Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
New York and Geneva, 26 October 1998
N° 1

A whole-day meeting of parliamentarians who are members of their respective delegations to the 53rd session of the U.N. General Assembly is being held today at United Nations Headquarters. During the meeting, organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations, the parliamentarians will be briefed on the major challenges facing the United Nations today.

175 members of parliaments from some 50 countries will attend the meeting which will be presided by Mr. Miguel Angel Martínez, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council, member of the Spanish Parliament (Cortes Generales) and former President (1992-96) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

In addition to Ms. Louise Fréchette, Deputy Secretary-General, the participants will be briefed by and have an exchange of views with Ms. Gillian Sorecsen, Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations, Sir Kieran Prendergast, Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Mr. Hans Corell, Under Secretary-General for legal Affairs, Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala, Under Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, and Mr. Nitin Desai, Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

The IPU is the world organization of national Parliaments. Established in 1889 and with its present 136 member-Parliaments, the IPU is the oldest international political organization. In 1996, it concluded an Agreement of Co-operation with the United Nations following many years of ever-growing co-operation and support of the United Nations in the fields of peace and security, economic and social development, international law and human rights, as well as democracy, gender issues and governance.

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette responded positively to the proposal by the Inter-Parliamentary Union to convene a Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments at United Nations Headquarters in conjunction with the Millennium Assembly in the year 2000.

"Let me say today that I welcome this initiative -- indeed that I view it as a tribute to all that the United Nations seeks to achieve for your citizens -- in peace, in development, in democracy-building, in the environment, and in human rights," Ms. Fréchette told the meeting of parliamentarians attending the current session of the General Assembly.

"I will look forward to that Conference as a historic opportunity for us to cement our ties for a new century, and to find new and even better ways to improve the lives of our common constituents -- the peoples of the United Nations," she said.

Ms. Fréchette also commended parliamentarians for their contribution to building peace and security, particularly their support of the Ottawa convention banning landmines and the International Criminal Court.

"What is common to both these achievements is that they were peoples' achievements -- the fruit not only of the complex and often slow deliberations of governments, but of the impatience of people everywhere to see reality reflect their highest hopes and aspirations," she said. "For me, these historic achievements hold important lessons -- about our need always to listen to the voices of the people, and to make sure that it is their wishes and their ideals that we serve."

Following is the complete text of the address delivered today by Deputy Secretary- General Louise Fréchette to the Parliamentarians attending the current session of the General Assembly:

"I am very pleased to join you today and to welcome you to the United Nations. Allow me to congratulate you on the successful completion of the 100th Inter-Parliamentary Conference that you held in Moscow last month. In his message to your meeting, the Secretary-General saluted your role as a bridge between civil society and governments.

As the elected representatives of the citizens of your countries, you are indeed uniquely suited to convey the views of the peoples of the world in whose name the United Nations Charter is invoked. If we can reflect your concerns in our work; if we can help you help your constituents to better understand and appreciate their United Nations, we know that we are on the right track.

This year has been a year of commemoration for the United Nations and a year of achievement for the world at large. All year, we have been marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and earlier this month, we convened a special meeting in the General Assembly to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of United Nations Peacekeeping.

Throughout this year, we at the United Nations have time and again been surprised and encouraged by the strength and breadth of the commitment to these twin pillars of human security -- peace and human rights. Even more, we have been inspired by the determination of citizens groups as well as parliamentarians to build on the achievements of the last half century.

I refer, of course, to the ratification of the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel landmines and to the establishment of the International Criminal Court. For our work in peacekeeping and peace-building, the banning and removal of landmines is critical to the process of national reconciliation and reconstruction.

And in our struggle to make human rights universal and indivisible, the Court will serve not only as a symbol, but as an effective deterrent.

What is common to both these achievements is that they were peoples' achievements -- the fruit not only of the complex and often slow deliberations of governments, but of the impatience of people everywhere to see reality reflect their highest hopes and aspirations. For me, these historic achievements hold important lessons -- about our need always to listen to the voices of the people, and to make sure that is their wishes and their ideals that we serve.

That is why your emphasis on human rights is so commendable and so important.

That is why I am particularly pleased that, in your meeting in Moscow, you placed the fight against illegal drugs and terrorism at the top of your agenda. It is clear evidence that our efforts are converging and increasingly complementing each other.

I have been following with great interest your proposal to convene a conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments at United Nations Headquarters in conjunction with the Millennium Assembly in the year 2000. Let me say today that I welcome this initiative -- indeed that I view it as a tribute to all that the United Nations seeks to achieve for your citizens -- in peace, in development, in democracy-building, in the environment, and in human rights.

I will look forward to that conference as a historic opportunity for us to cement our ties for a new century, and to find new and even better ways to improve the lives of our common constituents -- the peoples of the United Nations."