Dhaka – The five-day long 136th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly concluded in the Bangladesh capital Wednesday with the vigorous commitment to fight terrorism, uphold democracy and address social, economic and political inequalities.On the last day of the Assembly, the world leaders have renewed their commitment to combat gender inequality, which is rooted in discrimination against women, as a particularly important dimension of multifaceted problems.
The Assembly has also highlighted the participation of the young leaders as representatives of the people of the respective countries to uphold their problems and find out the possible solution of it.
This IPU Assembly has been termed as the ‘Green Assembly’ and this theme would also continue in the next 137th IPU Assembly which would be held on October 2017.
The global leaders at the 136th Assembly held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Dhaka in its ‘Dhaka Communiqué’ came up with the common platform that each country would devise its own mechanism as no single policy prescription can meet all needs in readdressing inequalities.
However, the Communiqué said the respective parliaments would consider certain matters to address inequalities like strengthening legal frameworks, making parliaments more representative, making the economy work for all, strengthening social dialogue and human capital and improving international cooperation.
Besides, this Assembly has adopted several resolutions including ‘redressing inequalities : delivering on dignity and well-being for all’, ‘role of parliament in preventing outside interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states’, promoting enhanced international cooperation on the SDGs in particular on the financial inclusion of women as a driver of development.
The world leaders expressed grave concern with the extreme political, social and economic inequalities prevalent in the world and urged immediate action to reverse this trend and leave no one behind.
IPU president Saber Chaudhury in its concluding remark said this assembly is one of many steps that need to be taken to ensure that the well-being and dignity of all is respected.
He said the parliamentarians have spoken out of the St. Petersburg attack and chemical attack in Syria as a part of their commitment to prevent any sort of extremism occurred anywhere in the world.
Terming the event as ‘green assembly’, he said, “For the first time of IPU, it is the green assembly and the subsequent IPU assemblies would be the same.”
“We have estimated that approximately 3400 tonnes of carbon dioxide gas was produced during the Assembly by the participation of the delegations. We know 90 percent of people use traditional modes of stoves for cooking. We would provide improved stoves among them. It would compensate the green house gas that produced in the assembly,” he added.
The forum of women parliamentarians called for greater empowerment of girls and legal measures to end gender-based violence. The women MPs also stressed the urgent need to stop early marriage and female genital mutilation, which are hugely damaging to the education and health of girls.
After the closing of the Assembly, Speaker of Bangladesh Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury at a press conference at the BICC told the journalists that the holding of the successful event proves that the world leaders have full confidence on the democracy of Bangladesh.
“The world leaders have full confidence on the 10th parliament of Bangladesh. The world leaders came to Bangladesh by the strong call of prime minister Sheikh Hasina. They have full trust on the democratic trend of Bangladesh. I think it is the biggest success of this assembly,” he added.
The IPU leaders also pushed for increased access to investigate human rights violation of parliamentarians.
The parliamentarians also pledged to work towards the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 10 o redressing inequalities within and among countries. – Staff Reporter
BSS adds: The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) today wrapped up its 136th Assembly in Dhaka seeking immediate global level actions to redress “inequalities” in political, social and economic arenas.
“Extreme inequalities come at a high cost to society, stalling economic growth, undermining the democratic process and social cohesion and increasing risk of violence and security,” the IPU said in its Dhaka declaration.
The century-old global forum having 173 member states wrapped up the five-day assembly with the theme being “Redressing inequalities: Delivering on dignity and well-being for all” taking a resolution to stage its next 137th assemblage in St Petersburg of Russia in October this year.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the global event at Jatiya Sangsad premises while the assembly saw induction of Tuvalu and the Central African Republic as new members of the IPU.
The assembly drew 1206 delegates with Bangladesh parliament being the host of the event.
The Dhaka declaration said lawmakers from across the globe identified parliamentary measurers to be taken to ensure economic benefit for all, strengthen protection of worker’s rights and to implement the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“We cannot continue to view the gap between rich and poor as business as usual,” IPU President Saber Hossain Chowdhury said in his wrap up address at the assembly.
He said the assembly was one of many steps needed to be taken to ensure that “the well-being and dignity of all is respected” adding that the IPU was committed to turn the declaration into global reality.
The participants of the assembly adopted a comprehensive resolution on guaranteeing women access to financial mechanisms recommending parliaments to develop specific methods to facilitate the financial inclusion of poor women in particular.
A separate resolution addressed non-intervention in internal affairs of sovereign states urging parliaments to establish national legal basis and mechanisms to prevent external intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign states.
The assembly observed a minute silence in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks in St. Petersburg and condemned the chemical attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province of Syria.
IPU Members drew warring parties’ attention to the ban on the use of chemical weapons by international laws while Chowdhury declared the global parliamentary community’s solidarity with the Russian and Syrian people.
Regarding gender equalities, the resolution said the Forum of Women parliamentarians called for greater empowerment of girls and legal measurers to end gender-based violence and stressed the need to stop early marriage and female genital malnutrition.
The assembly saw Maureen Osoru, a 26-year old Ugandan MP, was elected President of the IPU Forum of Young Parliamentarians.
The event drew 607 lawmakers with 191 being women, 46 parliamentary speakers and 36 deputy speakers.
Jatiya Sangsad speaker Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said it was great achievement on the part of Bangladesh as the host of the event successfully said expected it to project Bangladesh before the international community in a different way.
Addressing a media briefing, she said huge participation of the parliamentarians from across the world in the assembly showed their confidence towards Bangladesh’s current democratic environment.
She earlier presided over the concluding session as the Chairperson of 136th Assembly which was addressed by the IPU president and Secretary General Martin Chungong.
