Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Windhoek, 10 April 1998
N° 5

The 99th Inter-Parliamentary Conference completed its five days of work in Windhoek today, with the adoption of resolutions calling for action on the prevention of conflicts, HIV/AIDS, foreign debt, and the situation in Kosovo.

The resolutions were all passed without a vote, by 567 legislators representing the parliaments of 122 countries. They were meeting in Windhoek at the invitation of the Parliament of Namibia, at the Conference organised by the 137-member Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the world organisation of parliaments. The Speaker of the Namibian Parliament, Mr Mosé Tjitendero, chaired the Conference.

The first resolution was entitled : The prevention of conflicts and the restoration of peace and trust in countries emerging from war; the return of refugees to their countries of origin, the strengthening of democratic processes and the hastening of reconstruction. The assembled parliamentarians expressed how " deeply concerned " they were about the problem, saying it required " constant and active international involvement and support ". They called for the creation of an " international system for preventing aggression " that would tackle the root causes of recurring armed conflicts.

The resolution also urged countries to support the UN Secretary-General in his efforts to " reform and strengthen " UN conflict-prevention and early warning mechanisms, condemned the use of military force, and called for an " end arm sales which lead to wars and conflicts ". It said that all concerned, in particular governments, parliaments, countries of origin and countries of asylum, should " facilitate the early and voluntary return " of refugees, and the international community should ensure " timely and speedy humanitarian assistance and support " to countries affected by refugee influxes. It also condemned " the use of refugees either as human shields in armed conflicts or as political pawns ".

The resolution put particular emphasis on the value of democratic processes in conflict prevention : " The holding of free and fair elections as early as possible in countries emerging from war is of utmost importance to the normalisation process, " and " freely and democratically elected parliament is a prerequisite for the consolidation of peace and the prevention of new conflicts. "

Governments and parliaments should assist in the reconstruction and development of necessary infrastructure, the resolution said, and stressed the importance of inter-ethnic reconciliation, and the protection of women and children against crimes such as rape.

The Conference made a special call on states to adhere to the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines, and to ensure its ratification " as soon as possible " and its " early entry into force ". It also urged states to " facilitate the implementation of the Convention, especially with regard to humanitarian demining and victim assistance ".

The resolution also drew attention to the speech delivered to the Conference earlier in the week by the UNESCO Director-General, Mr Federico Mayor, on the " culture of peace ", and noted the importance of promoting such a culture and of the " full recognition of the right to peace which is inherent in every individual and every society. "

The resolution also emphasised that " no single state or closed group is entitled to monopolise conflict settlement world-wide, particularly by threatening to resort to force or military action, and that any attempts to do so should be rejected by the world community ".

The second resolution was entitled: Action to combat HIV/AIDS in view of its devastating human, economic and social impact. It expressed the parliamentarians' concern at the current situation regarding HIV/AIDS, notably its speed of transmission, its harmful and indiscriminate effects on society that " jeopardise world economic growth and threaten political and social stability ", and the " ever-widening gap " between developed and developing countries in terms of dealing with the pandemic.

The resolution called on governments and NGOs to adopt a long-term " integrated AIDS prevention policy " which includes targeted information and education programmes, and for the more prosperous countries to help less-developed countries, notably through financial and technical assistance.

It also called for negotiations between governments and the pharmaceutical industry to enable access to the best possible and affordable treatments for all those affected by HIV/AIDS. In addition, the resolution urged governments to review and reform public health and criminal laws to ensure they complied with international human rights obligations as regards HIV/AIDS victims, and to adopt the necessary legislation where necessary.

Parliamentarians should " encourage the involvement of all sectors of society " in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and " intensify their legislative, budgetary and oversight functions in all areas of activity relevant to HIV/AIDS prevention and control ", the resolution said.

The Conference requested UNAIDS, in co-operation with the IPU Secretariat, to consult IPU member-parliaments in " finalising the draft Handbook on HIV/AIDS, law and human rights, and to disseminate it as a reference tool for the establishment of legal standards ". It said a progress report on this would be presented at the next IPU Conference, in Moscow, in September.

The third resolution was entitled: Foreign debt as a factor limiting the integration of the Third World countries into the process of globalisation. In it, the Conference reaffirmed the support of the world parliamentary community to the Third World countries' endeavours to find a solution to their foreign debt problem, and supported " the cancellation or a substantial reduction of the debt as part of the jubilee celebration of the year 2000, so that peoples can enter the new millenium in better conditions. "

The resolution called for IPU members to request their governments to organise a debate at the next UN General Assembly " on the global problem of debt ", because of the " breathtaking speed " of the globalisation process and the fact that " the foreign debt burden limits the Third World's opportunities to become properly integrated into the globalisation process. "

The Conference said it was " convinced " that the debt crisis could be tackled effectively within a global forum involving both creditor and debtor nations. It urged the international community to " consider favourably " within the United Nations debt-for-nature swaps.

The Conference recommended that the Third World countries " take a collective approach to adopting common principles in negotiating, and finding viable solutions with international financial institutions and creditor countries, so as to achieve a net transfer of resources favourable to debtor countries as well as changes in conditionalities that affect them. " And it urged creditors to " co-operate with debtor countries ", especially the heavily indebted poor countries, so that the latter can ensure that their debt servicing does not prejudice investment in education, health and housing.

The Conference also repeated its request that the World Bank and International Monetary Fund be equipped with " parliamentary observer institutions " to monitor their activities and ensure that their policies " take into account co-responsibility between debtor and creditor countries " in order to promote sustainable development and involve recipient countries' populations in project implementation.

The fourth resolution was entitled : The situation in Kosovo - Measures to ensure a lasting and peaceful solution to the crisis. It said the Conference was " deeply concerned " about the current situation in the Kosovo province of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and condemned the " escalation of terrorism and repression in recent weeks, which has led to many deaths in Kosovo, including of women and children. "

The resolution called on the parties to the conflict to " engage immediately in mediation talks " to end the conflict and to " co-operate unconditionally " with the international community in its efforts. It appealed in particular for " all outside observers to refrain from providing funds, supplying weapons and other equipment " in support of terrorist activities in Kosovo.

Expressing its support for the UN Security Council resolution 1160, adopted in March on measures to resolve the crisis, the Conference urged parliaments around the world to use " all means at their disposal, to ensure the full implementation by governments of all its provisions, including a meaningful self-administration for Kosovo. " The Conference also requested the " immediate withdrawal of the Serbian special police forces as well as the end of operations against the civilian population. "

The resolution also affirmed " adherence to the principle of maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ".

The Conference ended with a vote of thanks for the Namibian Parliament and people from National IPU Groups around the world for hosting such a successful Conference in Windhoek.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact at the Safari Court Media Centre:

tel. (264 61) 257.840; fax: 255.337
IPU Information Officer: Robin Newmann; Namibian Press Officer: Francis Xoagub