Objective 8 2020
Bridge the democracy gap in international relations
As the UN marked its 75th anniversary in August 2020, IPU members met virtually at the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, reiterating the IPU’s commitment to multilateralism. A new series of IPU virtual briefings helped members of parliament understand UN processes. In its relationship with the UN, the IPU continued to focus on peace and security, the SDGs, and gender equality. The IPU continues to help parliaments bridge the gap between international agreements and national legislation.
Effective engagement with the United Nations
In September, the 74th session of the UN General Assembly adopted a new Resolution on the UN, national parliaments and the IPU. The Resolution acknowledged the need to bridge the gap between international commitments and in-country implementation through national laws and budgets. It also recognized the IPU’s work with parliaments on the COVID-19 pandemic as well as promotion of universal health coverage. Furthermore, it called for closer cooperation between the UN and the IPU to advance the SDGs.
In September 2020, the IPU President delivered four video messages to major UN meetings: the UN75 Summit, the High-Level Meeting on Biodiversity, the meeting on the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration on gender equality and the High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament.
High-Level Political Forum
The UN’s annual High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) examines national progress on the SDGs. The IPU has consistently advocated for parliaments to play a stronger role. On 15 July, some 100 parliamentarians participated in a virtual Parliamentary Forum at the HLPF entitled The Big Reset: Learning from COVID-19 to Fast Track the SDGs. The meeting tracked the HLPF’s main theme, looking at factors which explain the mixed record of progress on the SDGs. MPs agreed that the pandemic offers an opportunity to build back better and that the SDGs offer a solid framework for successful economies.
The IPU’s 2020 report on parliamentary engagement in the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) demonstrated that more parliaments than ever are engaged in assessing their national progress towards the SDGs. Nevertheless, it also showed that more work is needed to strengthen parliamentary oversight of this important process. Out of 26 survey respondents, just over 50 per cent of parliaments (14) provided input into the VNR process.
Annual Parliamentary Hearing
At the beginning of the year, the IPU’s 2020 Parliamentary Hearing, an annual forum to connect parliamentarians and the UN, was attended by 200 parliamentarians at the UN Headquarters in New York. Participating parliamentarians joined UNESCO officials, ambassadors, experts and civil society representatives to identify parliamentary action on the theme of the role of education in peace and sustainable development.
Engaging with world trade
As COVID-19 severely hit the world economy and international trade, many people were plunged into extreme and multidimensional poverty. At a November panel to mark the 25th anniversary of the World Trade Organization (WTO), IPU Secretary General, Martin Chungong said the pandemic had presented meaningful opportunities to rethink global trade.
Possible opportunities included making the WTO and global trade more transparent and inclusive; accelerating discussions to make the WTO’s Appellate Body and Dispute Settlement Body fully operational, and changing regulation to make microcredit more accessible for women and youth.
On the WTO, the IPU organized a webinar for some 150 delegates, including 80 parliamentarians from about 30 parliaments. The webinar identified possible ways forward to develop sustainable trade policies to combat poverty, focusing on equal access to vaccines against COVID-19.
The survey showed an increase in engagement from 38 per cent in 2019, but also how more work is needed to engage parliaments more fully in the process.
“Rethinking multilateralism and engaging more women and youth in a context of open trade and inclusive economies will be key to the post-COVID-19 recovery.”
Ms. Angelique Ngoma
Member of Parliament, Gabonv
Case study
UN75
As the UN celebrated its 75th anniversary by looking at ways to reform, the IPU contributed by sharing insights and ideas from its members. The IPU shared conclusions and messages, for example, from its Fifth World Conference of Speakers, its Annual Hearing and by responding to the UN75 Declaration.
Our impact
Virtual briefings for parliamentarians on the UN
Throughout the year, we organized virtual briefings for members of parliament to help them better understand UN processes, such as negotiations and reforms. Officials of the UN, ambassadors and other experts all participated in the meetings, which have the objective of making the UN more open to national parliaments. The use of online platforms helped ensure wider participation by parliaments and experts alike.
The first briefing, for example, focused on SDG 1 – poverty – and showed how the UN can expand its poverty definitions to better capture the real number of poor in the world.
For the second briefing, which focused on the UN peacebuilding architecture, UN officials and experts briefed more than 100 parliamentarians from around the world.