"I wish all of you a Happy New Year; a year of peace, development and democracy. I wish for all of us that 2009 will be remembered in history as the year when we made real tangible progress towards peace and prosperity for all.
The year that has just come to a close bequeaths to us a record number of unresolved crises.
There is no peace in the Middle East and Palestinians and Israelis, albeit in grossly disproportionate numbers, continue to suffer the scourge of violence. They are not alone. Throughout 2008, the world has witnessed intolerable acts of violence and suffering in many countries, killing hundreds and thousands of innocent men, women and children, especially in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Development continues to elude us. The financial crisis that marked the second half of 2008 constitutes a challenge of enormous magnitude. It joins a series of other urgent crisis, climate change and food insecurity foremost among them. In many ways, they all denote a more profound crisis in our economic and development model. At its most profound level, we are facing a crisis in morals and ethical behavior.
2008 also demonstrates that we still have a long way to go in upholding the basic tenets of democracy. There is far too little political tolerance and respect for those who think differently from us. Open, fair and inclusive political processes are not yet part of everyday reality in many countries and we have a long way to go to achieve full equality between men and women. We continue to witness violence in elections and a pervasive tendency to subvert democratic processes.
I am convinced that we, who have been elected by people to represent their interests, can make a difference. People are at the centre of our daily concern. We have a flair for dialogue and we understand the importance of compromise. Negotiations are part of our daily work in parliament. We continuously test new ideas and are skilled in the art of forging consensus. We need to bring those skills to today's crises in the world.
We can help set the political agenda and make sure that peace and development receive the priority attention they require. With determination we can ensure greater democracy in countries and in multilateral institutions.
Let us work together to achieve these objectives through international cooperation and, in the process, make 2009 the finest hour of our institution, the Inter-Parliamentary Union. I invite all of you to give peace a chance."
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