Parliamentary Leaders Can Make ‘Unique Contribution’ to Sustainable Future, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Union’s Preparatory Committee

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Preparatory Committee — “Key Challenges to World Peace and Democracy”, in New York today:

Let me begin by congratulating you, Mr. [Saber] Chowdhury, for your recent election as President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.  We look forward to working closely with you in the years ahead.  I would also like to thank you, Secretary General [Martin] Chungong, for inviting me to reflect today on key challenges to world peace and democracy.

I wish I were addressing you at a brighter moment in history.  We are arguably facing more crises today than at any time since the end of the cold war. 

Civil wars spill across borders to affect entire regions.  Many countries affected by conflict face the risk of relapsing into violence.  Terrorism networks spread across entire regions and are increasingly characterized by extreme brutality aiming to spread fear.  Terrorism is often linked to organized crime, and the distinction between terrorists and criminals is becoming more and more blurred.

Climate change threatens the very survival of our planet.  The unprecedented outbreak of Ebola in West Africa is causing great suffering, testing health services and humanitarian response, with significant political, social, economic, and security dimensions.

Gender-based violence continues to exact an unacceptable toll in homes, on the streets, in other public spaces and in conflict zones.

The crisis of legitimacy facing governance structures around the world is more apparent than ever, as state institutions in many cases crack under the weight of corruption or the politics of exclusion.

It is sadly evident that people, especially the young, are becoming disillusioned with institutions and politicians — both in established and emerging democracies.  These complex trends risk undermining our fundamental principles and values.  They threaten the people whom we are trying to serve.

The people around the world are signalling to us how we can serve them better.  The United Nations MY World global survey showed us that people want to live in peace.  They want to be able to trust their Governments and their institutions.  They are demanding a greater say in the decisions that affect their lives.  And they are calling for democratic freedoms and participatory governance.

These are powerful messages that give us pause for reflection.  Are we delivering on these demands?  How can we do better?

Let me offer three reflections.

First, addressing the world’s most daunting challenges to peace and democracy requires a new way of thinking.  Many of today’s problems are interrelated.  We know that there can be no peace without development and no development without peace.  Our experience and our data bear this out.  Research suggests that extreme poverty is heavily correlated with vulnerability to violence.  Countries with major violence have poverty rates more than 20 per cent higher than average.

We also know that both peace and development depend on respect for human rights and the rule of law.  Peace and development are strengthened and preserved when societies are based on democratic governance.  When the rule of law prevails and political institutions and processes are accountable, then human rights are protected and people are better able to address grievances without recourse to violence.

We need to think laterally and act horizontally, and break out of silos in order to better understand and respond to the connections between peace, development and human rights.  We need to bring the right tools to address the problems, rather than shaping the problem so that it best fits our tools.  We must place the problem at the centre and mobilize around solutions.

Finding these solutions requires a new era of collaboration.  This is my second point reflection.  Global problems require global solutions.  This is why our long-standing partnership with the Inter-Parliamentary Union and with the world’s parliamentarians is so important.  Your duty as parliamentarians — the duty of representing people’s interests — is more important than ever.

People count on you to translate their voices into action.  We count on you to bring these views to the global arena and to inject a parliamentary perspective into major United Nations processes.  The Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, which you are preparing for today, provides a unique opportunity.

This brings me to my third reflection: the opportunities offered by the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.  Now is a momentous time in our fight against poverty and our quest for dignity, justice, peace and prosperity.  We must accelerate progress on the Millennium Development Goals.  At the same time, we have the opportunity to build and expand on the Millennium Development Goals, to address the challenges and complexities of a new era.

The new sustainable development agenda to be adopted in September next year has the potential to usher in a new transformative development process.  It presents a great opportunity for new thinking and deeper collaboration between all sectors of society and all institutions of governance, at the national, regional and global levels.

The sustainable development goals proposed by the General Assembly’s Open Working Group are ambitious and far-reaching, and are based on a new global partnership.  They represent an approach to development that is more holistic and integrated than anything we have seen before.  Parliamentarians are key interlocutors in the debate on post-2015.  Their voices need to be brought to bear on all of the ongoing processes.

I am encouraged that Member States have articulated as one of the sustainable goals on peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all and building effective institutions.  We appreciate that the Inter-Parliamentary Union is mobilizing parliaments around the world in support of these important objectives.

When looking at the turmoil around us, it is tempting to throw up our arms in despair.  But it is precisely during these difficult times that hope, innovation and collaboration are needed more than ever.

I am confident that with renewed thinking and strong partnerships we can address today’s challenges and build the foundations for a peaceful and prosperous world, based on democratic principles and the rule of law.  Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something.

The post-2015 era provides us with significant opportunities.  You, as parliamentary leaders, have a unique contribution to make for the road towards a sustainable future and a life of dignity for all.  I wish you a successful day of deliberations.