CASE No - Inter-Parliamentary Union

- 40 - CL/183/SR.1
international community must commit to seeking a new beginning. Parliamentarians
represented the peoples of the world, and provided a voice for the voiceless.
Parliamentarians’ thoughts, words and actions must relate to human dignity, security and the
empowerment of the people. Parliamentarians must work together to overcome daunting
global challenges and contribute with liberated hearts, minds and souls towards achieving
peace, development and a democratic global community. All parliaments and communities
could count on his support in that process.
His years involved in the struggle for liberation and nation-building efforts in Namibia, as
a negotiator, peace maker, Foreign Minister, Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament had
prepared him for the post of President of the IPU, and he was ready to make a contribution to
the service of humanity. He called on the Members of the IPU to grant him the opportunity to
serve without fear, favour or prejudice, and with loyalty and impartiality, as President of the
Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Mr. A. Laksono (Indonesia) said that the present Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary
Union had enabled him to engage in particularly intensive dialogue with his fellow
parliamentarians, which had provided an opportunity to discuss ideas and views on issues of
common concern. The global issues that were emerging, and which required feasible solutions,
had resulted in a need for the IPU to conduct internal reform in order to make the IPU more
effective, responsive, inclusive, transparent, accountable and sustainable. Given the complexity
of the issues generated by globalization, the IPU required a fresh approach to its internal
management, introduce new visions, develop measurable and accountable projects, and create
an innovative and enabling environment. The reform must cover the organizational aspects of
the functioning of the IPU, and the substance of its role and operational activities.
He presented a multi-faceted vision of the reform of the IPU: firstly, changes should be
implemented to ensure a clear division of labour among the Organization’s Vice-Presidents,
which would include regular monitoring and evaluation of their work. Second, a stronger role
should be ensured for women parliamentarians in IPU policy and decision-making processes,
inter alia by requiring that at least two Vice-Presidents of the IPU were women. Capacity
building, education and empowerment of women should be implemented in a gradual and
consistent manner, supported by a gender-sensitive budget, and young parliamentarians
should be encouraged to be increasingly involved in the work of the IPU. Third, with respect to
the budget and financial resources for broadening IPU activities, efforts should be made to
seek voluntary funding for IPU projects. At the same time it was essential to review the scale of
the contribution of new Members, in order to ensure the maximum possible participation of
parliamentarians from countries that would otherwise not be able to pay regular contributions.
The budget should target programmes to eradicate violence against women and children,
address global environmental issues, human trafficking, ensure assistance for developing
countries to attain the MDGs. IPU projects should aim to create a culture of peace through
enhanced dialogue, thematic workshops and activities, and reaching out to stakeholders
through inclusive participation. The tackling of increasingly complex issues and the need for
conflict resolution required increased cooperation between executive and legislative branches
of government, at the national and international levels. Cooperation between the United
Nations and the IPU with real results that took account of the role of parliamentarians in
United Nations projects was therefore indispensible. With strong organization and the
continued commitment of parliamentarians to bring a real and meaningful change, the IPU
would be in a better position to face the challenges of the contemporary world, across sectors,
borders, cultures and civilizations. He invited the parliamentarians of the world to join together
to reach for common dreams and translate them into reality, to help the IPU to contribute to
the creation of a peaceful, just and prosperous world. He thanked all those who had expressed
their support for making his ideas a reality for the benefit of the Organization, and the world.