IPU, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 7: 149th IPU Assembly

Dansk Interparlamentarisk Gruppes bestyrelse 2024-25
IPU Alm.del Bilag 7
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149th IPU Assembly

Geneva

13–17 October 2024

Response by parliamentarians to the urgent plea

by the UN Secretary-General to recommit

to multilateralism for global peace,

justice and sustainability

Resolution adopted unanimously by the 149th IPU Assembly

(Geneva, 17 October 2024)

The 149th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Deeply concerned

that, at the United Nations General Assembly on 24 September 2024,

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “Our world is in a whirlwind. We are in an era of epic

transformation – facing challenges unlike any we have ever seen – challenges that demand global

solutions. Yet geo-political divisions keep deepening. The planet keeps heating. Wars rage with no clue

how they will end. And nuclear posturing and new weapons cast a dark shadow. We are edging towards

the unimaginable – a powder keg that risks engulfing the world”, echoing his warning just two years

earlier, on 20 September 2022, when he underscored his increasing despair at the state of global affairs,

saying: “Our world is in big trouble. Divides are growing deeper, inequalities are growing wider,

challenges are spreading faster… We need hope… We need action across the board”,

Alarmed

that the UN Secretary-General has also consistently described numerous times in

recent years international action on major challenges as being “paralysed by dysfunction and held

hostage to geopolitical tensions”,

Fully comprehending

the UN Secretary-General’s concerns of a world destabilized by

interconnected crises driven by impunity, inequality and uncertainty, which threaten global stability and

solidarity and undermine the collective commitment to the principles of multilateralism,

Comprehending

the dire circumstances facing the world, which motivated the UN

Secretary-General to call on the international community to mobilize collectively to address these crises,

uphold human rights and work towards sustainable solutions,

Preoccupied

by the erosion of global commitments to democratic values and universal

human rights,

Reaffirms

its unwavering support for multilateralism, both through the United Nations

system and other key global and regional institutions, and its attachment to an international

order based on the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations, as laid out

in the Pact for the Future;

Fully respects

that the United Nations remains the cornerstone of the multilateral system

and of international cooperation and

pledges

its full support to its mission through a

deepening cooperation;

#IPU149

IPU, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 7: 149th IPU Assembly - Outcome

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Highlights

the gravity of the challenges the global community is facing, from a growing

number of international conflicts to the consequences of climate change and the risk

of pandemics, as well as other global threats like famine and food insecurity, resulting

in a multiplication of humanitarian crises;

Emphasizes

the urgent need for a collective response, founded on renewed political

will, to cooperate at the international level and to share responsibilities across

geopolitical divisions, to build a more peaceful world and create a better future for

current and succeeding generations;

Calls for

a significant concerted effort by the international community, including the

IPU membership, to achieve:

complete rejection of the indiscriminate targeting by armed forces of civilians,

wherever they may be, particularly emergency personnel, health and education

workers, and medical, education and other public infrastructure, which represents

a grave breach of international humanitarian law based on the Geneva

Conventions and their Additional Protocols;

the end of sexual violence, war crimes against women and girls in international

and domestic conflicts; greater recognition of the insidious impact of gender

discrimination and the undermining of women’s rights; and the identification of

urgent remedies to address these phenomena;

concerted action to end the appalling impact of conflict on children, who are

experiencing unacceptable levels of death and injury in war, forced displacement

and kidnapping, loss of education and economic opportunity, and the wanton

destruction of their families and wider communities;

Expresses

its full commitment to:

strengthen multilateralism by working tirelessly to uphold and reinforce the

multilateral frameworks that are essential for addressing global challenges,

including undertaking the necessary reforms to ensure the legitimacy and

efficiency of the multilateral system, such as: the expansion of the membership of

the Security Council, ensuring fair and balanced representation of all regions of

the globe; the modernization of UN peacekeeping tools in compliance with the

New Agenda for Peace; and the reform of international financial institutions;

promote equity and justice by advocating for food security and fair access to

resources, including water and health supplies, and strive to bridge the gaps

which perpetuate inequality and poverty to ensure that no one is left behind,

especially the most vulnerable in our communities, particularly women and girls,

people with disabilities and the elderly;

tackle the climate crisis by pursuing ambitious climate action in line with the Paris

Agreement, fully appreciating that the urgency of the situation requires immediate

and sustained efforts to reduce emissions and support climate resilience,

particularly through financial support for developing countries;

defend the rights of all people by being champions for the protection and

promotion of universal human rights, ensuring that the fundamental freedoms and

dignity of all individuals are respected and upheld, including by rebuilding faith in

the integrity of independent accountability and human rights institutions;

call for action against impunity for international crimes;

rebuild trust by addressing misinformation on both social and traditional media

and by addressing the new challenges posed by rapidly developing advances in

artificial intelligence and other technologies;

IPU, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 7: 149th IPU Assembly - Outcome

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foster inclusive dialogue, particularly encompassing the most vulnerable in our

societies, to enhance global prospects for cooperation based on collective values,

shared principles and common objectives in the interests of all peoples;

Resolves

to raise awareness that a recommitment to the cause of multilateralism and

the collective efforts of the international community through the United Nations and

other global institutions is a critical move in stepping back from the brink of a

geopolitical abyss of increasingly violent conflict, social injustice and economic

decline, which, without a change in course, threatens all countries;

Underscores

the full relevance of the founding principles of the IPU in its 135th year of

existence, in favour of the pursuit of peace and cooperation through worldwide

parliamentary dialogue, and

reaffirms

its commitment to deepening parliamentary

cooperation with the United Nations and other multilateral institutions;

Highlights

the obligations of Member Parliaments to ensure legislators hold to account

their respective national governments to show full respect for the Charter of the United

Nations, redouble their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and to

fully implement the newly adopted Pact for the Future, which also seeks to deepen

cooperation between the IPU and the United Nations;

Reaffirms

its commitment to the defence of the principles of peace, human rights,

dignity, equality, justice and solidarity, and

confirms

the determination of Member

Parliaments to play a key role in navigating the complexities of current crises, to

recommit to the purposes and principles of multilateralism, and to contribute to

building a more resilient, just and sustainable world for the benefit of every nation and

the constituents of all parliamentarians.

10.