GENEVA, Oct 15 (KUNA) -- Chairman of the Inter Parliamentary Union IPU Abdulwahad Abdulradi, addressing the 131st General Assembly of the union on Wednesday, affirmed the significance of the federation's efforts to resolve conflicts and promote democracy worldwide, however he warned that democracy is currently ailing across the global arena.
"Despite our best efforts to foster dialogue and the peaceful settlement of conflicts, democracy is clearly ailing. We need just to look around us: war, conflict and terror rage on in Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Ukraine, Central African Republic, and the list goes on. There is a good chance that you will select one of these issues as an emergency item to debate during our Assembly".
"So although we have accomplished many laudable things as an organization, we must never become complacent and take democracy for granted. It is very much a work in progress and even with the best of intentions, we all falter and stumble at times. Yet we must abide steadfastly by our ideals and principles and never compromise on our core values. Even when all hope seems lost and the situation may appear desperate, negotiation must always remain a viable option", Abdulradi added in his last statement to the IPU GA. "As an Organization the IPU has much to be proud of since our inception in 1889. We have endeavoured to keep the vision of our founding fathers alive and bright. For starters, we have grown from a handful of European parliamentarians to a membership of 164 national parliaments from every continent. At this Assembly, we will be welcoming two new members: Guinea and Madagascar. Our goal of universal membership seems more within reach today than ever", he explained.
According to Abdulradi, the IPU has promoted democracy - the home-grown and locally cultivated variety - throughout the world and has done this by promoting parliaments and democracy nationally and internationally. The IPU worked to strengthen the capacity of parliaments by developing support and capacity-building programmes nationally, accompanying progress and democratic change. The IPU has also developed a number of tools for parliaments, such as handbooks for MPs and other toolkits, to assist members in their bid to respond in a more effective way to the concerns of their constituents. "The development by the IPU of criteria for democratic parliaments, self-assessments and toolkits on parliamentary performance and gender sensitivity all aim to support reform and progress for stronger and more effective parliamentary institutions," he added.
Abdulradi explained that the IPU crafted our very first Strategy for 2012-2017, which we are implementing in every strategic area. The IPU published with UNDP the first Global Parliamentary Report, examining one of parliament's most pressing challenges today - the relationship between parliament and the people and how to remain relevant and in-tune to citizens. It also adopted a Plan of Action for Gender-Sensitive Parliaments - an innovative concept - and the Quito Communiquأ©, premised on the notion that economic development in and of itself is not the answer and that greater focus must be placed on well-being in the broadest sense, with strong democratic governance as a critical foundation.
The IPU is developing a robust strategic partnership with the United Nations, and working on a new Cooperation Agreement to place our institutional relationship on a stronger footing.
According to Abdulradi, "the question we need to ask ourselves today is why are we debating gender equality in 2014 at an IPU Assembly when images of terror and war are splashed across our TV screens? Is this really a priority on the global agenda? The answer is fairly simple: yes, because gender equality is not an isolated topic. If we are serious about achieving peace and security in the world, about ending hunger and poverty and achieving sustainable development, then we have to tackle this issue head-on. In 2015, "we will turn the page on the Millennium Development Goals and celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action. The time will have come to take stock of the progress made, identify what remains to be done and reaffirm our determination to make gender equality a reality. We must remain committed, dear colleagues, because, unfortunately, no country today, not one, can claim that it has achieved gender equality. Whether in terms of equal rights or equal opportunities, whether in the field of politics, the economy, labour, wealth or health, not one country has met that goal," he stated.
"The fact that today women account for only 21.8 per cent parliamentarians worldwide attests to what little progress we have made. The fact that women continue to be systematically less well paid than men in the same job is unacceptable. Nor can we accept the fact that women do not enjoy the same rights as men. Gender inequality holds our countries back. Preventing half of the population from finding fulfilment and well-being is tantamount to amputating a leg. The fight for gender equality must therefore be a priority for each and every one of us - men and women - and I invite you to join that struggle. I call in particular on my male colleagues to work harder and become part of the United Nations He for she campaign," he added. The figures are alarming. Worldwide, six out of every ten women are reported to be victims of physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lives, one out of every five women of rape or attempted rape; 35 per cent of the women killed around the world are in fact murdered by their partners; one third of girls in developing countries will be married before they turn 18 and 3.3 million risk genital mutilation. Last but not least, in 50 per cent of cases, sexual attacks target girls aged 15 or even younger. These figures represent human lives, the lives of women and girls who will never be the same again.
This is a global problem from which no country is spared and that we can no longer tolerate.
The IPU can start by changing mentalities. "It falls to us as parliamentarians to do this and make sure that there is zero tolerance for this violence. We - men and women - must unite against the inequality dividing us and against violence against girls. We must be agents of change and transform our respective societies by addressing the issue in our parliaments and making our electors aware of the problem," he said.
The parliamentarians have the power to set up a robust legal framework for preventing violence, protecting women, ensuring that their assailants are prosecuted and providing the victims with the services they need to rebuild their lives. We must enact legislation to stop violence against women, expand the definition of "rape", criminalize the infamous "honour killings" and child marriages, impose heavy penalties on rapists and ensure that the victims obtain justice and compensation. (end) ta.rk