IPU Assembly aims to intensify parliamentary action on the climate emergency

March 14, 2022. BALI.

The 144th IPU Assembly will be held in Nusa Dua from 20 to 24 March 2022, hosted by the Parliament of Indonesia.

Hundreds of parliamentarians from all over the world will meet in person on the theme of Getting to zero: Mobilizing parliaments to act on climate change.

The climate emergency is affecting every region of the world and continues to intensify at a rapid pace. Recent findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change show that unless there are immediate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or even 2 degrees Celsius, will be unreachable.

IPU Members will consider what parliamentary action needs to be taken to mitigate the effects of the climate emergency and to implement the Paris agreement. How can parliaments use the COVID-19 recovery period to accelerate the green transition? How can parliaments ensure that the needs of the most at-risk members of the population, including women and youth, are addressed as part of climate action?

Parliamentarians will hear testimonials from climate activists and representatives from countries on the frontlines of climate change, notably small island developing states.

With the backdrop of war in Ukraine, IPU Members are expected to adopt a landmark resolution on Rethinking and reframing the approach to peace processes with a view to fostering lasting peace. The resolution is expected to reaffirm the IPU’s founding principles of dialogue as the choice modality for resolving international disputes. The need to strengthen multilateralism and ensure compliance with international law will no doubt underpin deliberations throughout the Assembly.

The IPU will launch two new tools for parliamentarians during the Assembly: a handbook on Strengthening health security preparedness, in partnership with the World Health Organization, and the third Global Parliamentary Report on Public engagement in the work of parliament, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme.

The Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians will also consider the latest cases of human rights violations suffered by parliamentarians around the world including in Belarus, Ecuador, Eswatini, Myanmar and Venezuela.

Accredited media should register at press@ipu.org.

A media centre for accredited media will be available. Live streaming of the plenary sessions will be available at http://www.ipu.org/144

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The IPU is the global organization of national parliaments. It was founded more than 130 years ago as the first multilateral political organization in the world, encouraging cooperation and dialogue between all nations. Today, the IPU comprises 178 national Member Parliaments and 14 regional parliamentary bodies. It promotes democracy and helps parliaments become stronger, younger, gender-balanced and more diverse. It also defends the human rights of parliamentarians through a dedicated committee made up of MPs from around the world.

For more information about the IPU, contact Thomas Fitzsimons at email: press@ipu.org or tf@ipu.org or tel: +41(0) 79 854 31 53

NATO Secretary-General Tells World Leaders ‘Freedom Must Come Before Trade’

May 24, 2022. DAVOS-KLOSTERS.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, in a keynote speech to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022, told participants that the brutal war of aggression on Ukraine has shattered peace in Europe, triggering an historic enlargement of NATO.

“NATO has two fundamental tasks in response to Russia’s aggression: providing support to Ukraine and preventing the war from escalating,” he said.

“Since Russia’s invasion, NATO has significantly stepped up support – with billions of dollars of weapons and other assistance to help Ukraine uphold its right to self-defence as enshrined in the UN Charter.”

“We may have been shocked by Russia’s brutal invasion. But we should not be surprised,” he said.

Stoltenberg pointed out that the invasion was one of the “best predicted” acts of military aggression ever, adding that NATO shared intelligence and made it public for months “to warn about Putin’s plans”.

“Russia’s attack on Ukraine is part of a pattern over many years – the use of military force to achieve its political aims: the destruction of Grozny; the invasion of Georgia; the annexation of Crimea; and the bombing of Aleppo.”

“In response we will defend every inch of NATO territory,” he said.

He laid out a series of significant actions taken by NATO – increased defence spending, deployment of combat battlegroups in the eastern part of the alliance and placing 100,000 troops on high alert. And, for the first time ever, a US Amphibious Ready Group has been placed under NATO command.

“NATO’s response is not to provoke conflict but to prevent conflict and preserve peace,” he said.

Referring to Finland and Sweden’s historic decision to apply for NATO, he said: “President Putin wanted less NATO on his borders and launched his war – and now he is getting more NATO on his borders.”

“Today, close to 600 million Europeans live in a NATO country, with the alliance protecting about 93% of the EU population,” he added.

In a question-and-answer with Børge Brende, President, World Economic Forum, after his speech, Stoltenberg pointed out a key lesson of the war in Ukraine that economic relations with authoritarian regimes can create vulnerabilities.

“Freedom is more important than free trade,” he said, and “the protection of our values is more important than profit.”

He said the World Economic Forum has brought the global community together for half a century to address some of the world’s most difficult problems. “Today we need this spirit of Davos more than ever.”

About the Annual Meeting 2022

For over 50 years, the World Economic Forum has been the international organization for public-private cooperation. The Annual Meeting is the focal point for leaders to accelerate the partnerships needed to tackle global challenges and shape a more sustainable and inclusive future. Convening under the theme, History at a Turning Point: Government Policies and Business Strategies, the Annual Meeting 2022 and its 450 sessions bring together global leaders from business, government and civil society. Learn more about the programme and view sessions live and on-demand.

Notes to editors:

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