Parliamentarians from 155 countries have committed to pursuing cultural pluralism and peace through interfaith and inter-ethnic dialogue.
In a declaration issued at the close of the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly (#IPU137) in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, IPU Member Parliaments have called for transparency, accountability and respect for human rights and the rule of law to serve as the basis for building sustainable and peaceful diversity.
Actions MPs have agreed to take include preventing discrimination and human rights violations related to religion and ethnicity, promoting national and local dialogue to create multicultural and inclusive societies, enhancing civic education, and strengthening parliaments.
“Over 800 MPs have one ambition to promote tolerance, and have said with one voice that hate speech and divisive words have no place in peaceful societies. We aspire to a world where all of us – irrespective of race, gender, political persuasion or sexual orientation – are equal in the eyes of the law. We are here to stand up for democracy, justice and equality,” said the outgoing IPU President Saber Chowdhury.
“I presume it is necessary to push the discussion on the main topic of the Assembly, the cultural pluralism, to a global level at a world conference promoting inter-religious and inter-civilization dialog with the participation heads of state and leaders of world religions”, said the President of the 137th IPU Assembly, Ms. Valentina Matvienko.
IPU Members adopted a resolution on Sharing our diversity: The 20th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Democracy. This resolution reaffirms the core elements set out in the original declaration, including genuine partnership between men and women in the conduct of the affairs of society, an independent judiciary, free and fair elections, open and free media, parliamentary oversight, and the protection of the rights of minorities and vulnerable or marginalized groups.
IPU Members also elected a new President. It was a historic vote as for the first time two women presented their candidacy for the post. The newly elected President is Gabriela Cuevas from Mexico. “It is an honour to follow in the footsteps of Saber. I am committed to continuing the work he began, and taking the IPU to new levels of achievement and global influence,” said Ms. Cuevas.
Debates and discussions also took place on topics as wide ranging as 20 years of parliamentary contributions to the United Nations, cyber-security, the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the private sector inputs to increasing renewable energy.
The IPU has also welcomed Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Vanuatu, and the Marshall Islands as new members, increasing its membership to 177 Member Parliaments.
Some 1,876 delegates attended the 137th IPU Assembly in St. Petersburg, jointly organized with the Russian Parliament. Among them were 829 MPs, 82 Speakers of Parliament, 64 Deputy Speakers of Parliament and 249 women MPs. This is an unprecedented Assembly attendance in IPU’s history.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments. It works to safeguard peace and drives positive democratic change through political dialogue and concrete action. |
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