19 July 2010: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened the Inter-Parliamentary Union World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, which was addressing the theme “Parliaments in Time of Crisis: Securing Global Democratic Accountability,” on 19 July 2010, in Geneva, Switzerland.

He called on the more than 140 participants to act on the great challenges of our times, including by ratifying treaties on climate change, nuclear non-proliferation and economic development, and to fund these commitments. Ban underlined that global issues, such as peace and security, human rights, climate change, and the well-being of families and societies are also great local issues. He stressed the need for parliamentarians’ leadership in ensuring effective governance to address the financial, food and economic crises, which he noted are compounded by the impact of climate change.

Urging participants to “remind Governments of their international obligations,” Ban told them that “with your strong leadership, our future will be much brighter.” The Conference will conclude on 21 July 2010. [Ban’s Statement] [Conference Website]