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Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries 30 May - 3 June 2011, Turkey

Parliaments

Recognizing the important contribution of parliaments and parliamentarians in LDCs’ development in general and in the implementation of the outcome document of the Fourth United Nations Conference on the LDCs (UNLDC IV), the UNOHRLLS and the Inter-Parliamentary Union have worked closely together in organizing the Parliamentary track of the UNLDC IV Conference.

The Parliamentary track has been designed to:
 
  • Facilitate the contribution of parliaments to the substantive consultations at all levels – national, regional and global, as well as to the outcome document of the UNLDC IV Conference;
  • Encourage the participation of Members of Parliaments in the United Nations (UN) conference and in parliamentary consultations before, during and after the UNLDC IV Conference;
  • Promote the outcome document of UNLDC IV among LDC and non LDC parliamentarians and help raise awareness of the new commitments in order to facilitate the follow up, monitoring and implementation of the new Programme of Action for the LDCs for the 2011 - 2020.
Preparations to the Parliamentary Forum :
 
Activities relating to the parliamentary track began over two years ago at the national level, where parliaments were invited to designate a focal point to assist with the review of the Brussels Programme of Action and, in the process, instigate a re-think of the required parliamentary processes. In many cases, the focal points also became instrumental in linking the parliament to the formal national review processes that were set up by the UN as a first step of preparations for LDC IV. Parliamentarians also participated in the regional review meetings organized under the aegis of the UN.
 
At the global level, the parliamentary track consisted of three main steps designed to help articulate the concerns of parliamentarians with respect to the outcome document of the UN conference: a parliamentary briefing at the 123rd IPU Assembly in Geneva (October 2010); input into relevant pre-conference events; and the Parliamentary Forum which took place on 8 May 2011, on the eve of the UNLDC IV Conference.
 
The Parliamentary Forum :
 
The Parliamentary Forum was held on 8 May 2011 in Istanbul and brought together some 160 Members of Parliament from 55 countries, including 10 Speakers of parliament. It was convened by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey under the aegis of the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Countries, and Small Island States (OHRLLS). Its main objectives were: to review the role of LDC parliaments in the implementation of the BPOA over the past decade and identify successes, lessons learned and challenges faced; and to promote parliamentary action on all issues on the LDC IV agenda, and ensure parliamentary participation in the implementation and review of the new Programme of Action.  Related information on the Parliamentary Forum and its organization can be found  on the Forum’s website.
 
For queries regarding the Parliamentary track, please contact:
 
Ms. Norah Babic at the IPU headquarters in Geneva (+1 41 22 919 41 51)