26 March 2019: During the UN’s 2019 Annual Parliamentary Hearing, members of parliaments around the world called on the UN to be more relevant, responsive and transparent, to do a better job of including women and youth and partnering with stakeholders, and to embrace innovation, technology and modern communication tools to engage with the public. Speakers also highlighted the threats of nationalism, populism and isolationism and stressed the need for multilateralism in a world “grappling with increasingly complex cross-border challenges.”

Parliamentary hearings take place on a yearly basis to allow members of parliaments to exchange views with UN officials, representatives of the UN diplomatic community, scholars and leading academics on issues on the international agenda. The 2019 Annual Parliamentary Hearing considered the theme, ‘Emerging Challenges to Multilateralism: a Parliamentary Response,’ and took place from 21-22 February 2019, at UN Headquarters in New York, US. It was jointly organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Office of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) President.

Per the summary of the 2019 hearing released in March 2019 (A/73/808), delegates underlined the important role played by parliamentarians in providing a bridge between ordinary citizens, local governments and global institutions, and in overseeing implementation of international treaties, agreements and resolutions to ensure that the global agenda is integrated into national frameworks and reaches local communities. In this regard, the summary notes the contribution of parliamentarians in promoting global goals, citing that in France for example, a Senate committee has established SDG indicators to ensure that local and regional budgets are “in step.”

On strengthening multilateralism, the summary calls for strengthening the UN’s “parliamentary pillar,” and for increasing parliaments’ role in the conduct of foreign affairs. It suggests to create, within national parliaments, committees similar to the IPU Standing Committee on UN Affairs or to foster interaction between parliamentary foreign affairs committees and the UN. The summary suggests that the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in 2020 could provide a good opportunity to further consolidate the partnership between the UN, parliaments and IPU.

The summary also notes calls for parliamentarians to: ensure that UN contributions are paid in full and on time; commit to preventative strategies such as SDG implementation, and build resilience instead of primarily focusing on crisis situations; increase their interactions with the UNGA, other UN bodies and regional and sub-regional organizations; and embrace UN reforms and consider forming a parliamentary committee to discuss the reforms.

The summary notes that the UN and other multilateral institutions should respond to social media and disinformation that undermine the multilateral system with positive messages. It says the institutions should avoid “vague terms and jargon” and find better ways to communicate about their work. On the revitalization of the UN, it calls on the UNGA to: “become more transparent, effective and relevant;” avoid political polarization and promote inclusiveness for all stakeholders; tap into the “power of 21st century communications technologies” and non-traditional approaches in order to share its work; ensure better continuity between UNGA Presidents, and extend the one-year term of the Presidency; improve the accountability, transparency and institutional memory of the UNGA President Office; and form ad hoc committees within IPU to monitor the implementation of international agreements.

The summary also highlights tools and strategies to improve gender equality in politics, including: using quotas; electoral system reforms and political party reforms that can lead to increased inclusion of women; building local networks and mentorship programmes for women; changing social norms and structures; and amending laws that hinder women’s political participation. It indicates that women represent about 23% of parliamentarians globally, only 19 countries have women as heads of State or Government, and just 18% of the world’s government ministers are women. [Publication: Summary Report of the 2019 Parliamentary Hearing: Note by the President of the General Assembly] [2019 Annual Parliamentary Hearing Website]