UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon signed a cooperative agreement with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) that will strengthen the collaboration between the two organizations in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
During a press encounter, Ban said Parliament Members represent the “wishes and views and aspirations” of people, which are reflected in the ‘5-Ps' — people, planet, peace, prosperity and partnership.
21 July 2016: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon signed a cooperative agreement with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) that will strengthen the collaboration between the two organizations in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on climate change. During a press encounter, Ban said Parliament Members represent the “wishes and views and aspirations” of people, which are reflected in the ‘5-Ps’ — people, planet, peace, prosperity and partnership.
The signing comes following the adoption of a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on interaction between the UN, national parliaments and the IPU, in such areas as peace and security, democracy and governance, human rights, gender issues, climate change and sustainable development. The resolution welcomes the IPU’s engagement in new areas, including migration, non-proliferation and disarmament, and South-South cooperation. It also welcomes the convening of parliamentary side event during the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). It is the 15th such resolution since 1995.
The resolution encourages: the UN and IPU to strengthen cooperation in the fields of dialogue among civilizations, culture, education, and information and communications technologies (ICTs), disaster risk reduction (DRR) and financing for development; UN-Women and other relevant UN bodies of to work with the IPU and national parliaments on gender equality and women’s empowerment; the inclusion of legislators on national delegations at UN conferences; and regular side events during the HLPF to show what parliaments are doing to institutionalize the SDGs. The resolution calls for working with national parliaments in a more structured and holistic manner, and annual exchanges between senior UN and IPU leadership.
In a statement to the UNGA, IPU President Saber Chowdhury stated that the IPU has: helped raise awareness and engage global parliamentarians; mobilized parliamentary action during the process leading up to the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; identified parliamentarian expectations for the 2030 Agenda; and highlighted democratic governance as critical for sustainable development. He added that: SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) is the “natural entry point” for the IPU; parliaments are being encouraged to examine and adopt their own resolutions on the SDGs; and the second Global Parliamentary Report (to be published at the end of 2016) will address accountability and oversight in relation to SDG implementation, in particular.
Chowdhury reviewed the evolution of the UN-IPU partnership and said the new Cooperation Agreement takes stock of developments since the first agreement in 1996 and strengthens the relationship between the two organizations. The IPU, which was established in 1889, is the international organization of Parliaments, is the focal point for parliamentary dialogue, and promotes peace and cooperation for representative democracy. [UN Press Release] [UN Secretary-General Remarks During Press Encounter] [IPU Press Release] [Statement of IPU President] [UNGA Resolution on Interaction between the UN, National Parliaments and the IPU]