Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Windhoek, 11 April 1998
N° 6

Mr Anders B. Johnsson, of Sweden, was elected today the new Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the world organisation of parliaments. Mr Johnsson, who is the current Deputy Secretary General, will succeed Mr Pierre Cornillon, of France, who will be retiring at the end of June after completing 12 years at the head of the IPU Secretariat, and a total of 33 years in the service of the IPU.

Mr Johnsson was elected by secret ballot in the Inter-Parliamentary Council (IPU governing body), meeting the morning after the close of the 99^th Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Windhoek. He received an absolute majority in a single round of voting, with 130 out of 169 valid votes cast. The other contenders for the post, Dr Kennedy Graham, Director of Planning and Co-ordination in the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, in Stockholm, Sweden, and Mr Claude DesRosiers, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, received 28 votes and 11 votes respectively. The absolute majority required was 85 votes.

The Council thereby appointed Mr Johnsson for a mandate of four years, beginning 1^st July 1998. Mr Johnson said he felt elated by the result, thanked the Council for the clear mandate, and pledged his full co-operation in working towards the goals of the IPU.

" I would like to thank all of you for the confidence that you have expressed in me as your next Secretary General. I want to thank you, Mr President of the Council, for your support and I pledge to you my full co-operation in the years ahead. I pledge the same to all of you (members of the IPU). I am very pleased that I have received a clear mandate through what I would characterise in IPU terminology as a free and fair election. "

Mr Johnsson also thanked in particular Pierre Cornillon. " He is the one who taught me what the Inter-Parliamentary Union is, and it is he who taught me what dedication to an international organisation really means. "

" We're going to work - we're going to work together, " Mr Johnsson said in conclusion.

The President of the Council, Mr Miguel Angel Martínez, said that Anders Johnsson " has always been very efficient " and was a " courageous man when looking at the amount of work ahead for the Union. " On behalf of the Council, he also praised Pierre Cornillon for his devotion to the IPU and announced that the out-going Secretary General would be invited to the 100^th IPU Conference, in Moscow, in September, to bid him farewell.

A lawyer by profession, Mr Johnsson joined the IPU in 1991, as Assistant Secretary General. He was promoted to Deputy Secretary General in 1994. Previously, he worked for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) : as Senior Legal Adviser and Chief of the General Legal Advice Section (1985 - 1991) ; Assistant Chief of Mission in Islamabad, Pakistan (1983 - 1985) ; Co-ordinator for Western Honduras (1982 - 1983) ; Head of the UNHCR office in Vietnam (1977 - 1980) ; acting Deputy Representative in Khartoum, Sudan (1976) ; Fund-raising officer in UNHCR headquarters in Geneva (1975). From 1980 to 1982, Mr Johnsson was assistant editor at the newspaper El Sol de Chiapas, and from 1973 to 1974, Law Clerk at the District Court of Justice in Lund, Sweden.

Mr Johnsson graduated in Law (1972) at the University of Lund, Sweden ; obtained a Certificate of Advanced European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium (1973), and a Certificate in International Economics from the University of Lund (1974) ; and obtained an Master of Comparative Jurisprudence at New York University (1975). Mr Johnsson has also authored several articles on refugees and international protection, human rights, and the promotion of representative institutions. He was born in Sweden in 1948, speaks English, French and Spanish, and is married with three children.

During its session, the Council also elected Mr Fernando Solana (Mexico), Mr Fawzi Shaker Tuaimeh (Jordan) and Mrs Barbara Imiolczyk (Poland) to the IPU's Executive Committee. They replaced Mr G. Carvajal (Mexico), Mrs T. Faisal (Jordan) and Mr J. Wiatr (Poland) who are no longer members of parliament.

The Chairman of the IPU's Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, Mr Clyde Holding (Australia), reported to the Council on public cases of 188 present or former members of parliament in 16 countries throughout the world whose basic rights to freedom of speech and action have been violated because of arbitrary measures taken against them - harassment, arbitrary arrest and detention, unfair trial, death threats - and murder or extra-judicial execution. Mr Holding said the cases are in Argentina, Burundi, Cambodia, Chad, Colombia, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Honduras, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Togo, and Turkey.

Mr Holding stressed the importance of the work of the Committee because of the need to " maintain the right of parliamentarians to speak and argue freely, according to their conscience ... and be free from fear and coercion. " He said the cases the Committee is dealing with show that many MPs around the world have " paid the ultimate sanction for having served the institution of democratically elected parliament ".

Mr Holding submitted a series of reports and resolutions to the Council on these cases, which the Council adopted, and strongly urged all delegations to table the reports in their national parliaments and follow through on the cases. This, he said, would " go a long way to enlarging and enhancing the human rights of all MPs to free speech. "

On two of the cases, that of an opposition member of the Malaysian parliament, and that of three MPs in Indonesia, the Council approved on-site fact-finding missions by the Committee to contribute to making progress on the cases.

Mrs Pashukeni Shoombe, Member of the Namibian National Assembly, who presided over the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians that had taken place during the Windhoek Conference, reported to the Council on the results of the women MPs' sessions on 5 and 10 April. She said the women parliamentarians' debates had been " very stimulating and promising ", but expressed disappointment that more women MPs were not part of national delegations to the Conference.

" We are still at pains to convince our parliaments that some of us should be included in delegations to IPU meetings, " she told delegates. " As a matter of fact, around one-third of the delegations present here in Windhoek did not include any women at all. This is quite unjustified. "

" We believe, and indeed the IPU strongly stated in its Universal Declaration on Democracy last September, that full-fledged democracy implies the contribution of both genders to political decision-making. We launch an appeal for words to be translated into deeds. "

Mrs Shoombe also called for support for the idea that the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians and its Co-ordinating Committee find " adequate recognition in the IPU statutes ", and said that women MPs were also working on additional proposals to enhance the status of women in the IPU that would be presented at the next Conference, in Moscow in September 1998.

Mrs Shoombe said the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians worked on a questionnaire for a forthcoming IPU survey on women's contribution to the democratic process. " This survey will enable women politicians world-wide to be interviewed on how they view democracy and assess their impact on the outcome of politics, and also on the internal culture and functioning of political parties, parliaments and governments, " she said.

Mrs Shoombe also referred to the IPU-UNESCO meeting, to take place in December 1999, on " Perspectives on Democracy : Do Women Make a Difference ? ", which is closely linked to the survey and will discuss the difference women make in politics.

The Meeting of Women Parliamentarians also agreed that " Parliaments should assist the UN in securing full implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women " (CEDAW), Mrs Shoombe said.

The Meeting suggested that a joint UN-IPU meeting be held during the Special Session of the UN General Assembly in 2000 to appraise the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. The women MPs also discussed the topic of women in the economic informal sector and their access to micro-credits.

Overall, Mrs Shoombe said, " we believe that only sustained effort can bear fruit. We therefore agreed that in every member-parliament of the IPU one woman MP should act as a focal point to relay to all other women MPs, whatever their party and even if they belong to the other Chamber, the decisions and initiatives of the IPU. This will help both to stimulate national action and to enhance our reflection and activities within the IPU. "

The Council adopted by consensus a resolution proposed by the delegation of Canada urging all governments and parliaments to " take the necessary steps for the earliest possible ratification " of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on their Destruction. The resolution also called for the early entry into force of the treaty and work towards the adoption of the requisite national enabling legislation.

The resolution urged IPU members to provide detailed responses addressed to them by the Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian Law so that this subsidiary body could submit to the Moscow Conference a full report " assessing national parliamentary action on the landmines issue. "

The Council endorsed the report of the IPU Committee on Middle East questions that had met during the Windhoek Conference with representatives of the Arab delegations (Egypt and Palestine) and then separately with the Israeli delegation. The Committee found that the situation in the Middle East had " deteriorated dangerously ", and that there was an " ever-widening gap " between the positions of the two parties in the Middle East conflict.

The Committee expressed " deep concern " about the non-implementation of signed agreements and called upon the government of Israel to " put the peace process back on track ". The Committee encouraged the parties to pursue their dialogue " energetically " and focus on " concrete steps ".

" The members of the Committee strongly believe that the situation is sufficiently grave than an alarm bell be sounded to all parliaments, governments and to various elements of the national and international civil society. Only with determined efforts and political will can their collective and individual influence be brought to bear on both parties to resume in earnest the implementation of the signed agreements and to put an end to any unilateral action which might undermine the future of peace. "

The Committee called in particular on Israel to stop constructing new settlements and expanding existing ones in the occupied territories.

The representatives of the parties to the IPU's process of security and co-operation in the Mediterranean held a meeting during the Windhoek Conference to discuss the current status and prospects of security and co-operation in the Mediterranean, and confirmed the holding of the IIIrd IPU Conference on Security and Co-operation in the Mediterranean (IIIrd CSCM) in Tunis, but agreed that it would now take place at the end of 1999.

The Council agreed that the topic for the second preparatory meeting for this CSCM, to be held 25-26 June 1998, in Evora (Portugal), would be : Facilitating access to information and cultural exchanges in the Mediterranean. The Council welcomed and accepted the invitation of the Parliament of Slovenia to hold a third preparatory meeting in Ljubljana in March 1999, with its topic to be decided at the next meeting of CSCM parties in September 1998.

The participants also agreed to take the necessary steps to ensure that their respective parliaments take formal note of the Final Documents of the previous two Inter-Parliamentary Conferences on Security and Co-operation in the Mediterranean and endorse their conclusions and recommendations " in the most appropriate manner ".

The Council endorsed the report of the IPU Committee to Monitor the Situation in Cyprus, which had conducted hearings during the Windhoek Conference of the representatives of the two Cypriot communities and of the three Guarantor Powers (Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom).

The main development over the last six months since the Committee's previous meeting was the European Council's decision in December 1997 to begin accession negotiations with the Republic of Cyprus. At that time, the European Union reiterated that " the accession of Cyprus should benefit all communities and help to bring about civil peace and reconciliation. " The Committee noted, however, that following the EU's decision, " the tension increased in Cyprus and also between Turkey and Greece ".

The report recalled that the " only framework for the settlement of the Cyprus issue is that defined by the United Nations ", and that threats of uniting northern Cyprus to Turkey - that were repeated following the EU's decisions - would be " contrary to the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee and the UN framework for the settlement. "

Referring to the European Council's request that the Government of Cyprus include representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community in the accession negotiating delegation, and the responses from both sides, the Committee strongly urged the EU to " continue to strive to involve the Turkish Cypriot Community in the accession negotiations on the basis of the UN agreed framework for the settlement which acknowledges the existence of two politically equal communities. "

The Committee also called a " matter for grave concern " the fact that the Republic of Cyprus had not cancelled the delivery of the defensive S-300 anti-aircraft system, purchased two years previously from the Russian Federation, which is the cause of tension. The report also termed as a " matter for very serious concern " the fact that " no progress was registered with regard to the withdrawal of Turkish troops from northern Cyprus, " and that the dialogue on military issues, under the auspices of UNFICYP, " did not produce any results ". It said progressive demilitarisation " should be a priority ", and " progress towards a politically negotiated settlement is dramatically linked to progress in this area too. "

The report also urged more progress with regard to contacts at the level of civil society, such as chambers of commerce and professional organisations, and between political parties in Cyprus. It said that such contacts would be " particularly welcome and crucial to help bridge the existing gap ".

The Council decided to adjourn debate on the report of the Committee on the Question of the Affiliation of Palestine to the opening session of the next Council meeting in Moscow, in September. The Committee had met during the last IPU Conference, in Cairo last September, and drawn up its report at that time. Palestine currently has observer status at the IPU and is seeking full membership.

The Council took note of the results of the African Parliamentary Conference on the Contribution of Parliaments to Democracy in Africa, held in Harare, Zimbabwe, 1-2 April, 1998. The Conference was organised by the Union of African Parliaments (UAP), with the sponsorship of the IPU.

The Conference adopted a series of recommendations on the role and functioning of parliament in the democratic process : (1) Independence of Parliament from other arms of government ; (2) Strengthening of Parliaments in human and material means ; (3) The participation of the people in decision-making ; (4) Fight against social problems ; (5) Promotion of a culture of democracy ; (6) Socio-economic development. It also devoted some time to how to strengthen the UAP.

The Council also requested its President and the IPU Secretary General to pursue negotiations with the Swiss authorities with a view to constructing a new headquarters for the IPU in Geneva - The House of Parliaments.

The project involves the construction on the periphery of the European Office of the United Nations of new office space for the IPU, including room for meetings of parliamentarians attending UN sessions in Geneva. The current IPU headquarters building is no longer adequate for the needs of the organisation as it strengthens its co-operation with the United Nations.

The Council approved several projects for the IPU in co-operation with the United Nations, UNESCO and the FAO, in order to concretely implement the co-operation agreements the IPU has signed with these organisations over the last two years. In particular, the Council approved in principle the organisation of a Conference of Speakers at UN headquarters in New York in the year 2000. This would be part of the UN Secretary-General's proposal for the convening of a UN General Assembly for the year 2000 as a special " Millennium Assembly " at which heads of government would come together to articulate their vision of prospects and challenges for the new millennium and agree on a process for fundamental review of the role of the United Nations.

The 100^th Inter-Parliamentary Conference will be held in Moscow, the Russian Federation, from 6 to 12 September 1998. The Council chose the following two main themes for debate at the Conference:

• Strong action by national parliaments in the year of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to ensure the promotion and protection of all human rights in the 21st century.
• Water : the means required to preserve, manage and make the best use of this essential resource for sustainable development.