Roundup: Speakers of Parliament endorse Sustainable Development Goals

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament opened on Monday with pleas to bolster the United Nations' reach for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are to be adopted by world leaders in about three weeks.

The new goals for the next 15 years are to be approved in the same great hall as the speakers were holding their meeting, in the UN General Assembly chamber.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the 170 parliamentary leaders and their delegations from around 140 countries by thanking them for their support in formulating the SDGs.

"I commend you ... for the valuable role you played in shaping this new framework," Ban said. "Your contribution to its implementation will be equally critical in ensuring that the agenda is translated from the global to the national. People will look to you to hold your governments accountable for achieving the goals, and to write the laws and invest in the programs that will make them a reality."

"The task of implementing and monitoring these goals is huge," he said. "It requires states to work in strong and close partnership with civil society of all stripes. This has never been more important."

"This Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament can help sustain this momentum," Ban said. "We at the United Nations value our deepening cooperation with you and with the Inter-Parliamentary Union. I look forward to working closely with you in the crucial period ahead."

President Sam Kutesa of the UN General Assembly, saying the draft SDGs are the result of nearly two years of preparatory work and intense negotiations, represent a "historic opportunity to change our world for the better."

"The contributions and input of parliamentarians, local authorities, civil society and academia, among other stakeholders, were all instrumental in formulating this transformative agenda that will guide our development efforts for the next 15 years.

"Parliamentarians should continue to ensure that the voices of the people are heard and included in the development process," Kutesa said. "This will enhance ownership of the new agenda and its implementation on the ground, which will be vital for its success."

"Through their oversight function, parliaments also promote accountability of development commitments, appropriate budgetary resources, and ensure that the necessary legislative frameworks are in place," said the General Assembly president.

One speaker took advantage of the occasion to level verbal attacks at archenemies without naming them but leaving no doubts as to their identities.

Ali Ardeshir Larijani, speaker of the Islamic Parliament of Iran, said, "The real question posed by this great conference ... is democracy really at the service of sustainable peace and development in the world today?"

"There is no doubt that sustainable development comes with the three elements of political stability, democracy and balanced economic growth," he said. "However it is a matter of great regret that the logic that prevails in practical politics on the ground is that of force not the one found in the beautiful and theoretically correct debates of conferences."

"There are two really surprising points here:" Larijani said. "One is that there are certain governments that seem to favor democracy for their own people only and support dictatorships and despotic and violent regimes lying outside their borders. The second surprising point is that the theory of warmongering under the pretext of expanding democracy has resulted in an inappropriate behavior internationally."

"Actually, there are some governments that are trying to enforce democracy in other countries with bombs and machine guns," he said. "The afore-mentioned reality has led to several wars being waged in the world today like tile doleful pain of the oppressed people of Palestine and the military atrocities of the Zionist Regime in my region as well as the occupation and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan or the war in Yemen and armed conflicts in Syria."

One speaker stood out from the others in that he had advice for parliamentarians on how to better do their jobs.

Siegfried Bracke, speaker of the Belgian House of Representatives, recalled that before becoming a member of parliament (MP) he had spent almost 30 years as a TV political reporter, "to bring politics to people, and especially those that are not really interested in politics."

Asked to make a weekly TV program on parliament, he learned its success depended on it not being put on live and unedited.

"Why?" Bracke said, "Because of far too long speeches written by collaborators and read very often by people who haven't learned to read out loud, (and also use) bookish and learned language. Of course, nobody is listening."

Those few watching might be thinking, "MPs speak a lot, but what do they say actually," requiring someone to explain "what was said, whether it was important or not, and if so, why," he said, asking if it could be done without explanation.

"Of course we can by, for instance, making sure that MPs limit their time of speech ... by limiting the content of what they say to one or two items, instead of giving a review of the world," Bracke said. "Some of you might think that Parliament should not obey the laws of the media, I'm afraid they're wrong."

"Like it or not, we will have to adapt, because we must be heard and seen," he said. "The plenary sessions of our parliaments should be top items on TV and on the internet." Enditem