31 August 2015: Addressing the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on parliamentarians to help advance the post-2015 development agenda and ensure an equal footing for civil society in its implementation. He stressed parliamentarians’ role in ensuring the agenda is “translated from the global to the national,” and that implementing and monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require strong and close partnership between states and civil society.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) World Conference of Speakers of Parliament takes place every five years. At the 2015 conference, convening on 31 August-2 September, at UN Headquarters in New York, US, approximately 180 parliamentarians are gathered to examine “ways to tackle global challenges to peace and democracy.”

Ban noted that SDG 16 (Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels) specifically addresses democratic principles by calling for “inclusive and participatory societies and institutions,” and cautioned that civil society’s freedom to operate is diminishing. On climate change, Ban highlighted the role of parliamentarians and the Fourth World Conference of Speakers in sustaining the momentum for further low-carbon, climate-resilient growth.

Describing parliaments as the “pillars of democratic governance,” UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Sam Kutesa encouraged Conference participants to continue ensuring that people’s voices are heard and included in the development process, in order to “enhance ownership of the new agenda and its implementation on the ground.” Kutesa also stressed the need to carry forward the “unfinished business” of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly in the areas of education, health, water and sanitation, gender equality and women’s empowerment, and job creation. He also highlighted parliamentarians’ role in protecting the environment, and underscored the need for their active engagement in efforts to reach a “universally-binding climate change agreement” in Paris in December 2015. [UN Press Release] [UN Secretary-General’s Statement] [UNGA President’s Statement] [IPU Press Release] [Conference Website] [Draft Declaration of Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament]