New York – November 17, 2014

Excellencies,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Honourable Saber Chowdhury, President of IPU,
Rt. Honourable Speaker and Distinguished Members of Parliament,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to welcome all our distinguished Members of Parliament, including the Rt. Honourable Rebecca Kadaga, Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda. I congratulate the Honourable Saber Chowdhury on his election and leadership as President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

I personally attach great importance to the role of parliaments, given the time I have spent as a Member of Parliament in Uganda.

Parliaments must be at the forefront of ensuring the well-being of people worldwide. We are at a defining moment. It is essential that we accelerate efforts towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and formulate an ambitious, transformative post-2015 development agenda.

We have a historic opportunity to ensure that the new development framework is people-centred, with the eradication of poverty, the promotion of sustained and inclusive growth and the achievement of sustainable development as its overarching objectives.

As we strive for an ambitious development agenda, it is vital that we match it with a renewed and strengthened global partnership for development.

The successful implementation of the post-2015 agenda will depend on scaled-up mobilization of financial resources both domestic and external, technology development and transfer as well as capacity building.

Distinguished Guests,

In the run-up to the intergovernmental negotiations, expected to begin in January next year, we already have several key inputs, including the proposed 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The contributions and input of parliamentarians, local authorities, civil society, the private sector, academia and all stakeholders will be critical in ensuring ownership.

Parliamentarians, in particular, should play an active role as people’s representatives charged with an oversight responsibility at the national level. In this regard, Member States have agreed to invite the IPU, including through the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament to develop and submit a contribution on the post-2015 development agenda. I look forward to the parliamentary hearing taking place in the next few days, which will provide another opportunity for exchange of views on the new development framework.

I call upon you all to remain closely involved in these efforts. Together we should formulate, and later implement, a new development agenda that will improve the livelihoods of all people everywhere and preserve our planet for the present and future generations.

I thank you for your attention.