The 3rd World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, a five-yearly gathering of the world’s parliamentary leaders, closed on July 21 with the adoption of a declaration on the need to secure global democratic accountability. Meeting at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, over 130 Speakers of Parliament gave their assent to a text that affirmed how accountability and representation lie at the heart of democracy. “I mean scrutiny that is so searching that it leads to something being done” said IPU President Theo-Ben Gurirab. “Holding government to account in the finest parliamentary tradition of doing the best we can for the people who elected us”.
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The Speakers warned that the global development gap was still widening. Although the economy was showing signs of recovery, deep-rooted structural problems remained. Looking at the position of parliaments on the international stage, the Speakers declared that today’s multilateral systems should allow for much greater consideration for the aspirations of people whose voices go unheard. They called for greater parliamentary involvement in international cooperation, while stressing that it should be firmly rooted in the daily work of the parliament, much of which relates to providing accountability.
In discussing accountability, the Speakers took a searching look at their own institution, voicing their preoccupation with how politics can become a closed space where there is insufficient room for opposing opinions and consideration of alternative policies. “We will do all we can” they said “to ensure that the rights of all members of parliament are guaranteed; they must be free to speak out without fear of harassment or punishment”.
At the opening of the Conference, the UN Secretary-General asked the assembled parliamentarians to provide leadership in four areas. First, to act on the great challenges of the times by ratifying treaties on climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, and economic development. Second, parliaments could and should be a force for stability. Democracies, he said, rarely wage war against each other. Third, parliaments are essential in advancing development and creating prosperity. “Too many of our people, in too many parts of the world, live in conditions that are simply intolerable. As parliamentarians, you more than anyone know we must help them” he said. Fourth, parliamentarians’ leadership was needed in the area of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Progress was urgently needed towards the entry into force of a Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
After hearing the UN Secretary-General, the Speakers pledged their support for the United Nations and its Charter. They commended the UN for enshrining the world’s development objectives in the Millennium Development Goals, while emphasizing the need for tighter connections with parliaments if they are to be fulfilled. They encouraged their parliaments, when they reviewed and debated draft budgets and bills to systematically assess their impact on the fulfillment of the goals. They also affirmed that the IPU is the international body best suited to building the relationship between parliaments and the United Nations, concluding by saying that parliaments would do their part in securing global democratic accountability for the common good.
