Geneva, 2 June 2015 Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in the Third Meeting of the Preparatory Panel to Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU’s) Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, has called for reform of the UNSC.
Mahajan, a member on the above Panel, was the first participating Speaker advocating the reform of UN Security Council. Other participating Speakers and their representatives, particularly from China, Russia, Germany, Kenya and UAE, endorsed the amendment by India to the draft declaration of the World Conference.
With regard to the status of the inclusion of the principle of Common but Differential Responsibilities (CBDR) in the proposed set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Smt. Mahajan during the interactive session with the Director-General of UN, observed that CBDR should be the ‘guiding principle’ in the development and implementation of SDGs. She also opined that GDP alone should not be the yardstick for measuring development outcomes, however, other aspects such as freedom of expression, wellbeing of the people and check on unhindered exploitation of nature may also be the variables to measure the progress to complement GDP in order to better informed policy decisions.
The Presiding/Deputy Presiding Officers and other observer participants from the UN and IPU Executive Committee approved the following Reports which would serve as background papers for the Speakers’ Conference:
a. Implementation of major recommendations of previous Speakers’ Conferences – the parliamentary dimension to international cooperation
b. Parliamentary involvement in the shaping and implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goals
c. Challenges facing Parliaments today
d. Report on gender mainstreaming in the work of the IPU
The participants later considered the Agenda and the Draft Outcome of the Conference. Smt. Mahajan, while proposing amendments to the draft Outcome Document/Declaration of the Conference, observed that paragraphs of the draft Declaration on the SDGs have already been negotiated. Discussions on Post-2015 Development Agenda, including SDGs are still underway. Therefore, the position needs to be suitably reflected in the draft Declaration.
During the Meeting, the Presiding Officers interacted with the Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva, Mr. M. Moller on the inter-connection between the Speakers’ Conference and the UN Summit on the Sustainable Development Goals.
The IPU, with its headquarters in Geneva, is an international organisation of Parliaments, which will be convening the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament – a global summit focusing on democracy, the role of legislative institutions and their relationship with the United Nations. The Conference will take place in New York from 31st August to 2nd September, 2015. This Conference will be followed by the Sessions of General Assembly of United Nations (UNGA).
To go ahead with the preparations of the Conference, IPU has constituted a Preparatory Committee composed of distinguished Speakers from National Parliaments of IPU member countries. Smt. Sumitra Mahajan is a member of the Preparatory Committee. The First Meeting of the Preparatory Committee was held in January, 2014 in Geneva and the Second Meeting of the Preparatory Committee was held in November, 2014 in New York. Now, the Third Meeting of the Preparatory Committee is being held on 1-2 June, 2015 in Geneva.
The First World Speakers Conference was held in 2000 and it coincided with the UN millennium Summit. The Conference has taken place at five yearly intervals since then i.e. in 2005 and in 2010.