Global parliamentary assembly champions social development and justice
At the 150th meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, parliamentarians passed motions to further pressing social issues including protecting education in conflict zones.
The 150th meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union - the global organisation of national parliaments - in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, gathered 1400 delegates, including some 740 members of parliament from approximately 130 countries.
The Assembly concluded by adopting the Tashkent Declaration, which includes a call for renewed efforts on social development.
Parliamentarians also adopted two other declarations, one in support of a two-state solution on Palestine and the other on the role of parliaments in mitigating the impact of armed conflict.
IPNEd joined over 1,400 delegates, including 740 parliamentarians from around 130 countries, at the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The Assembly’s theme was social development and justice, and proceedings highlighted the importance of investing in people, democratising the economy and strengthening institutions.
The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, addressed the Assembly, emphasising the vital role of the IPU in parliamentary diplomacy and addressing the world’s most pressing issues.
“Over the past thirty years, the volume of world GDP has increased by 4.5 times. Unfortunately, the incomes of poor layers of the global population have not changed much. If this trend persists, 575 million people in the world will live in poverty by 2030 and 84 million children will be deprived of the opportunity to attain education,” said President Mirziyoyev.
The President called for a renewed focus on parliamentary collaboration in the face of increasing polarisation and global conflicts, requesting parliaments to increase their involvement and influence in maintaining peace, ensuring social development and justice.
President of the IPU, Dr. Tulia Ackson of Tanzania, said, “From the get-go, this Assembly has carried a sense of significance with the commemoration of the 150 occasions where the world’s parliamentarians have come together.”
“This Organisation has stood the test of time. But I would also like to say that our mission remains of profound importance, perhaps more so today than ever before. The world needs parliamentary diplomacy.“
The Tashkent Declaration on Parliamentary Action for Social Development and Justice was adopted, emphasising the need for renewed efforts on social development to address ongoing and emerging challenges. It highlights that the global social development agenda, initiated 30 years ago, has only been partially realised.
The Declaration calls for a “policy reset” to rebalance global development priorities, which means putting the needs of people ahead of markets. With its strong focus on equity, dignity and social protection, it aims to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 4 on education.
Parliamentarians commit to prioritising quality education
Education was recognised by the Assembly as essential to social development and justice, and at the heart of ensuring a population can thrive and flourish.
“It was wonderful to see the commitment of members of parliament and of the Assembly as a whole to education,” said Ms Beth Gum, who represented the IPNEd Secretariat at the Assembly.
“30 members of parliament joined IPNEd at the Assembly, and we look forward to working with them to support more and better education in the countries from which they come.”
Beth Gum, Senior Policy and Advocacy Adviser, International Parliamentary Network for Education signs up Sen. Catherine Muyeka Mumma of Kenya as a new member of IPNEd at the IPU Assembly in Tashkent.
Education as a foundation for peace
In addition to the Tashkent Declaration, the Assembly adopted two further resolutions, both of which underscored the vital role of education in preventing and mitigating conflict and crisis.
The resolution on the role of parliaments in advancing a two-state solution in Palestine emphasizes the role of parliaments in promoting a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on international law.
It also called for support for peace education, youth empowerment, and cooperation on education between Israeli and Palestinian representatives.
The third resolution adopted during the Assembly was on parliamentary strategies to mitigate the long-lasting impact of conflicts, including armed conflicts, on sustainable development, and highlights the role of parliaments in mitigating the negative effects of conflicts, promoting peace, and ensuring the protection of infrastructure and humanitarian principles.
The resolution recognises education as both a casualty of war and a tool for rebuilding peace. It called on parliaments to protect schools and teachers and to promote education that fosters tolerance and non-violence.
“We very much welcome both these resolutions and the recognition that they make of the centrality of education as a means to peace, as an essential service which must be protected in conflict and as the foundation for post-conflict recovery,” said Joseph Nhan-O’Reilly IPNEd’s executive director.
“The growing disruption caused by conflict poses a serious threat to ensuring all the world’s girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education by 2030.
“We want to see concerted action to protect education from attack and ensure that children caught up in conflicts can go to school and that education is a priority for post-conflict states. This resolution recognises all these things and will help to grow support for education in settings experiencing conflict and crises.”
IPNEd looks forward to continuing its close collaboration with the IPU and parliamentary partners around the world to ensure that education remains at the heart of peacebuilding, social justice, and sustainable development efforts.
