Geneva, 2 September 2020
Dear Madam President,
Dear Mr. President,
We are very pleased to inform you that the negotiation of this year’s General
Assembly resolution on
interaction between the United Nations, national parliaments
and the IPU
has come to fruition with the enclosed draft text.
We are very grateful to the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations for
taking the lead in the negotiation and to the twenty-three countries that have joined as
first sponsors of this resolution whose formal adoption by the General Assembly is
expected in the first part of September. Through close collaboration with the President
of the IPU, the Permanent Mission of Mexico has ensured that this resolution reflects
the importance of our Organization in global affairs and acknowledges the pivotal role
of national parliaments in multilateral affairs.
A similar resolution was last adopted by the General Assembly two years ago with
ninety-one sponsorships. As the total number of sponsors underscores the political
weight of such resolutions, we hope that many more countries will join the provisional
list of sponsors that is indicated at the top of the enclosed document. To this effect,
may we ask you to contact your foreign minister or your country’s Permanent
Representative at the United Nations in New York to ensure their support. There is
time until the day of formal adoption for more countries to join the list of sponsors.
While much of this year’s text reiterates points already agreed in past resolutions,
there are also several new points worth noticing, including one on the need for
parliaments and governments to coordinate their response to COVID-19 in
cooperation with the United Nations, and another point to acknowledge the outcome of
the just-concluded 5
th
World Conference of Speakers of Parliament as a contribution
to the UN75 Summit on 21 September.
Important new language was also added to highlight women and youth and the critical
work of parliaments and the IPU in eliminating barriers to their advancement in all
spheres of life, including in politics.
At this time of crisis, diplomats at the United Nations were challenged in
unprecedented ways to come together and negotiate this resolution through virtual
meetings and extensive consultations with capitals. The resolution will further
consolidate the strategic partnership between the IPU and the United Nations as a key
step toward a more inclusive multilateral system to respond more effectively to the
many global challenges of our time.
Yours sincerely,
Gabriela Cuevas Barron
President
Martin Chungong
Secretary General