The 113th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, meeting in Geneva in October 2005, wishes to express its alarm at the outbreak of avian influenza in various countries and the international propagation of the disease. While official estimates of the potential human casualty rates of a pandemic caused by avian influenza may differ, we believe that even the most modest predictions would severely disrupt our societies and trigger crises of the utmost gravity. We are aware that this disease has already destroyed many livelihoods in different parts of the world.

In the light of the foregoing, we exhort all parliaments to do everything within their power to ensure that governments treat this new crisis with foresight and resolute action in order to contain its effects while they can still be controlled. We express our support for the endeavours of the United Nations Coordinator for avian and human influenza and urge our Member Parliaments to play their part in ensuring that the necessary funds are made available and that information and guidance is adequately disseminated among populations.

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