IPU, Alm.del - 2011-12 - Bilag 5: Resolutionstekster fra IPUs session i Kampala til udenrigsministeren

The 126th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,Consideringthat there is compelling evidence to support the positive correlation between good governanceand the level of peace and security in society and the world,Reaffirmingthe purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, which arethe indispensable foundations of a more peaceful, prosperous and just world, andreiteratingourdetermination to foster strict respect for them (paragraph 2, 2005 World Summit Outcome, A/RES/60/1),Supportingall efforts to uphold the sovereign equality of all States and respect their territorial integrity andpolitical independence; refrain in international relations from threatening or using force in any mannerinconsistent with the purposes and principles of the United Nations; settle disputes by peaceful means and inconformity with the principles of justice and international law; respect the right to self-determination ofpeoples remaining under colonial domination and foreign occupation; uphold non-interference in the internalaffairs of States; ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; guarantee respect for theequal rights of all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion; seek international cooperationwhen solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character; and meet ingood faith the obligations assumed in accordance with the Charter (paragraph 5, 2005 World SummitOutcome, A/RES/60/1),Recognizingthat good governance is the manner of governing that aims to achieve sustainable economic,social and institutional development, while promoting a healthy balance between the State, civil society andthe market economy, and that there is no way of exercising it other than by serving the interests of thepeople,Mindfulthat the role of public authorities in creating an environment for entrepreneurs to function and indetermining the distribution of benefits as well as the nature of the relationship between governments andcitizens is pivotal in promoting and practising good governance at the national and international levels,Notingthat good governance leads to efficient and accountable institutions, i.e. political, judicial,administrative, economic and corporate rules that promote development and the rule of law, protect humanrights and ensure that people are free to participate and be heard in decisions that affect their lives,Also notingthat the catalysts for the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa were several and includedthe concentration of wealth in the hands of autocrats in power for decades, a lack of transparency in theredistribution of that wealth, corruption and, in particular, young people’s refusal to accept the status quo,while spiralling food prices and famine were also determining factors,Acknowledgingthat the disconnect between the demands of civil society and the response of governments,as well as a lack of government reform, might well have contributed to the protests,Expressingits sorrow for the victims of the political processes in the Middle East and North Africa, and itssolidarity with the families of those who died in their quest for freedom and justice,Notingthe undeniably positive influence of education and exposure to issues of good governance;Recallingthe 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1976 International Covenant on Civil andPolitical Rights, the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women andthe 1981 African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which, inter alia, provide that every citizen,

regardless of gender, religion or race, has a right to take part in the conduct of public affairs directly orthrough freely chosen representatives, and that the will of the people should be expressed through free andfair elections based on universal and equal suffrage and secret ballots, in the full exercise of the sovereigntyof the people, so as to constitute the basis for the legitimate and credible authority of government,Also recallingthe resolution onProviding a sound legislative framework aimed at preventing electoralviolence, improving election monitoring and ensuring the smooth transition of power,adopted by the 124thIPU Assembly (Panama City, 2011), which calls upon parliaments, where necessary, "to undertakeconstitutional and legislative reform, building on international obligations and commitments and taking intoaccount local realities, so as to provide a sound legal framework for free and fair elections that includes theadoption of electoral systems that provide for representative and inclusive outcomes, and for the smoothtransfer of power"Further recallingthe above-mentioned IPU resolution, which urges parliaments "to conduct such electoralreform through a comprehensive, inclusive and open debate that fosters the broadest possible involvement ofall stakeholders, authorities, political parties, media and civil society organizations in the electoral process",Notingthat the recent events in the Middle East and North Africa have provided all countries with importantlessons on democracy and freedom,Also notingthat those events have shown that people everywhere need democratic and legitimategovernments based on the will of the people, expressed regularly through free and fair elections,Further notingthat it is always the people who have the right to determine their own political future based onthe cultural and historical characteristics of their nation,Reaffirmingthat democracy is a universal value based on the freely expressed will of people to determinetheir own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their livesand that, while democracies share common features, there is no single model of democracy and it does notbelong to any country or region;Also reaffirmingthe need for due respect for sovereignty and the right of self-determination (paragraph 135,2005 World Summit Outcome, A/RES/60/1),Mindfulthat people will not view democracy in a positive light if their livelihood is at stake and thatdemocracy and development are inextricably linked,Acknowledgingthat the experiences of other regions and of the past year tend to show that the process ofdemocratization in the Middle East and North Africa will take a significant amount of time, given that it isoften a lengthy, unpredictable and complex process, which involves changing power relations in society,Convincedthat the attainment of democracy requires extensive changes that are rooted in constitutions,electoral systems, laws and regulations related to political parties, the media, the justice system, an enablingenvironment for civil society and, not least, a change in attitudes, including a paradigm shift regarding theplace of women in political life,Also convincedthat commitment to the principles of good governance in the management of public affairs willguarantee freedoms and the rule of law, reduce corruption, ensure fair elections, help establish systems andinstitutions that strive to provide the best services to all sectors of society, and be the best guarantor ofpolitical stability,1.Invitesall States and parliaments to consider the major lessons drawn from the Middle East, NorthAfrica, Europe and the United States, as well as elsewhere in the world, on the need for democraticreform and for governments to provide their people with basic employment and economicopportunities, meet their citizens’ demands and guarantee equal opportunities for all;2.Recommendssustained investment in political reform where necessary, possibly to include thecreation of independent government watchdogs, the amendment of constitutions, electoral systems,the judicial system, laws, regulations and processes related to political parties and the taking ofmeasures to ensure the functioning of the media, the achievement of gender equality and theinvolvement of civil society;3.Also recommendsthat particular attention be paid to security sector reform so that the police,intelligence services and armed forces act within the rule of law, fully respect the fundamental rightsof citizens and are held to account for their acts to a democratically elected authority;

4.Expresses its wish,with a view to building inclusive societies, that transitional justice and the need toaddress the past are adequately taken into account in the transition process, in particular through thepromotion of the truth, the sentencing of perpetrators, the compensation of victims and theestablishment of safeguards to avoid repeating mistakes of the past;5.Calls uponall Member Parliaments that have not done so to ratify and ensure full implementation ofthe International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and see to it that freedom of thought,expression and association, as well as other civil and political rights, are guaranteed;6.Also calls uponparliaments to ensure the establishment of governance systems that will lead to theimprovement of people’s livelihoods so as to help restore faith in democratic institutions anddemocracy;7.Recommendsthat leaders in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as elsewhere in the world,strive to implement policies that will help reduce economic inequality and tackle everyday problems,such as corruption, poverty and the lack of access to health services;8.EncouragesIPU Member Parliaments to advocate for increased civic education, with a focus on thefundamental principles of democratic governance, while reflecting the diversity of histories andcultures;9.Urgesthe international community to stand ready to help countries at their request and to supportthe transition process while complying with the principle of sovereignty as enshrined in the UNCharter, in order to avoid undue influence on the situation in States and the outcome of elections;10.Calls uponthe international community to promote comprehensive reform of the United Nations inorder to achieve world peace, security and development through respect for the principles enshrinedin its Charter as well as the fair representation of nations;11.EncouragesStates to comply with the Millennium Declaration, which calls for the promotion of peace,security and human rights and the elimination of hunger and poverty, and stipulates the importanceof and right to education in the context of sustainable growth;12.Invitespolitical parties, national parliaments and governments to implement policies and mechanismsaimed at ensuring the participation of women and youth in public political and economic life;13.Calls uponall parliaments to enact legislation and take specific action to enhance their transparency,design information and communication technology tools to facilitate citizens’ access to relevantinformation on parliamentary processes, exercise their oversight function over the other branches ofthe State and establish mechanisms enabling them regularly and vigorously to reach out to civilsociety and be answerable to it;14.Urgesthe IPU to lend support to the democratization process under way in the Middle East and NorthAfrica, particularly in areas relating to the process of constitutional reform and the drafting of newelectoral laws, as well as the sharing of good practices for open and inclusive electoral processes thatare conducive to the establishment of representative and effective parliaments;15.Also urgesthe IPU to design and implement a programme of technical assistance and capacity-building that supports the newly elected parliaments in the Middle East and North Africa;16.Further urgesdonor countries and the multilateral financial institutions to honour their aid pledges tothe Arab Spring countries in order to rescue their economies, protect them from recession and reducetheir levels of unemployment;17.Appealsto the parliaments of the countries where stolen assets have been transferred to urge theirgovernments and banks to recover such assets;18.Calls foran international parliamentary conference on the role of youth in politics in thecontemporary world and current technological developments to be held under the auspices of theIPU.