Parliamentary leaders from some 140 countries on Wednesday pledged to place ‘democracy at the service of peace and sustainable development for the world as people want.
The Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament that attracted more than 170 Speakers and Deputies at UN Headquarters in New York called for extraordinary efforts to build a world that people want by turning the tide against the many challenges that undermine democracy, peace and development.
The lawmakers committed to bringing parliament closer to the people by tackling the growing public skepticism and disconnect with politics, social and political marginalization, gender inequality and an imbalanced power relationship with government.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the legislators to help drive forward the new UN sustainable development agenda and ensure that civil society is an equal partner in ‘building the future we want.’
Inter-Parliamentary Union President Saber Chowdhury called for the resolution of the enormity of the challenges that people face and political leaders’ response to the crises that threaten the world.
He said that parliaments have a critical role in translating the new sustainable development agenda into real improvements for the lives of the world’s people.