Dansk Interparlamentarisk Gruppes bestyrelse 2021-22
IPU Alm.del Bilag 16
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United Nations
A
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Distr.: General
31 March 2022
Original: English
General Assembly
Seventy-sixth session
Agenda item 128
Interaction between the United Nations, national parliaments
and the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Interaction between the United Nations, national
parliaments and the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Report of the Secretary-General
I. Introduction
1.
Pursuant to General Assembly resolution
74/304,
the present report reflects on
the interaction between the United Nations, national parliaments and the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). That interaction promises to provide a solid
foundation for the advancement of common objectives across the spectrum of United
Nations mandates and activities. The report, which is the sixth of its kind, provides
an overview of critical areas in which the collaboration between the United Nations
and parliaments has advanced shared objectives. More than two years on, the
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic continues to have profound global
impacts. Parliaments and parliamentary alliances have proven to be vital partners in
efforts to address the socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic, as well as its
implications for human rights. They have played an active role in developing
emergency legislation, enacting laws, refining national regulatory frameworks,
approving public budgets and enhancing the accountability of Governments,
including fulfilment of human rights obligations and political commitments.
2.
The pandemic has reversed some of the hard-won gains in the implementation
of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The number of people living in
extreme poverty has increased sharply, gender gaps in labour markets have widened,
and income and wealth inequalities – both within and between countries – have risen.
In this context, parliaments worldwide are playing an important role in helping
Member States to scale up their responses and make up for setbacks in achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals.
3.
The General Assembly, in resolution
74/304,
recognized the role played by
national parliaments and IPU in the response to the pandemic and recovery efforts.
The Assembly also recognized the role of the IPU Standing Committee on United
Nations Affairs in providing a platform for regular interaction between parliamentarians
and United Nations officials, including on advancing the 2030 Agenda.
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4.
The Secretary-General is committed to further strengthening the collaboration
between the United Nations and parliaments. In his report entitled “Our Common
Agenda”, which he presented on 10 September 2021, the Secret ary-General stressed
the importance of enhancing parliamentary inputs at the United Nations and
recognized that, amid the multiple and overlapping crises, there is an opportunity to
build a more effective multilateral system based on strengthened cooperati on. The
report is above all an agenda for action, designed to strengthen and accelerate
multilateral cooperation and make a tangible difference to people’s lives. It is also an
agenda driven by solidarity and the principle of working together. The Secretar y-
General recognizes that we are bound to each other and that no community or country,
however powerful, can solve its challenges alone. Parliaments play a critical role in
this regard, by helping to ensure that United Nations decision -making is informed by
a wide range of views and opinions.
5.
In resolution
74/304,
the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to
submit a report with a special focus on the implementation of the shared global
objectives of United Nations entities and IPU, including best practices and
contributions of Member States, national parliaments, the United Nations and IPU to
increase the representation of women in parliaments. The present report therefore
provides information on the interaction between the United Nations, national
parliaments and IPU over the past two years, with a particular focus on achieving the
2030 Agenda and response and recovery efforts during the COVID -19 pandemic, as
well as democracy and human rights, gender equality and the empowerment of
women, including best practices for increasing the representation of women in
parliament, youth empowerment and international peace and security. Section II
provides information on the cooperation between the United Nations system and
national parliaments. Section III details the collaboration between the United Nations
system, IPU and other parliamentary organizations. Section IV focuses on
partnerships and knowledge products developed as a result of the strong coll aboration
between the United Nations, parliaments and parliamentary organizations.
II. United Nations and national parliaments: direct support
provided to parliaments and parliamentarians
A.
Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
6.
The 2030 Agenda is at a critical juncture. It was already apparent before the
pandemic that many Member States were struggling to achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals. COVID-19 compounded existing challenges, leading to an
environment now characterized by low economic growth, high unemployment and
rising inequality. A global recovery that puts the world on track to deliver on the
Sustainable Development Goals will require the participation of parliaments.
Cooperation between the United Nations system and national parliaments is vital and
has already led to important deliverables.
7.
As national legislators, parliaments have a critical role to play in promoting
investment in sustainable development and setting appropriate regulatory
frameworks. Parliaments are responsible for creating an enabling legislative
environment for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, including
by identifying reform priorities and drafting new legislation. The United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has frequently been called upon
to brief regional or national parliaments on the recommendations contained in the
World Investment Report
and on issues such as perspectives on international
investment agreements.
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8.
The global network of United Nations information centres, overseen by the
Department of Global Communications, works directly with national parliaments and
parliamentary groups to engage them on central United Nations agendas. The
information centres also provide support to the United Nations resident coordinators
in their engagement with parliamentarians through events relating to the Sustainable
Development Goals and human rights.
9.
With support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Asian
Population and Development Association and the Forum of African and Arab
Parliamentarians on Population and Development committed to advancing the
Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and
Development, which is in line with the 2030 Agenda.
10. In May 2020, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
held a webinar on the significance of the 2030 Agenda during the COVID -19
pandemic. Several global and regional actors participated in the webinar, including
the Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions,
ParlAmericas, the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament and the Central
American Parliament.
11. In Bangladesh, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) worked
with the Government to develop the My Constituency app, a user-friendly online tool
to track progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in each
constituency. The app enables Members of Parliament to understand gaps and needs
and to make evidence-based arguments for policies and resources.
12. In Kosovo,
1
the United Nations worked in close partnership with the Assembly
of Kosovo to advance the 2030 Agenda and raise public awareness of the Sustainable
Development Goals. The Development Coordination Office and UND P provided
technical support to the Assembly’s Sustainable Development Council on the
establishment of a Sustainable Development Goal dashboard to monitor progress.
B.
Coronavirus disease pandemic
13. During the COVID-19 pandemic, UNDP supported digitalization initiatives to
enable many parliaments to continue conducting their proceedings online. For
example, UNDP supported the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia to
boost its digital capacity, including to improve citizen interaction. In Nep al, the
Women and Social Committee of the Federal Parliament, with the support of UNDP,
held expert consultations on the COVID-19 response, with a focus on those at risk of
being left behind, including women, children and senior citizens. In Bangladesh,
UNDP facilitated the participation of the Speaker of Parliament and a senior Member
of Parliament in global vaccine round tables that highlighted the importance of
equitable national vaccine access.
14. In order to support gender mainstreaming in parliamentary responses to the
pandemic, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
Women (UN-Women) issued
A primer for parliamentary action: gender-sensitive
responses to COVID-19,
which outlines practical strategies for parliaments to
promote gender-sensitive COVID-19 response and recovery. In the Republic of
Moldova, UN-Women, UNDP, UNFPA and the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) supported the engagement of the women’s parliamentary caucus with over
300 women leaders and health and education professionals to learn first-hand about
__________________
1
References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council resolution
1244 (1999).
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the socioeconomic challenges caused or exacerbated by the pandemic, and how they
affect women and the most vulnerable in society.
15. At a virtual meeting of parliamentarians from Latin America and the Car ibbean
held in June 2020, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin
America and the Caribbean stressed the importance of more efficient and open
legislative bodies to tackle the pandemic. The meeting, entitled “Legislating for post -
COVID-19 economic recovery: cooperative dialogue between presiding officers of
parliaments of the Americas”, was convened by ParlAmericas and was attended by
15 parliamentary speakers and vice-speakers from across the region.
16. In 2021, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in
partnership with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation,
held a series of virtual parliamentary dialogues on food security and nutrition in times
of COVID-19, promoting the exchange of knowledge among parliamentarians from
50 countries and nine regional and subregional parliamentary networks.
C.
Democracy and human rights
17. In order to empower parliaments, civil society, the judiciary and the private
sector, UNDP launched the Inclusive Governance Initiative in Angola, Côte d’Ivoire,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe. This regional
initiative seeks to support countries in Africa in becoming increasingly accountable
to, and inclusive of, their entire populations, including sexual and gender minorities.
18. In Brazil, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights (OHCHR) supported the establishment of a parliamentary observatory on the
universal periodic review, a pioneering initiative led by the Chamber of Deputies. In
2021, the initiative engaged 108 state representatives and 145 civil society
representatives to discuss progress made on the implementation of recommendations
accepted by Brazil during the third cycle of the universal perio dic review in 2017.
19. In the Central African Republic, the United Nations Multidimensional
Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA)
supported the National Assembly and provided its committees with technical
expertise during the adoption of draft bills related to security sector reform,
decentralization, legal aid and elections. MINUSCA facilitated 30 field visits of
parliamentarians to their constituencies; the visits promoted dialogue and built trust
among communities, thereby contributing to the further implementation of the 2019
Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the Central African Republic. In
September 2020, MINUSCA provided its good offices and technical support to the
National Electoral Authority and to parliamentarians for a revision of the electoral
code to allow the voter registration period to be legally extended while remaining
within constitutional deadlines.
20. In Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) engaged with
the parliamentary legal committee and provided advice on the technical annexes to
the electoral law, the operational electoral plan and the electoral timeline. UNAMI
engaged regularly with the Council of Representatives to advocate compliance of
national legislation with international human rights norms and standards, including
the draft bills on torture and domestic violence and the Yazidi Female Survivors Act.
As part of its Iraqi youth project, UNAMI connected select parliamentarians with
young activists to discuss concerns relating to local and national issues. In accordance
with its gender mainstreaming mandate, the leadership of UNAMI engages with
female candidates and parliamentarians to support the political and electoral
participation of women.
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21. The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon conducted regular
political liaison and advocacy with the Speaker and Members of Parliament, urging
institutional functioning in line with the separation of powers, the oversight role of
Parliament, and transparency and accountability vis-à-vis citizens. Against the
backdrop of a socioeconomic crisis in the country, the United Nations is working with
Parliament to promote tangible reforms and legislation aligned with the 2030 Agenda.
22. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), together with
UNDP, continued to provide advisory and technical support to the three institutions
mandated to advance the constitutional review process in Somalia (the Ministry of
Constitutional Affairs, the Oversight Committee of the Federal Parliament and the
Independent Constitutional Review and Implementation Commission), until the
constitutional review process was deferred to the new parliament by presidential
decree on 24 December 2020.
D.
Gender equality and the empowerment of women, including best
practices for increasing the participation of women in parliament
23. Within the framework of the Secretary-General’s Call to Action for Human
Rights, a task team on temporary special measures was established, bringing together
key actors to produce targeted advocacy messages on quotas and the political
participation of women. The task team helped to produce key messages on temporary
special measures, which were disseminated widely to United Nations fi eld offices,
and provided tailored advocacy support and advice to resident coordinators and
national stakeholders.
24. UN-Women is supporting advocacy efforts with parliaments to adopt, reform or
enforce the implementation of quota laws to improve women’s representation. In
Burkina Faso, UN-Women, UNDP and civil society partners provided technical
assistance to parliamentarians during discussions leading to the adoption of a new
quota law to promote women’s political participation.
25. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the South Sudan
Women Peace Monitoring and Advocacy Group held a capacity-building workshop
for 45 young women parliamentarians under the age of 40 to enhance their ability to
engage in meaningful leadership within national and state legislatures and to play a
greater role in the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals at the
community level.
26. In an effort to promote gender-responsive parliaments, UN-Women provided
technical support and capacity-building to women’s parliamentary caucuses working
for gender equality and the empowerment of women. In Indonesia, for example,
UN-Women convened a series of consultations bringing together the caucus, civil
society organizations, women activists and academics. The consu ltations helped the
groups to come up with a shared agenda to advance gender equality, including
supporting priority bills under consideration. In Zimbabwe, the successful advocacy
efforts of UN-Women with male members of parliament led to the establishment of
the HeforShe campaign group of parliamentarians, which includes the Speaker of
Parliament and senators.
27. In October 2020, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL)
convened consultative meetings of women parliamentarians to prepare spec ific
gender-sensitive recommendations for the United Nations-facilitated Libyan Political
Dialogue Forum. UNSMIL engaged with women parliamentarians and the Presidency
of the House of Representatives to ensure the active and meaningful inclusion of
women in all key political processes and forums, including in relevant committees,
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and in work on subjects such as the empowerment of women and elections. In
December 2021, the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the
Great Lakes Region facilitated engagement between the Forum of Parliaments of the
International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, the African Ombudsman and
Mediators Association and civil society organizations to support countries of the
region in addressing gender-based violence and promoting the effective participation
of women in political processes and decision-making.
28. In Georgia, in coordination with the International Labour Organization,
UN-Women provided technical assistance during parliamentary discussions on
amendments to the Labour Code and the Law on Public Service. This contributed to
the inclusion of legal provisions on the principle of equal pay for equal work,
employers’ liability for discriminatory practices and sexual harassment, and the right
to professional development and vocational training after maternity leave. In South
Africa, UN-Women, UNFPA, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS,
OHCHR and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) supported the
Parliamentary Forum of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in
developing regional model legislation on gender-based violence. This has helped to
strengthen normative standards that States members of SADC may seek to replicate
at the domestic level.
29. In Angola, UNDP supported the introduction of gender-responsive budgeting to
parliamentarians to ensure that women’s needs are taken into consideration. Gender
markers and a standard methodology are now used to factor in gender equality
concerns to resource allocation underpinning implementation of the Sustainable
Development Goals. In Kyrgyzstan, where an increase in gender-based violence in
connection with the pandemic has been reported, UNDP has supported the parliament
in developing a gender-sensitive crisis response and emergency measures. These
included the creation of a council on women’s rights and combating violence, which
has reviewed and recommended legislative changes to promote access to justice for
victims of domestic violence. In Montenegro, UNDP facilitated a knowl edge and
perception assessment on women, peace and security among parliamentarians, key
ministries, the police and civil society. The assessment paved the way for the
development of a national action plan to implement Security Council resolution
1325
(2000).
30. In Turkmenistan, UNFPA supported the development of a model law on
domestic violence. In Nigeria, it supported the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition)
Act and the Child’s Rights Act.
E.
Youth empowerment
31. Young people play a vital role in achieving the 2030 Agenda and are
increasingly active agents within parliaments. They may also be well placed within
national institutions to monitor and hold Governments accountable for achieving
youth-related targets and commitments and the broader Sustainabl e Development
Goals.
32. In April 2021, the annual Economic and Social Council youth forum took place
in New York. The forum serves as an important platform for young people to
contribute to policy discussions at the United Nations. Convened by the Presid ent of
the Council and co-hosted by the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the 2021 forum included a
ministerial round table on the political participation of young people in the context of
Sustainable Development Goal 16.
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33. In April 2021, the Envoy of the Secretary-General on Youth delivered the
keynote speech at the seventh Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians,
organized by IPU, the theme of which was “Post-COVID-19 recovery: a youth-
responsive approach”.
34. In 2021, UNSOM delivered three workshop modules on youth, peace and
security to the parliamentary committees of the Interior and Security in Hirshabelle,
South-West State, and Jubbaland.
35. To enhance digital engagement between parliaments, Governments and young
people in Bhutan, Pakistan and Timor-Leste, UNDP launched an initiative that
supports digital readiness assessments of parliaments by piloting digital platforms for
crowdsourcing youth input into the decision-making process.
36. In East and Southern Africa, UNFPA conducted online meetings, led by young
people, with the speakers of six parliaments with a view to securing commitments on
reforming laws concerning adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights.
F.
International peace and security
37. Engagement with parliamentarians is an important aspect of United Nations
support for the implementation of peace agreements. Throughout 2020 and 2021,
UNSMIL continued to provide support to and engage with the Hou se of
Representatives in the context of the Libyan political dialogue process. In a period of
heightened political polarization during and following armed conflict from April 2019
to June 2020, UNSMIL engaged with parliamentarians convened in eastern and
western Libya as part of efforts to end hostilities and resume the political process.
The leadership of UNSMIL regularly engaged with the leadership and members of
the House of Representatives to discuss the political process and preparations for
elections.
38. The United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia has monitored
congressional discussions on peace-related matters. It has also maintained a
continuous dialogue with lawmakers from parties across the political spectrum,
members of the peace committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives,
and the presidents of both chambers.
39. In June 2021, the Office of Counter-Terrorism established the Programme Office
on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism in Doha.
Given that the pandemic directly affected the ability of the Programme Office to carry
out in-person activities for parliamentarians, the Office of Counter-Terrorism
redirected the focus of the new office towards the production of action -oriented tools
and resources and other relevant materials customized for the use of parliamentarians.
40. In September 2021, the Office of Counter-Terrorism, in cooperation with
UNODC and IPU, held the first Global Parliamentary Summit on Counter-Terrorism
in Vienna. In December 2021, the Office of Counter-Terrorism co-organized an event
on the role of parliamentarians in the implementation of national action plans for
addressing terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism, in partnership
with the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia.
The round table was held in the framework of the Strengthening Resilience to Violent
Extremism in Asia programme, a joint partnership between the European Union and
the United Nations, and the Joint Plan of Action for the Implementation of the United
Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia, a joint project of the
Office of Counter-Terrorism and the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive
Diplomacy for Central Asia.
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41. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has a dedicated legislative
assistance programme available to all parliaments, covering various aspects of
international law, including nuclear safety, security, safeguards and liability, and
supporting the development of national implementing legislation. During the
reporting period, there was increased interest in IAEA legislative assistance activities,
including regional and national training workshops on nuclear law and bilateral
discussions on draft national nuclear legislation submitted for IAEA review. In
September 2021, the IAEA Director General welcomed some 60 parliamentary
speakers and heads of delegations to the IAEA headquarters on the margins of the
fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament.
G.
Other areas of collaboration
42. Through its Global Programme on Cybercrime, UNODC provided Member
States and parliaments with technical assistance on cybercrime laws and
cybersecurity strategies. In Fiji, UNODC and OHCHR provided advice on a draft
cybercrime bill, which UNODC presented to the Parliamentary Standing Committee
on Justice, Law and Human Rights in June 2020. UNODC also provided assistance
and advice to Mongolia regarding its draft national cybersecurity strategy and
criminal code on cybercrime in June 2021. Between November 2020 and October
2021, UNODC provided technical inputs to parliamentarians, legislative staff and
other stakeholders in El Salvador, in the framework of multiparty sessions that
analysed reforms to the country’s cybercrime law.
43. In June 2021, UNODC supported the preparations for the twelfth meeting of the
Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on the Prevention of Corruption,
preparing a report on the role of national parliaments and other legislative bodies in
strengthening the implementation of the Convention against Corruption. The report
suggested ways to involve national parliaments and other legislative bodies in the
implementation of the Convention.
44. In Nepal and Pakistan, UNDP supported the adoption of guideline s on raising
and monitoring climate financing. In Kosovo, parliamentarians participated in a side
event on innovations for climate-smart cities organized by the United Nations Human
Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to coincide with the twenty-sixth session of the
Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change.
45. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction engaged closely with
Members of the European Parliament to advance disaster risk reduction legislat ion at
the European Union level. Achievements included the integration of disaster risk
reduction language and a reference to the Sendai Framework in the European
Parliament’s resolution on the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties
and in the European Union’s climate change adaptation strategy.
46. In the Republic of Korea, UNICEF held several pivotal engagements with
parliamentarians in 2021. These included policy dialogues and climate discussions,
and a briefing between the Executive Director of UNICEF and the Deputy Speaker of
the National Assembly on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan. The leader
of the Korean Parliamentary Friends of UNICEF, a group of 43 parliamentarians
actively supporting the work of UNICEF, signed the Declaration on Children, Youth
and Climate Action.
47. In Bangladesh, in 2021, UNODC engaged with the parliamentarians caucus on
development and migration and held a meeting to exchange good practices on the
response to trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. UNODC also presented
a position paper entitled “Towards a national response to the smuggling of migrants
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by land, sea and air in Bangladesh” to the caucus during the first high -level national
consultation on the need for a migrant smuggling policy and national legislative
response.
III. United Nations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and other
parliamentary organizations: advancing global norms
48. As the world organization of national parliaments, IPU has played a significant
role in enhancing parliamentary contributions in the United Nations system.
Section III highlights some of the major engagements between IPU and other
parliamentary organizations and the United Nations.
A.
Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
49. As part of a multi-partner initiative coordinated by IPU, UNDP developed a set
of indicators measuring parliamentary fitness for purpose, based on Sustainable
Development Goal 16, targets 16.6 and 16.7. The indicators capt ured parliamentary
good practice on oversight of the 2030 Agenda; gender mainstreaming and gender -
responsive budgeting; human rights; parliamentary and inter-parliamentary
cooperation; and oversight of the security sector, foreign affairs and international
cooperation policy.
50. As part of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation,
UNDP and IPU have worked with parliaments, Governments, bilateral and
multilateral organizations, civil society, the private sector and trade unions to
strengthen the effectiveness of partnerships for the 2030 Agenda. In 2021, UNDP and
IPU jointly hosted an expert talk on parliamentary good practices in building effective
partnerships at the country level.
51. Over the past two years, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
has partnered with IPU, UNDP and the Islamic Development Bank in organizing an
annual forum with parliamentarians from Arab States to strengthen their engagement
in the implementation, follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda. In 2021, the focus
was on the role of parliamentarians in responding to the COVID -19 crisis and
advancing the agenda of leaving no one behind.
52. UNCTAD and IPU maintained close cooperation, including ensuring the
dissemination of research and policy work on investment and enterprise for
development and good practices developed by UNCTAD. IPU has been a regular
partner in the World Investment Forum, with the IPU President participating in the
opening summit of the seventh World Investment Forum, held in Octo ber 2021. The
summit featured a tripartite dialogue of parliamentarians, policymakers and business
leaders to discuss channelling investment for development.
53. In 2020, IPU partnered with the United Nations country team in Albania to
support the Parliament of Albania as it strengthens its engagement on the Sustainable
Development Goals. The project consisted of two initial activities to enhance
parliamentarians’ knowledge of the process of implementing the Goals and to prepare
parliamentary staff for the self‑assessment exercise, based on the self-assessment
toolkit produced by IPU and UNDP.
54. Following expressions of interest received from several parliaments, the United
Nations Environment Programme and IPU held capacity -building workshops for
parliamentarians and parliamentary staff in Seychelles and Zimbabwe and a regional
seminar for central Asian parliaments. The objective was to provide an understanding
of parliamentarians’ role in promoting a green COVID -19 recovery and to enhance
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their capacity to legislate, exercise their oversight functions and make budgetary
decisions accordingly. The workshops also helped to identify how parliamentary staff
can support parliamentarians in strengthening legislation for a green recovery and
equip them with tools for incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals and green
recovery principles in research and legislative analysis.
B.
Coronavirus disease pandemic
55. The World Health Organization (WHO) and IPU organized a series of joint
activities in 2020 and 2021, including a global virtual workshop on the linkages
between universal health coverage and global health security, and the impact of the
pandemic on parliamentary action in this area. WHO and IPU also held a series of
regional events to highlight the importance of parliamentary functions in the response
to COVID-19 and in ensuring equity as part of national universal health coverage
agendas.
56. In 2020, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, IPU and WHO
held two webinars as part of the IPU campaign entitled “Parliaments in a time of
pandemic”. The webinars focused on mobilizing parliamentarians in the global
response to COVID-19 and highlighted the need for whole-of-society and whole-of-
government approaches. The WHO Director-General, the IPU Secretary-General and
the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction
participated in the webinars.
57. In 2020, in the framework of the fifteenth annual meeting of the Internet
Governance Forum, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and IPU
co-organized a parliamentary round table on building trust in a time of COVID -19
response and post-COVID-19 recovery. The round-table discussions highlighted the
role of parliaments in creating legal frameworks that make the Internet accessible,
open and safe for current and future generations of users.
58. In 2021, OHCHR and IPU organized a workshop for parliamentarians on
COVID-19 recovery through a human rights lens. The workshop allowed for the
sharing of good practices in terms of legislation to promote human rights while
tackling the pandemic. Participants also discussed human rights-based strategies for
post-pandemic recovery.
C.
Democracy and human rights
59. In 2020 and 2021, IPU continued to provide capacity -building assistance to
support parliamentary efforts to promote human rights in general, and to enhance the
contribution of parliaments to the work of the Human Rights Council and the
universal periodic review. In July and November 2020, OHCHR, IPU and the
Commonwealth organized two virtual workshops on engaging parliaments in the
promotion of human rights, including on the work of the Human Rights Council and
the universal periodic review, for parliamentarians from Africa, Europe, the
Caribbean, Canada, and Asia and the Pacific.
60. In collaboration with OHCHR, the International Organization of la
Francophonie (IOF) and the Parliamentary Assembly of la Francophonie, in October
2021, IPU held a workshop on strengthening the role of parliamentarians in the States
members of IOF in the universal periodic review process.
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D.
Gender equality and the empowerment of women, including best
practices for increasing the participation of women in parliaments
61. IPU and UN-Women held parliamentary meetings on the margins of the sixty -
fourth and sixty-fifth sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women. The
meetings provided a forum for parliamentarians to contribute to the topics under
discussion during the sessions, including parliamentary action to achieve gender
equality for all women and girls and challenges for achieving gender parity in political
participation in a post-pandemic world.
62. UN-Women continued to partner with IPU to promote gender equality and
women’s empowerment in parliaments, including by providing global comparative
data and knowledge and by convening regular events to strengthen the links between
parliamentarians and the work of the United Nations. In 2020 and 2021, on the
margins of the sixty-fourth and sixty-fifth sessions of the Commission on the Status
of Women, UN-Women and IPU published the Map of Women in Politics.
UN-Women, IPU, UNDP and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral
Assistance continued to collaborate on the International Knowledge Network of
Women in Politics, a platform which facilitates women’s access to resources and
capacity-building materials and provides elected women, candidates and women’s
civil society groups with an online space to share experiences, network and
collaborate on issues of interest.
63. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in
Conflict and IPU signed a framework of cooperation and launched model legislative
provisions and guidance on the investigation and prosecution of conflict-related
sexual violence in June 2021. The Special Representative also named the Secretary -
General of IPU as a global champion for the fight against sexual violence in conflict,
in recognition of his important work in the promotion of gender equality and his
support for the mandate of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary -
General on Sexual Violence in Conflict through the framework of cooperation.
E.
Youth empowerment
64. IPU, through its office in New York, worked with Member States to strengthen
the draft resolution of the General Assembly on policies and programmes involving
youth, by placing greater emphasis on the representation of young people in national
and local legislatures.
65. UNODC supported the participation of the Africa Young Parliamentarians
Network in the Global Youth Leadership Forum held in Santander, Spain, in 2021.
The forum provided a platform for young parliamentarians to interact and collaborate
with their counterparts from other parts of the world on pertinent legislative issues
around good governance, justice, human rights and youth leadership. In East Africa,
UNODC has been supporting and working with the Africa Young Parliamentarians
Network to enhance the role of young African legislators in combating corruption and
promoting the rule of law. In December 2020, UNODC partnered with the Network
to commemorate International Anti-Corruption Day.
F.
International peace and security
66. As part of the IPU-United Nations Joint Programme on Countering Terrorism
and Violent Extremism, which is intended to strengthen the capacity of national
parliaments in countering terrorism and violent extremism, IPU, the Office of
Counter-Terrorism and UNODC worked on the development of model legislative
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provisions in support of victims of terrorism. Eight expert webinars took place
between November 2020 and June 2021 to collect the different provisions that could
be part of the draft model legislative provisions, which are intended to serve as a
guide when legislation on the matter does not exist or needs revisions.
67. In September 2021, the IAEA Director General and the IPU Secretary -General
sent joint letters to the speakers of parliaments of the States parties to the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons that have yet to conclude and bring into
force the relevant safeguards agreements. The letters requested the speakers’ support
in raising awareness of the comprehensive safeguards agreement s and the additional
protocols among parliamentarians to help generate support for nuclear non -
proliferation underpinned by the Treaty.
68. In February 2021, in partnership with the Westminster Foundation for
Democracy, UNDP hosted a virtual discussion on the multidimensional relationship
between parliaments and peacebuilding. In addition, at the request of the Chair of the
IPU Sub-Committee on Finance, UNDP contributed in 2021 to the drafting of an IPU
resolution on the role of parliaments and parliamentar ians in building and sustaining
peace.
69. IPU, together with the presidency of the seventh Conference of State Parties to
the Arms Trade Treaty, carried out an outreach campaign to the speakers of parliament
of over 80 States that are not yet party to the Treaty, to encourage adhesion and raise
awareness of the danger posed by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
IPU also continued its outreach campaign to the speakers of parliament of States that
are not yet parties to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, urging them to
discuss adhesion to the treaty in their respective parliaments.
70. IPU, with the support of the Office for Disarmament Affairs, continued to
promote implementation of the 2018 Agenda for Disarmament by organizing
international webinars on the basis of the 2020 parliamentary handbook entitled
“Assuring our common future: a guide to parliamentary action in support of
disarmament for security and sustainable development”.
G.
Other areas of collaboration
71. In the political declaration entitled “Our common commitment to effectively
addressing challenges and implementing measures to prevent and combat corruption
and strengthen international cooperation”, adopted at the special session of the
General Assembly against corruption in June 2021, Member States committed to
strengthening interparliamentary dialogue and cooperation, including in coordination
with IPU, to promote the exchange of good practices relating to legislation, review
and oversight controls in the fight against corruption, and to considering
implementing such good practices in domestic law. UNODC and the Global
Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption held a joint side event on the
margins of the special session on the role of parliamentarians i n implementing the
political declaration.
72. In December 2021, at the ninth session of the Conference of the States Parties
to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, held in Egypt, UNODC held a
special event on the role of national parliaments and other legislative bodies in
preventing and countering corruption. Representatives of IPU, the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Mediterranean and members of national parliaments provided an
account of their efforts to promote the implementation of the Con vention at the
national, regional and global levels. Also during the session, the Global Organization
of Parliamentarians Against Corruption held an event entitled “Ninth Forum of
Parliamentarians: Implementing Integrity”.
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73. In 2020 and 2021, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and IPU
joined efforts in facilitating inter-parliamentary dialogue on Internet and digital
policy issues in the context of the Internet Governance Forum. The parliamentary
round table at the fifteenth Internet Governance Forum in November 2020 led to an
outcome document that highlighted the commitment of parliamentarians to actively
contributing to the creation of legal frameworks for current and future generations of
Internet users and to making the Internet accessible, open and safe for everyone. In
2021, a strengthened parliamentary track in the Internet Governance Forum resulted
in a series of recommendations for parliamentary action on key digital policy issues:
privacy and data protection, harmful online content, and the governance of artificial
intelligence.
74. IPU and the Italian Parliament co-organized a parliamentary meeting in advance
of the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change in Rome in October 2021, as part of a
series of preparatory events hosted by Italy. This was followed by a parliamentary
meeting on the margins of the twenty-sixth session in Glasgow, co-organized by IPU
and the British Group of IPU.
IV. Partnerships
A.
Partnerships, senior-level interactions and specialized meetings
75. Efforts to enhance the interactions between the United Nations and IPU have
been undertaken at the highest level, allowing an open channel between the leadership
of both organizations, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the
Secretary-General and the President of IPU.
76. In 2021, IPU held the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament. The
Conference, held in Vienna, brought together the most senior parliamentary
leadership from over 100 parliaments and representatives from the United Nations,
who focused on enhancing effective multilateralism to deliver peace and sustainable
development for people and the planet.
77. The Secretary-General of the United Nations sent video messages to the 142nd
and 143rd IPU Assemblies and to the fifth World Conference of Speakers of
Parliament, in which he highlighted the need to recommit to multilateralism and
engage parliamentarians in solving issues of global importance. In Our Common
Agenda, the Secretary-General stressed the importance of enhancing parliamentary
inputs to the United Nations system. The Deputy Secretary-General sent a video
message to the first Global Parliamentary Meeting on Achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals, held in 2021, in which she reinforced the critical role of
parliamentarians in achieving the 2030 Agenda.
78. The annual United Nations-IPU parliamentary hearings held in 2021 and 2022
offered important opportunities to discuss parliamentary inputs to the United Nations
system. The 2021 hearing, held virtually, focused on combating corruption to res tore
trust in government and improve development prospects. The 2022 hearing, the theme
of which was “Building political support and inclusive responses to sustainable
recovery”, served as an opportunity for a preliminary exchange of views regarding
the implementation of the recommendations made by the Secretary -General in Our
Common Agenda. The Department of Global Communications highlighted the work
of IPU and parliamentary multilateralism across its multilingual news platforms.
79. In June 2021, OHCHR and IPU signed a memorandum of understanding with a
view to increasing mutual coordination and cooperation on human rights, including
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on the right to participate in public affairs and increased support to specialized human
rights committees within parliaments.
80. In February 2020, the Office of Counter-Terrorism and the Shura Council of
Qatar signed a memorandum of understanding on delivering joint initiatives to
promote the active engagement of parliamentarians from across the world in
countering terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism. The Contribution
Agreement to establish the Office of Counter-Terrorism Programme Office on
Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism in Doha was
finalized in November 2020.
81. On the margins of the first Global Parliamentary Summit on Counter-Terrorism,
co-organized by the Office of Counter-Terrorism, UNODC and IPU on 9 September
2021 in Vienna, UNODC signed letters of intent with the Arab Parliament and IPU
on expanding future cooperation on legislative assistance to parliamentarians in the
Middle East and North Africa. Similarly, in November 2021, UNODC signed a
memorandum of understanding with the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Mediterranean to deepen cooperation on legislation harmoni zation, to better address
the links between organized crime and terrorism.
82. In June 2021, IPU signed a memorandum of understanding with the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that institutionalized
the long-standing cooperation between the two organizations on issues related to
refugee protection and statelessness. IPU and UNHCR organized a series of
awareness-raising events targeting Members of Parliament on the implementation of
the global compact on refugees and the global campaign to end statelessness within a
decade (I Belong campaign).
B.
Development of tools and knowledge products
83. The wide-ranging cooperation between the United Nations, parliaments and
parliamentary organizations has resulted in the develo pment of a number of tools and
knowledge products. UNDP and IPU have published several guidance tools and
knowledge products, including the third
Global Parliamentary Report,
a flagship
joint production of UNDP and IPU that provides a guide for parliaments to enhance,
systematize and innovate their public engagement. Other publications include the
Guidelines for enhancing the engagement and contribution of parliaments to effective
development cooperation,
published in 2020, which seeks to provide parliaments and
parliamentarians with a common understanding of what they can do to promote more
effective and accountable use of aid and development resources.
84. In 2020 and 2021, IPU and WHO collaborated on the development of tools to
inform parliamentary action, including a joint handbook for parliamentarians
explaining the concept of universal health coverage and its importance for national
development, which will be published in 2022. The handbook highlights the
significance of parliamentary action on this issue, discusses how parliaments and
parliamentarians can address key universal health care challenges, and provides
suggestions of concrete action and initiatives to take at the national level.
85. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction devel oped a new
strategy for engagement with parliamentarians, which includes a shift towards a more
institutionalized approach to engagement with a strategic network of partners, such
as IPU, the Climate Vulnerable Forum and regional parliamentary groups and
networks. Furthermore, in October 2021, in connection with the International Day for
Disaster Risk Reduction, IPU and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk
Reduction released a toolkit entitled “Disaster risk reduction to achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals”, which explains the importance of disaster risk
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reduction and how to implement it and sets out 10 actions that parliamentarians can
take to effectively influence and implement relevant policy, legal, financial and
oversight frameworks adapted to their country’s context.
86. In April 2021, IPU and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations released a handbook for parliamentarians on food systems and nutrition. The
handbook was produced in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF, the Sca ling Up
Nutrition Movement and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. It is intended
to support parliamentary engagement in ensuring that the necessary legislation on
food security and nutrition is put in place and in identifying concrete actions to
achieve food security and good nutrition for all.
87. UNFPA supported the development of several knowledge products for
parliamentarians, including a toolkit entitled “Parliamentarian guide: 6 action steps
to achieve universal health coverage”. The toolkit, published in 2021, was developed
by the International Health Partnership for Universal Health Coverage, the European
Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights and the African
Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development. UNFPA, in part nership with
the European Parliamentary Forum, also supported the development of the Global
Contraception Policy Atlas Africa.
88. In 2020, IPU and the United Nations Environment Programme released a joint
publication entitled
Green approaches to COVID-19 recovery: Policy note for
parliamentarians.
The policy note highlights key approaches that parliamentarians
can take to promote a sustainable and green recovery in the wake of the pandemic and
shares corresponding best practices.
89. IPU and OHCHR worked together to produce a self-assessment toolkit for
parliaments aimed at increasing parliamentarians’ awareness of international and
regional human rights norms and mechanisms; empowering parliamentary bodies to
play a proactive role; and promoting cooperation between parliaments and
international human rights mechanisms. IPU and OHCHR are also working on a
handbook for parliamentarians on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women and the Optional Protocol thereto. OHCHR and IPU
collaborated to produce advice for parliamentarians on engagement with the universal
periodic review of the Human Rights Council. In 2021, at the 143rd IPU Assembly
and also virtually, IPU and UN-Women launched the
Handbook for parliamentarians
on gender-responsive law-making.
90. In October 2021, the Office of Counter-Terrorism launched an online platform
and training tool called Connect & Learn, which offers an opportunity to support
parliamentarians and Member States in implementing all four pillars of the United
Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and relevant Security Council
resolutions.
V. Conclusion and way forward
91.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the world was not on track to achieve
the Sustainable Development Goals; the pandemic has made their achievement
significantly more challenging. Parliaments, as fundamental custodians of
political commitments on sustainable development, continue to play an essential
role in the implementation and review of the 2030 Agenda, as reiterated in 2021
by the General Assembly in its review of the Economic and Social Council and
the high-level political forum on sustainable development.
2
The experience of the
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2
General Assembly resolution
75/290
B.
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United Nations with parliaments and parliamentary alliances, as set forth in this
report, demonstrates that their work, and their partnership with the United
Nations, is critical.
92.
In my report entitled “Our Common Agenda”, I stressed the importance of
enhancing parliamentary inputs to the United Nations system and of addressin g
some of the gaps and challenges that hinder furthering the collaboration between
parliaments and the United Nations system, at the global, regional and national
levels. Parliaments, given their legislative and oversight mandates and their role
in translating international instruments into national legislation, can make a
unique contribution to United Nations processes. I am committed to working
with Member States to explore ways in which the inputs of parliaments to United
Nations processes can be enhanced.
93.
With women representing only 25.6 per cent of the world’s
parliamentarians, concrete and bold legislative action is urgently needed to reach
gender parity in decision-making. I welcome the decision of a number of Member
States to introduce temporary special measures, including gender quotas in
parliaments, which has proved to be an effective way to deliver on our
commitment to promote the equal, meaningful and effective political
participation of women. Yet work related to gender equality and the
empowerment of women remains de-prioritized in legislative and policy agendas,
and political will to engage towards making substantive progress is lacking. I call
for further political resolve to overcome these gaps.
94.
Expanded opportunities for young people to serve as parliamentarians
should be encouraged. Concrete efforts should be advanced to create and
maintain safe spaces and channels for young people to be meaningfully and
inclusively engaged at all levels of policymaking. Parliamentary hearings with
groups of young people could be promoted when policies are being discussed in
national legislative bodies.
95.
Given the important role played by parliaments in translating global
agendas into concrete realities at the national level, the following
recommendations are submitted for consideration:
(a)
In line with the recommendations contained in Our Common Agenda,
Member States could consider including parliamentarians in national
delegations to participate in United Nations activities. I also call upon United
Nations governing bodies to consider ways in which they can enhance the
participation of parliamentarians in their own proceedings, with a view to
hearing a diverse set of voices and inputs;
(b)
The United Nations system and IPU will continue developing
structured interactions with national parliaments to help bring a parliamentary
perspective to the work of the United Nations, ensure the priorities set in national
budgets advance the implementation of global frameworks, and align national
legislation with international commitments, including the 2030 Agenda, the Paris
Agreement, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, the Addis Ababa
Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for
Development and the New Urban Agenda. I welcome in this regard the work of
IPU to facilitate the participation of parliamentarians in United Nations
processes;
(c)
As the decade of action for the Sustainable Development Goals
progresses, United Nations entities will continue supporting parliaments to
deliver on that crucial agenda, building on the reconfigured United Nations
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country teams and ensuring coherence of action and cross-pillar coordination.
In the process, United Nations entities should avail themselves more
systematically of the unique expertise of IPU and its member parliaments, as
called for by the General Assembly in resolution
74/304;
(d)
National parliaments should continue to strengthen their role in the
promotion and protection of human rights, including in their oversight of
Governments’ human rights actions and policies, and their involvement in the
international human rights mechanisms, including the treaty bodies, the special
procedures and the universal periodic review. The setting up or strengthening of
parliamentary human rights committees could be considered in this regard.
Guidance may be drawn from the OHCHR report on the contribution of
parliaments to the work of the Human Rights Council and its universal periodic
review, in particular annex I, which sets out draft principles on parliaments and
human rights;
3
(e)
National parliaments should strengthen their institutional capacity to
deliver on gender equality and women’s empowerment, and to become more
gender-sensitive institutions. Parliaments should continue to work to review
norms and legislation with a view to achieving gender equality. This should
include reforming, amending or repealing existing discriminatory laws, as
recommended in the Secretary-General’s Call to Action for Human Rights;
(f)
Despite the disturbing levels of violence against women
parliamentarians reported by IPU, many parliaments still lack sexual
harassment policies for parliamentarians and staff. National parliaments could
promote, adopt and effectively enforce codes of conduct, institutional protocols,
and monitoring and reporting mechanisms, with zero tolerance for any form of
violence against women in politics;
(g)
IPU and national parliaments could consider urgent parliamentary
action to mitigate the effects of climate change and to implement the Paris
Agreement. It is important for parliaments to ensure that the needs of the most
at-risk members of the population, including women and young people, are
addressed as part of climate action;
(h)
In the wake of shrinking fiscal space due to the economic impact of
COVID-19, the United Nations will further strengthen and reinvigorate its
engagement with parliamentarians to help uphold commitments on official
development assistance, deliver debt relief, guide domestic resource mobilization
and financing, and promote accountability that will safeguard the health, rights
and well-being of those left furthest behind, in particular women and adolescent
girls and persons with disabilities.
96. As encouraged by the General Assembly, cooperation between the United
Nations system, parliamentary organizations and national parliaments has expanded
over the past two years, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. I urge the
international community to enhance the engagement of national parliaments and
parliamentary organizations in order to help retain or regain the hard -won
achievements towards the 2030 Agenda, some of which have been reversed by the
pandemic. I also urge parliamentary stakeholders to work with the United Nations
system in addressing the recommendation contained in Our Common Agenda to
enhance parliamentary inputs at the United Nations.
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A/HRC/38/25.
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