On 11 and 12 June, over one hundred legislators from 46 countries met at the headquarters of the Latin American Parliament in São Paulo on the occasion of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XI), at the invitation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Brazilian National Congress. They adopted a Declaration in which they recalled that the Bangkok Plan of Action, considered the road map to managing globalisation, is an objective yet to be fulfilled. The Declaration states that "promises made should be promises kept", and adds that the problem has been compounded by globalised uncertainty and growing insecurity.

In their Declaration, which will be presented by the President of the IPU, Chilean Senator Sergio Páez Verdugo, to UNCTAD XI on Monday 14 June, the parliamentarians insisted on the importance of "coherence among the public sector policies and programmes pursued by bilateral, regional and multilateral economies institutions". They underlined that globalisation involves extensive integration among national economies and that the adoption of international rules places limits on discretionary public policy formulation at the national level: "it is urgent for governments acting nationally and internationally to strike the right balance between the two, ensuring that development strategies are nationally owned and that they converge with international rules in order to generate jobs, growth and overall development". They also stressed that the issue of national policy space for developing countries requires further serious consideration.

The legislators present in São Paulo are convinced that unemployment and poor social protection stand out as the main causes and effects of the growing gaps between groups of citizens, both within and among States. "The commitment to full employment in decent conditions of work must be the centrepiece of all social policies and programmes, which are essential to the fight against poverty" they said, adding that "it is essential to ensure full participation by women and young people through formal education and civic and community activities".

The Declaration emphasizes that the private sector has an essential contribution to make to development, and recommends that "all countries strengthen the economic and legal conditions which allow for private investments. All private companies must adhere to national laws and assume corporate social responsibility". It also states that there can be no development gains from the international trading system unless there are fair terms and conditions for trading in agricultural commodities. "It is therefore urgent to achieve progress in the current multilateral negotiations. States must commit themselves to bringing to an end all agricultural policies contributing to impoverishment and underdevelopment. They must reaffirm their commitment to the Doha Ministerial Declaration, set a clear timetable for phasing out all forms of export and trade distorting production subsidies, and agree on substantial improvements in market access, allowing for special and differential treatment as an essential element, for example in support of food security". It invites the Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to commit themselves to dealing with these issues through means that do not distort trade, and calls on UNCTAD XI to address such concerns in its outcome document.

Convinced that measures for South-South cooperation have so far been insufficient, the parliamentarians "call on developing countries to take bold steps to complement the well-traversed channels of North-South dialogue and arrangements".

Finally, the legislators present in São Paulo are convinced that coherence between national development strategies and global economic process can greatly benefit from parliamentary involvement. They concluded that "parliaments have important national responsibilities in relation to the formulation and implementation of development policies and strategies. They address today's global issues, and can help bring coherence to them as well. Moreover, they inherently have an understanding of the linkage between people's lives, security and well-being and trade and development".

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral organisation, currently has 140 affiliated national parliaments and five regional assemblies as associate members. The organisation of the world's parliaments also has an office as Permanent Observer with the United Nations in New York.
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Contact for additional information or interviews:

Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Tel. +4122 919 41 16/27 Fax: +4122 919 41 60 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org