Members of Chinese delegation attend the opening of the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the United States, on Aug. 31, 2015. (Photo: Xinhua/Wang Lei)
The Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament opened on Monday at the UN headquarters, with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals expected as a focus of the three-day meeting.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke at the conference on the indispensable role that parliamentarians can play in the implementation of the sustainable development goals.
"Earlier this month, Member States took a bold step in this direction by concluding negotiations on an ambitious and transformative sustainable development agenda for the next 15 years," said Ban.
"I commend you, as parliamentarians of the world, and your organization, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, for the valuable role you played in shaping this new framework. Your contribution to its implementation will be equally critical in ensuring that the agenda is translated from the global to the national," said Ban.
A draft declaration, titled "Placing democracy at the service of peace and sustainable development: Building the world the people want", is expected to be adopted at the conference.
"The declaration that you will adopt at this conference outlines your responsibilities in translating the voices of the people into meaningful action," said Ban.
Taking note of the current challenges to world peace and development, the speakers said that "in spite of progress in the areas of democracy, peace and development, we continue to live in an unstable world. War and conflict, often characterized by extreme brutality, are a daily reality in many places. Millions of people, primarily women and children die, are injured and displaced or forced to flee in dramatic conditions," according to the declaration.
Therefore, "we call for much greater efforts to be deployed in solving conflicts through political dialogue and negotiations, with full respect for international law," it said.
On the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), speakers said "we welcome the new development agenda that has emerged with its 17 SDGs. Poverty eradication and the promotion of economic, social and environmental development are the overarching objectives of this new agenda," it said.
These objectives can only be achieved by changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production and promoting sustainable ones, as well as by protecting and better managing natural resources, it said.
Concluding his remarks, Ban said that "we at the United Nations value our deepening cooperation with you and with the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Let us work together to make this world better for all where all the people of the world can enjoy their human dignity and wellbeing. And I thank you and I count on your continuing engagement and leadership and commitment."
At the invitation of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) President Saber Chowdhury and IPU Secretary-General Martin Chungong, China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang attends the conference, which runs from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2.
The Conference is organized by IPU every five years and supported by the UN. The IPU, established in 1889, is the focal point for world-wide parliamentary dialogue and works for peace and co-operation among peoples and for the firm establishment of representative democracy, according to IPU website.
