IPU 144th session kicks off with Kuwaiti participation

KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesian President Joko Widodo yesterday opened the 144th Session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Conference in Bali Island, which will continue until March 24, with the participation of Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim and his accompanying delegation.

In the opening ceremony, President Widodo underscored importance of “mobilizing parliamentary action to work on climate change,” also stressing necessity of setting up a serious international strategic policy on climate change, considering the ongoing challenges. He also called for attention to renewable energy and harnessing technologies to deal with climate change, indicating that his country has hydroelectric energy, geothermal energy, wind energy and solar energy, but it needs investments, financing and international cooperation.

President Widod pointed out that in light of the continuation of the COVID 19 pandemic, several issues must be discussed in the conference such as energy scarcity, food prices, logistical transport issues and inflation issues in most countries, as nations are beginning to suffer from the high costs of living. On his part, IPU President Duarte Pacheco said in his speech that the climate change issue must be a priority in the IPU’s plans and discussions, adding that the IPU will launch two new “tools for parliamentarians.”

The “tools” are a guide on strengthening health security preparedness in partnership with the World Health Organization and the third global parliamentary report on public participation in the work of parliament in partnership with the Parliamentary United Nations Development Program. He stressed on importance of discussing the war in Ukraine and taking tangible actions to stop it and solve the crisis, noting that Ukrainian people are greatly affected by it, as well as the Russian people who are affected by economic sanctions.

On her part, Indonesian Parliament Speaker Maharani Nakshatra said in a similar speech that this year’s conference is about mobilizing parliaments to act on climate change, calling for cooperation in setting up a policy on climate change and protecting the world from the impact of those changes. The conference will discuss other issues like the Palestinians’ freedom rights, democracy in Myanmar, gender equality and the role of youth in politics, added Nakshatra, stressing the importance of parliamentarians’ contribution to making peace in the global geopolitical environment and harnessing diplomacy to prevent wars.

She also stressed on the importance of cooperation between parliaments in facing the pandemic’s repercussions through developing local policies that reflect global issues, stressing on the equitable distribution of anti-Coronavirus vaccines and joint cooperation between countries in economic recovery during and after the pandemic. About 1,000 delegates from 115 countries are participating in the IPU conference, which is hosted by Indonesia for the first time.  The IPU is a global organization of national parliaments, established more than 130 years ago as the first multilateral political organization in the world that encourages cooperation and dialogue among all countries.

Islamic Geopolitical meeting

In another development, Kuwait National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim chaired the coordination meeting of the Islamic Geopolitical Group on the sidelines of the 144th Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) Conference in Indonesia. The Kuwaiti delegation was headed by Undersecretary of the Parliamentary Division, Dr Obaid Al-Mutairi, who was nominated by the Islamic group to represent it in the emergency clause drafting committee, said Al-Dustour News Network in a statement yesterday.

The meeting discussed a number of topics on the conference agenda and it was agreed that the Islamic Group would support the emergency item submitted by Indonesia. It also witnessed a proposal to amend the statute of the Inter-Parliamentary Union to impose strict and firm penalties on any country that invades or occupies another country. Al-Ghanim, accompanied by a parliamentary delegation, arrived on the Indonesian island of Bali on Friday to partake in the 144th conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) due on March 19-24.

Judging human rights

Al-Ghanim on Saturday stressed the need of following specific standards in tackling the basic human rights issues worldwide. “It is unfair and illogical to address the Russian-Ukrainian crisis in a way that is completely different from the approach to the abuses being committed by the Israeli occupation forces,” AlDostor news network quoted him as saying.

Al-Ghanim was addressing the coordinative meeting of the Arab group of states on the eve of the 144th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly. “At a time which stringent measures are being taken against suspected human rights violators in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict over the past three weeks, including the calls to cancel Russia’s membership in the IPU, there is total negligence at the atrocities being committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories over the past six decades,” he argued.

Reiterating Kuwait’s principled rejection of all forms of occupation, he said, “I belong to a country that underwent the ordeals of occupation 30 years ago, and this is why we have to stand against practice of the double standards in political conflicts, particularly when it comes to legal human rights issues.” The 144th IPU Assembly is chaired by the IPU current chair, the Bahraini Parliament Speaker Fawzia Zainal with IPU President Duarte Pacheco attending.

Addressing Pacheco, of Portugal, Al-Ghanim said, “With due respect to your person and the European group of states, the IPU presidency should represent all member states, not just the European bloc.” The IPU Assembly will adopt resolutions on the subjects of “Rethinking and reframing the approach to peace processes with a view to fostering lasting peace” and “Leveraging Information and Communication Technology as an enabler for the education sector, including in times of pandemic.” – KUNA

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