Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Ouagadougou, 9 September2001
N° 3

President Blaise Campaoré of Burkina Faso today opened the 106th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The inaugural ceremony was held in the Salon International de l'Artisanat Africain de Ouagadougou (SIAO), in the presence of the Speaker of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso, Mr. Melegué Traoré, the Representative of the UN Secretary General, Mr. Olara Otunnu, the President of the Council of the IPU Council, Dr. Najma Heptulla, and the IPU Secretary General, Mr. Anders B. Johnsson.

Welcoming the 967 delegates from 116 countries present in Ouagadougou, the Speaker of the Host Parliament, Mr. Mélégué Traoré, declared : "By coming here, you are helping democracy to take root in Africa. The Ouagadougou Conference also occurs at a crucial moment in the evolution of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. It is a time of change, reform and transformation, which the NationNational Assembly of Burkina Faso supports. By becoming the world organisation of parliaments, the IPU is not merely changing its identity; it is also creating its own arena for diplomatic parliamentary action. This means that IPU can be the starting point for a new vision of international relations...It is essential that a message goes out from Ouagadougou to convey the special role of parliamentarians and parliaments in international politics.

The UN Secretary General's message delivered by his Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflicts, Mr. Olara Otunnu, stated : The aim of the Special Session which the General Assembly will devote to children from19 to 21 September is to change the way in which the world regards and treats children...More than 70 Heads of State or Government have already announced that they will be coming to New York to attend the Special Session...I urge you to play your role of genuine representatives of the peoples to the fullest, by seeing to it that the commitments entered into are indeed followed by concrete action at the national level. In this respect, I warmly welcome your initiative to organise with UNICEF, on the fringe of the Special Session, a Parliamentarians' Day on Children, with a view to giving thought to the requisite legislative strategies and measures to reach the goals that will be set".

The President of the IPU Council, Dr. Najma Heptulla, expressed her "sincere gratitude for the warm and generous hospitality extended to us". Speaking about the subjects on the agenda of the 106th Inter-Parliamentary Conference - HIV/AIDS and Children - she underlined that "the IPU is seeking meaningful parliamentary action in an overall strategy to deal with these issues, which are two of the most important problems facing today's world".

"HIV/AIDS is a major concern indeed. We as parliamentarians can become the focal point in developing a preventive strategy by guiding the governments and sensitizing civil society. We can also be a junction for disseminating information and educating public opinion. We can promote public awareness so as to achieve an overall consensus on preventive strategies. Apart from allocating resources in the budget for preventive measures and curative research, we as parliamentarians can persuade governments to create technical and medical infrastructures", the President of IPU Council said.

She also recalled that "there are millions of children in the world today who do not get two square meals a day. They have no access to safe drinking water. They do not even receive basic medical care, let alone education and knowledge. The world is becoming insensitive to their plight and has no time to stop and listen to their voice. More money is spent in the world on the purchase of arms and ammunition, cosmetics and other luxury items than on necessities for children. Moreover, in armed conflicts, they are used as soldiers".

In her concluding remarks, Dr Heptulla emphasised that the "the violence, hatred and xenophobia taught from childhood under cover of war games and toys lead to the growth of a citizenry that seeks similar fulfilment in its adulthood. This is a glaring dichotomy to which I have no answer. On the other hand, we convene conferences for a culture of peace, and on the other with the same élan we make and patent newer war games for children. We have to pause and wonder whether we are not deceiving ourselves".

Before declaring open the 106th inter-parliamentary Conference, the President of Burkina Faso, Mr. Blaise Campaoré, referred to the principal challenges facing the international community: "democratisation, the promotion of human rights, the status of women and children, education, health and employment, the struggle against poverty, protecting the environment and settling conflicts in the world". He welcomed the "keen readiness of the world's parliaments to join hands in finding answers to the doubts and hesitations expressed by people throughout the world."

Mr. Campaoré also referred to economic globalisation. "In today's world…only integrated economic areas attract trade and investment in any degree, and only they can overcome the many development handicaps of our States…The fact remains, however, that the world's leaders must devise a regulatory mechanism to curb the distorting effects of capitalist globalisation which seems to us to be lacking in effective control and able leadership."

Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral organisation, currently has 141 affiliated national parliaments and five regional assemblies as associate members. The organisation of the world's parliaments also has a Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York.