IPU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 32: 5WCSP High-level declaration

Dansk Interparlamentarisk Gruppes bestyrelse 2020-21
IPU Alm.del Bilag 32
Offentligt

HIGH-LEVEL DECLARATION

on parliamentary leadership for more effective

multilateralism that delivers peace and sustainable

development for the people and the planet

In August 2020, we, the Speakers of Parliament, convened for the virtual segment

of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament. The world was five

months into a global pandemic, with over 20 million recorded cases of COVID-19

infection and at least 750,000 deaths attributed to the virus. The virtual segment

resulted in a commitment to strengthen international cooperation, solidarity and

multilateral action, not only to lead the world out of crisis, but also to transform it for

the better and to improve resilience. By the start of September 2021, the pandemic

had resulted in close to 220 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection and

over 4.5 million deaths, coupled with extensive disruptions to essential health

systems in several regions, underscoring the urgent need for a well-coordinated,

multisectoral approach to the health emergency, ensuring surge capacity at all

levels in all countries.

Our declaration in August 2020 underscored the critical importance of

multilateralism and international solidarity in addressing the daunting socio-

economic challenges of our time. As some countries finally start to emerge from

the pandemic, this declaration rings truer than ever before. The very fact that we

have been able to meet in person in Vienna is testimony to the significant progress

that has been made through our collective efforts, in particular in terms of

developing and delivering life-saving vaccines for all to ensure that no one is left

behind. This Conference has granted many of us the first opportunity in over

18 months to meet in-person to share our experiences and lessons learned from

the pandemic and to look forward with renewed hope to a positive recovery,

founded on our shared endeavour to build back

–

and build forward

–

better.

The recovery must take account of the particular impact that the pandemic has had

on women and girls, young and elderly people, persons with disabilities,

marginalized and vulnerable populations, refugees, and communities affected by

conflict. The recovery efforts must uphold the rule of law, democratic principles and

universal human rights. The recovery must be inclusive, sustainable and green and

must incorporate innovative solutions to the climate crisis. We must work together

as one human family in facing epidemics and other crises, overcoming differences

of all kinds and seeking to foster a culture of tolerance, coexistence and

acceptance of the other. A renewed commitment by all parliamentarians worldwide

to meaningful and effective multilateralism is critical to such a recovery.

IPU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 32: 5WCSP High-level declaration

-2-

We recognize that women have made a significant contribution on the front line of the response

to the COVID-19 pandemic. And yet, the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on

women and girls, with lockdowns leaving them more vulnerable to domestic violence and

increasing the burden of caring for children and the elderly. Women have also been more likely

to lose employment or income as a result of the socio-economic downturn. Women and girls in

conflict situations remain particularly vulnerable. All these situations have stressed the

importance of putting gender equality and the empowerment of women at the heart of the

COVID-19 response and recovery. We must build forward in a more gender-inclusive way and

create a new global social compact for gender equality enabling the full and effective

participation of women in all spheres of society. From this perspective, women must be part of

the strategy and leadership of the COVID-19 recovery process, and the first step to achieving

this is to ensure their equal and meaningful representation in parliaments, governments, private

companies and other decision-making bodies.

We also acknowledge that social distancing and lockdown measures during the pandemic have

had a devastating impact on youth, limiting their access to education and reducing their

employment prospects, which has resulted in isolation and a surge in mental health issues. At

the same time, young adults have undertaken vital front-line roles as healthcare, public utility

and retail workers, as well as supporting their communities during the pandemic. We recognize

these critical roles and pledge to harness the positive energy and innovativeness of young

adults by making every effort to increase youth representation in our parliaments, including by

joining the IPU Campaign

I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament,

which is promoting several

transformative actions. We also commit to promote initiatives aimed at educating and training

young people in modern information technologies, thus preparing them for the jobs of the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a multifaceted crisis that has undermined progress in

the achievement of the sustainable development goals, made States more fragile and eroded

international cooperation, resulting in worldwide increases in poverty, hunger, inequality and

violence. Parliaments must rise to the challenge by, first and foremost, protecting the norms and

principles of peace, development, democracy, human rights and respect for the rule of law. We

must also tap into the many benefits of inter-parliamentary dialogue and cooperation in order to

build bridges for better understanding, so as to lay the foundation for a more peaceful,

prosperous and sustainable world where all people can live in freedom and dignity.

The global economic recovery must, therefore, be inclusive, with commitments to fight poverty

and lessen inequality, reduce unemployment, and improve access to education and essential

services. This should nurture renewed efforts to address the root causes of conflicts and build

more peaceful, just and inclusive societies. As the United Nations has recognized, Parliaments

have a key role to play in identifying bold and transformative actions to make the attainment of

the SDGs a reality. With less than a decade to go, we commit ourselves once again to

accelerating our efforts to fully implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in our

work as parliamentarians.

A sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will depend to a large extent on

international cooperation and solidarity. Accordingly, we reiterate our support for the World

Health Organization, in particular in terms of its work on research, rapid response and better

pandemic preparedness through enhanced cooperation among nations. We call for

strengthened international cooperation on vaccine research and development, production and

distribution, and improving accessibility and affordability. In this regard, vaccines must be

distributed rapidly, fairly and equitably, as well as universally. No one will be safe from

COVID-19 until everyone is safe. Innovative measures, such as voluntary licensing and

exchange of know-how and technology must be taken to enhance equitable access to

affordable vaccines and to scale up global vaccine production and distribution in the long term.

We commend the collaboration among countries, along with health organizations and

manufacturers, including through the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator and the

COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) programme. However, much remains to be done

to ensure unimpeded and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries.

IPU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 32: 5WCSP High-level declaration

-3-

We urge collaboration on continued research and innovation into the treatment and elimination

of COVID-19 and coronaviruses more generally, including the debilitating long-term impacts of

post-COVID-19 syndrome

(also known as “long COVID”).

Moreover, we call for close co-

operation to prepare the world for future pandemics. In this regard, it is important to work

towards the establishment of a global health charter, to be agreed upon by world leaders, which

guarantees health security for the world’s population, without exception, and to confront

epidemics and disasters of a global nature with common universal principles and values, and in

a manner that guarantees respect for human health rights.

The recovery of the global economy following the COVID-19 pandemic remains uncertain and

unequal. Many countries will face huge budgetary deficits in the coming years and parliaments

must be ready to address such challenges. We believe that a fair, open, inclusive, transparent

and non-discriminatory rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade

Organization at its core, remains a pivotal foundation for the global economy. We call for

increased coordination on macro-economic policy, continued efforts to strengthen sustainable

global trade and oppose protectionism and unilateralism, and robust measures to revitalize the

global economy

–

including in terms of developing a fairer global tax system. A key component

of the economic recovery will be the advancement of the digital economy. We, therefore, call for

more efforts to address the digital gap and ensure fair access to technology, internet

connectivity and knowledge. Parliaments should help facilitate the development of core digital

infrastructure and enhance digital skills among their populations.

The COVID-19 pandemic must not overshadow the urgency of climate action. In order to

genuinely build a better future and long-term resilience, we must achieve a green, inclusive and

innovation-based growth and sustainable recovery. We remain convinced of the compelling

need to tackle climate change and reiterate the critical importance of the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the actions and targets set out in

the Paris Agreement. We welcome increased support for the Paris Agreement, in particular the

return of the United States earlier this year as a party state to the Agreement. We express our

strong support for an ambitious and collaborative outcome from the 26th UN Climate Change

Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2021, and stand ready to make a

robust parliamentary contribution to this process.

We also express our deep concern about the negative impacts of the climate crisis on human

health and security, such as increased food insecurity, water stress and resource scarcity

arising from increasingly frequent and ever more severe weather events, all of which in turn fuel

conflicts and tensions and force more people around the world to leave their homes. We stress

the need for preventive strategies to mitigate climate risks and enhance resilience, especially for

the most vulnerable and marginalized people. We recognize the importance of preserving

biodiversity and express our support for COP15 to the Convention on Biological Diversity, due

to be held in Kunming, China in October 2021, under the theme of

Ecological Civilization

–

Building a Shared Future for all Life on Earth.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in increasing threats to our democratic principles

and institutions. In addressing the pandemic, the legislative, executive and judicial branches of

government have had to take challenging decisions, notably curtailing freedom of movement,

which has sometimes led to disillusionment and citizens losing trust in the political processes

and in their representatives. Left unchecked, this dissonance, which is often fed by

misinformation and extremist ideology, can create serious security threats to our institutions and

to the physical safety of our legislators and staff. Governments should take people-centred

measures, in full respect of human rights, in order to restore public trust that was eroded during

the pandemic. Parliaments should serve as the centre of democratic accountability and

transparency, including for COVID-19 responses, by systematically integrating public

engagement into their work. This will enhance their legitimacy and the quality of parliamentary

processes.

Parliaments have remained open for business despite restrictions on their ability to meet in

person. This has led to unprecedented innovation, bringing information and communications

technologies (ICT) from the back office into the very heart of parliamentary chambers, allowing

remote working, remote sittings and even remote voting in many countries. We encourage

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

IPU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 32: 5WCSP High-level declaration

-4-

parliaments to continue to innovate and expand the use of digital technologies in order to be

appropriately prepared for future emergencies, enhance access to parliaments, and ultimately

increase their accountability, transparency and openness to the public.

15.

While information and communications technologies have allowed the world to remain as

interconnected as possible, and have contributed to enhancing prosperity, development and

security at all levels, our increased use of technology carries considerable risks, exposing us to

cyber-attacks and cybercrime. The internet, and in particular social media, is fertile ground for

misinformation, manipulation and the dissemination of false news and disinformation,

discrimination, harassment, hate speech and violence. Increased mass surveillance, undue

dependence on and unregulated use of algorithms and artificial intelligence, and digital privacy

are also pressing concerns.

All stakeholders need to observe principles, rules and norms for responsible behaviour in the

ICT environment. We call on the global community to come together and establish a multilateral

framework for regulating the use of digital technologies and imposing greater accountability on

big tech corporations. More generally, we must work for a global consensual approach to the

management of these challenges, including data security and privacy, the consequences of the

use of artificial intelligence, and the ethical aspect of scientific and technological innovation, in

strict compliance with our human rights obligations.

We strongly believe that a global community with a shared future for humankind has interwoven

mutual interests and aspirations. Common challenges can only be overcome through global

responses, coordination and collaboration between all our nations. We, therefore, reaffirm the

key role of multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core. We also firmly support the

IPU’s

efforts to engage and mobilize parliaments and parliamentarians around major international

global processes and global commitments, thereby further strengthening the parliamentary

dimension of global governance. We must continue to review, revitalize and renew

multilateralism, so as to ensure that the voices of parliamentarians are heard at the United

Nations and other international fora.

We commend the Austrian Parliament and the IPU, our global organization of national

parliaments, for bringing us together for this parliamentary summit at such a historic time. We

pledge to take this Declaration back to our countries and our parliaments, and to work diligently

in following up on its key recommendations. We look forward to coming together again under

the auspices of the IPU and in cooperation with the United Nations so as to share our

experiences and report back on progress achieved.

16.

17.

18.

Reservations expressed:

To paragraph 4 (gender equality) and paragraph 12 (climate change): by Turkey

To the concepts of

“people-centered measures”

(paragraph 13) and “global

community with a shared future for

humankind”

(paragraph 17): by Belgium,

Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and

Switzerland