamation of a final Declaration, which "calls upon all parliaments and their world organization, the IPU, to provide a parliamentary dimension to international cooperation."

The 148 Presiding Officers of 140 national parliaments gathered in the UN General Assembly Hall, on the eve of the Millennium Assembly, reaffirm their "commitment to international cooperation, with a stronger United Nations at its core. We resolve to ensure that our parliaments contribute more substantively to this cooperation by making the voice of the peoples heard, thereby introducing a more manifestly democratic dimension into international decision-making and cooperation."

The Presiding Officers also stated their determination "to see to it that our States honour their commitments under the UN Charter. States must ensure that their conduct conforms to international law, especially human rights and humanitarian law. Respect for the instruments of international humanitarian law is essential and we will continue to work for the establishment of an International Criminal Court that is non discriminatory and universal. We reiterate our commitment to general and complete disarmament under effective international control, in particular nuclear disarmament and the elimination of weapons of mass destruction...".

Introducing the Declaration for its adoption, Mr Mélégué Traoré, Speaker of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso, explained that the text "conveys a political vision of the major challenges facing the world at this highly symbolic juncture and transmits a new vision of the process of international cooperation. We are witnessing a momentous evolution in international relations that makes it urgent to bring people closer to international negotiating forums. Here, Parliament is confronted with a major challenge: it is the organ of the State that has the constitutional role to represent the people and it must now contribute much more actively to international cooperation - both directly and through its world organization, the Inter-Parliamentary Union."

The Presiding Officers intend to "convey this document to our parliaments, as appropriate, and to urge them to do everything possible to ensure that it is followed up in a practical and effective manner. We also request our governments to bring this declaration to the attention of the United Nations General Assembly for debate. Finally, we call upon the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union to seek ways of strengthening their institutional links and practical cooperation."

In her concluding remarks, the President of the IPU Council (governing body), Dr. Najma Heptulla, said "through your massive response to the invitation of the IPU and the intensity of your debates, you have conveyed a powerful and unequivocal message to the United Nations and to our Governments. (...) Parliament, as the institution which legitimately represents society in its diversity and is accountable to it, should have a better say in the international cooperation process."

"Surely, our main role as legislators is to translate into legislative and budgetary provisions the agreements reached internationally by our Governments. Yet, it is in the wider interest of all and certainly in the interests of democracy that we be involved in the process in its early stages and not exclusively in the implementation phase" she added.

She affirmed that she intends to "convey this message on your behalf to our Governments when I shall take the floor at the Millennium Assembly."

Established in 1889, the IPU is the oldest of the world's multilateral political organisations. Based in Geneva, it currently has 138 affiliated national parliaments and 5 associated regional parliamentary assemblies. The IPU has a Liaison Office with the UN in New York.