Report

Overview

A delegation from the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) attended the 131^st IPU Assembly and Related Meetings in Geneva, Switzerland from 12–16 October 2014.[1] The Canadian delegation comprised:

·         Honourable Salma Ataullahjan, Senator, President of the Canadian IPU Group and head of the delegation;

·         Honourable Dennis Dawson, Senator;

·         Stephen Woodworth, M.P.; and

·         Malcolm Allen, M.P.;

Meetings of the IPU provide an important opportunity for Canadian parliamentary diplomacy. Multilateral work occurs through the meetings of various committees and other bodies that take place during an IPU assembly. Bilateral work occurs through the side meetings that arise during IPU assemblies.

Throughout the 131^st Assembly, members of the Canadian delegation were able to engage in exchanges with their counterparts and participate in various debates in an attempt to further the principles of representative democracy, the rule of law, human rights and gender equality. They also addressed matters pertinent to Canadian foreign policy, including maternal, newborn and child health, and violence against women.

The IPU: Background

Established in 1889, the IPU is the international organization of parliaments of sovereign states. It:

·         fosters contacts, co-ordination, and the exchange of experiences among parliamentarians of all member parliaments;

·         considers questions of international interest and concern, and expresses its views on relevant issues in order to bring about action by parliaments and parliamentarians;

·         contributes to the defence and promotion of human rights, which are essential aspects of parliamentary democracy and development; and

·         contributes to better knowledge of the working of representative institutions, and to the strengthening and development of their means of action.[2]

At present, the IPU’s activities are pursued according to its Strategy 2012–2017: Better parliaments, stronger democracies.[3]

Highlights of the 131^st IPU Assembly: Canadian Activities

The 131^st Assembly Agenda[4]

The IPU Assembly is the principal statutory body that expresses the views of the IPU on political issues.

The agenda for the 131^st Assembly included the following items:

·         Election of the President and Vice-Presidents of the 131^st Assembly

·         Consideration of requests for the inclusion of an emergency item in the Assembly agenda

·         General debate on achieving gender equality, ending violence against women

·         Resolution on International law as it relates to national sovereignty, non-intervention in the internal affairs of States and human rights (Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights)

·         Reports of the Standing Committees on Peace and International Security; Sustainable Development, Finance and Trade; and United Nations Affairs

·         Approval of the subject item for the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights at the 133^rd IPU Assembly

·         Debate of an emergency item on the role of parliaments in supporting an immediate and robust international response to the Ebola epidemic and in enacting laws ensuring an effective response to and preparedness for Ebola and other infectious disease outbreaks.[5]

Overall, delegations from 147 member parliaments participated in the activities of the 131^st Assembly. Of the 1,410 delegates in attendance, 707 were members of national parliaments; they included 47 presiding officers and 48 deputy presiding officers.

At the close of the 131^st Assembly, 166 national parliaments were members of the IPU and 10 regional parliamentary assemblies were associate members.

The General Debate

At the 131^st Assembly, a general debate was held on the topic of “Achieving gender equality, ending violence against women.” During the debate, which was held over three days, “representatives of 116 Member Parliaments, and nine regional parliamentary assemblies and Observer delegations, took the floor to address the theme of the General Debate.”[6] Senator Ataullahjan, and Malcolm Allen, M.P. attended at least one of the sessions.

As President of the Canadian IPU Group and head of the delegation, Senator Ataullahjan delivered a speech during the general debate. Her remarks focused on the relevance of gender equality across policy areas, and on the importance of the inclusion of gender equality and the empowerment of women as core components of the post-2015 development agenda. She also spoke about child marriage, “a manifestation of gender inequality, reflecting social norms that perpetuate discrimination against girls.”

During the last sitting of the 131^st Assembly, Senator Ataullahjan, and Mr. G. Monde (Zambia), representing women and men members of parliament, jointly presented the Outcome document of the Assembly’s general debate.[7] They called for parliamentary action to achieve gender equality and to end violence against women:

In 2015, we will turn the page on the Millennium Development Goals and celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action. The period 2015 to 2030 must be the final battle in the centuries-old fight for gender equality, and we must meet the challenge. As members of parliament, we vow to make that goal a reality.[8]

The Emergency Item

The IPU Statutes provide that an IPU assembly may include one emergency item in its agenda.[9] The IPU Rules further provide that: “Should several requests obtain the requisite majority, the one having received the largest number of positive votes shall be accepted.”[10] The 131^st Assembly received ten requests for the inclusion of an emergency item on its agenda. Following a roll-call vote, [11] the proposed emergency item entitled The role of parliaments in supporting an immediate and robust international response to the Ebola epidemic and in enacting laws ensuring an effective response to and preparedness for Ebola and other infectious disease outbreaks was added to the 131^st Assembly’s agenda. It had been put forward jointly by the delegations from Belgium and Zambia. The Canadian delegation voted in favour of this item.

A debate on the emergency item was held on 14 October 2014; the topic was subsequently referred to a drafting committee, which was tasked with finalizing a resolution on the topic. On 15 October 2014, the Assembly adopted that resolution unanimously. [12]

IPU Standing Committees

Each IPU assembly is assisted in its work by standing committees. Each delegation is represented on standing committees by one member and one substitute member.[13] At the 129^th Assembly in October 2013, the Governing Council adopted significant amendments to the rules of the standing committees: in addition to the topic of a draft resolution, a committee’s work plan can now include other activities, such as hearings, reports and missions.

During the 131^st Assembly, only one of the four IPU’s standing committees – the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights – debated a draft resolution. The three other standing committees considered a number of agenda topics.

Standing Committee on Peace and International Security

The Standing Committee on Peace and International Security held sessions on 13 and 15 October 2014 in order to:[14]

·         examine the implementation of the IPU resolution The role of parliaments in striking a balance between national security, human security and individual freedoms, and in averting the threat to democracy (adopted at the 118^th Assembly in Cape Town, April 2008); and

·         debate on “Cyber warfare – A serious threat to peace and global security,” which will be the topic of a draft resolution to be debated at the 132^nd Assembly in March 2015.

Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, Finance and Trade

The Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, Finance and Trade held sessions on 14–15 October 2014 in order to:[15]

·         debate on “Shaping a new system of water governance: Promoting parliamentary action on water,” which will be the topic of a draft resolution to be debated at the 132^nd Assembly in March 2015;

·         discuss a parliamentary contribution to the 2014 Climate Change Conference, which will be held in Lima (Peru) in December 2014; and

·         engage in a dialogue with stakeholders on corporate investment in sustainable development. This session was organized jointly with the World Investment Forum.

Malcolm Allen, M.P., and Stephen Woodworth, M.P. attended the Committee’s sessions.

Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights

The Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights addressed the topic “International law as it relates to national sovereignty, non-intervention in the internal affairs of States and human rights.” It met on 13–16 October 2014. Speakers from 34 delegations participated in the debate.

Stephen Woodworth, M.P. was among those who intervened during the debate. He noted that the events of recent months in Ukraine remind the Standing Committee that these principles of national sovereignty, non-intervention in the internal affairs of States and human rights remain as vital as ever to the integrity of the international system. He stressed the importance of recognizing the obligation of each state to respect and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all individuals within their territory and subject to their jurisdiction. He emphasized the societal importance of representative, accountable and inclusive institutions: strong institutions – those that reflect and respond to the needs of people – are the bedrock of just and peaceful societies in which human rights protections are guaranteed.

The Standing Committee then moved to finalize the draft resolution in a plenary session. It had 107 amendments to consider,[16] including several that had been proposed by the Canadian delegation, and five that had been submitted by the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians. The Standing Committee initially worked in plenary, but after its sitting on 13 October, it appointed a drafting committee[17] to finalize the draft resolution.

Stephen Woodworth, M.P. served as a member of the drafting committee. It met on 15 October, and considered most of the amendments that were before it. The drafting committee decided to send four paragraphs back to the Standing Committee for its consideration. The Standing Committee took a decision on the outstanding paragraphs, but was not in a position to go through the entire text of the resolution. At the Standing Committee’s final sitting on 16 October, a number of delegations reintroduced amendments that had been proposed within the statutory deadline, but which had been rejected by the drafting committee. The Standing Committee was consequently unable to conclude its work within the allocated time and decided to pursue its proceedings at the 132^nd Assembly.

Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs

A dedicated IPU Committee on United Nations Affairs was created in 2007 “in order to better respond to the growing partnership between the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations.”[18] Following changes to the IPU Statutes and Rules that were adopted at the 129^th Assembly in October 2013, the IPU Committee on United Nations Affairs became the fourth standing committee of the IPU.

The Standing Committee held sessions on 14–15 October 2014 in order to:[19]

·         exchange with Professor Alfred de Zayas, the United Nations (UN) Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order;

·         discuss the role of corporations in UN decision-making; and

·         debate the process leading up to the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs, which would review progress on the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem.

Senator Dawson, and Malcolm Allen, M.P. attended the Committee’s sessions.

Bureau of the IPU Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs

Since the 130^th Assembly in March 2014, Senator Dawson is a member of the Bureau of the IPU Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs.[20] The Bureau meets during each assembly, and is tasked with preparing and reviewing the implementation of the Standing Committee’s work plans and with considering proposals for subject items to be discussed at future assemblies.[21] The Bureau met on 13 October 2014.

Participation by Canadian Delegates in Related Meetings and Activities

IPU Governing Institutions

Executive Committee

The IPU Executive Committee is a 17-member body that oversees the administration of the IPU. It reports and provides advice to the IPU’s Governing Council.[22]

Senator Ataullahjan was elected to the IPU Executive Committee in October 2013 to fulfil the remainder of the four-year term previously held by Senator Donald Oliver, who retired from the Senate of Canada in November 2013. Her mandate ended at the end of the Governing Council on 16 October 2014. Senator Ataullahjan participated in the meetings of the 270^th Session of the Executive Committee on 10 and 15 October 2014. The Executive Committee’s full agenda during the 131^st Assembly included the following:[23]

·         report on activities by the IPU President;

·         interim report of the Secretary General on the activities of the IPU since the 194^th session of the Governing Council;

·         questions relating to IPU membership and observer status;

·         financial questions;

·         implementation of the IPU’s Strategy 2012–2017;

·         cooperation between the IPU and the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP);

·         preparation of the 195^th session of the IPU Governing Council;

·         the 131^st IPU Assembly;

·         future inter-parliamentary meetings;

·         the 132^nd IPU Assembly;

·         IPU cooperation with the United Nations (UN) system;

·         preparations for the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament

·         election of the new IPU President; and

·         questions relating to the Secretariat of the IPU.

 

On 13 October, Senator Ataullahjan presented a detailed report to the Executive Committee members on the work of the Executive Committee’s Sub-Committee on Finance, including in respect of:

·         the IPU’s financial situation as of 31 July 2014;

·         the IPU’s budget for 2015;

·         the mobilization of voluntary funding; and

·         the renewal of the Sub-Committee’s membership.

Sub-Committee on Finance

The IPU Executive Committee has a six-member Sub-Committee on Finance. It is responsible for overseeing and providing advice to the Executive Committee on all financial and budgetary matters of the IPU.[24] Senator Ataullahjan held the position of Chair of the Sub-Committee until the end of the Governing Council on 16 October 2014.  In its meeting on 9 October 2014, the Sub-Committee addressed a number of agenda items, including the following:  

·         the IPU’s financial situation as of 31 July 2014;

·         the IPU’s budget for 2015; and

·         the situation regarding voluntary contributions to the IPU.

As Chair of the Sub-Committee on Finance, Senator Ataullahjan guided preparation for the IPU’s annual budget for 2015. Elements of the budget for 2015 include:[25]

·         a reduction of 3.4% from the IPU’s 2014 level of total assessed contributions for member parliaments. It should be noted that since 2010, total assessed contributions for member parliaments have been reduced by 12% – Canada’s contribution has been reduced by 13.5%; and

·         the forecasted voluntary contributions of CHF 3.5 million from external donors, which will likely be more than 22% of the IPU’s total consolidated budget, compared to 11% in 2014.

Gender Partnership Group

Senator Ataullahjan also participated in the work of the Gender Partnership Group, which is comprised of two male and two female representatives who are appointed by the IPU Executive Committee from among its members. The Group is “entrusted with seeing to it that the interests and visions of both parts of the population are taken into account equally in all IPU’s activities and decisions.”[26]

The Group’s 34^th Session took place on 11 and 15 October 2014, and addressed: [27]

·         the participation of women parliamentarians at the IPU;

·         gender mainstreaming at the IPU; and

·         the situation of parliaments with few or no women members.

§  the Group was informed that five parliamentary chambers currently have no women members – three in Pacific Island States (the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau (lower house) and Vanuatu), one in the Arab region (Qatar) and one in Latin America and the Caribbean (Senate of Haiti). The Group invited and met with the delegations from Tonga and Qatar to discuss efforts in their respective countries to enhance women’s participation in politics.

Governing Council[28]

The Governing Council is the plenary policy-making body of the IPU.[29] Moreover, several committees fall under the Governing Council’s responsibility and report to it on their work.[30] The Council is composed of three representatives from each IPU member parliament, provided that its representation includes both men and women parliamentarians.[31]

Meetings of the 195^th Session of the Governing Council were held on 13 and 16 October 2014. Senator Ataullahjan, Senator Dawson, Malcolm Allen, M.P., and Stephen Woodworth, M.P.  attended at least one of these meetings.

The Governing Council had a number of items on its agenda, including the following:[32]

·         questions relating to IPU membership;

·         report of the IPU President;

·         interim report by the Secretary General on the activities of the IPU since the 194th session;

·         financial situation of the IPU;

·         draft programme and budget for 2015

·         implementation of the IPU’s Strategy 2012–2017;

·         IPU cooperation with the UN system;

·         reports on recent IPU specialized meetings;

·         activities of committees and other bodies;[33]

·         the 132^nd Assembly;

·         future inter-parliamentary meetings;

·         elections of the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; and

·         elections to the Executive Committee.

Following two rounds of secret ballot vote on 16 October 2014, Mr. Saber Chowdhury (Bangladesh) was elected as IPU President for a three-year term ending in October 2017.[34]

Reporting on behalf of the Executive Committee, Senator Ataullahjan presented the draft budget for 2015. She stated that the Sub-Committee on Finance had provided guidance and oversight to the Secretariat during the preparation of the budget. She recalled that the Governing Council instructed the Secretariat to create a budget in which Member contributions would be decreased compared with 2014, apart from the addition of new or reaffiliating Members. She confirmed that the Secretariat had proposed a budget with an overall decrease of 3.4% in assessed contributions. This reduction in member parliaments’ contributions will be compensated by a substantial increase in voluntary funding from external donors.[35]

The Meeting and Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians

The Meeting of Women Parliamentarians

In accordance with the IPU Statutes, a Meeting of Women Parliamentarians is held during the assemblies; it reports on its work to the Governing Council. In general, the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians aims to:

·         encourage contact among women parliamentarians;

·         foster democracy by promoting partnership between men and women in all fields;

·         promote the participation of women parliamentarians in the work of the IPU and the equitable representation of women at all institutional levels within the IPU; and

·         pre-study certain issues on the agendas of IPU assemblies and/or the Governing Council.[36]

The 20^th Meeting of Women Parliamentarians took place on 12 October 2014. More than 130 women parliamentarians from 86 countries attended, including Senator Ataullahjan. Agenda items included the following:

·         a briefing on the work and recommendations of the Gender Partnership Group

·         a special debate on electoral quotas for women in politics;

·         a discussion on the future of the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians and celebrations for its 30th anniversary;

·         consideration of the item “International law as it relates to national sovereignty, non-intervention in the internal affairs of States and human rights” on the agenda of 131^st Assembly from a gender perspective, which led to the proposal of amendments to the draft resolution that would be finalized by the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights;

·         a panel session on “Women’s Influence on Parliament”; and

·         presentations by the candidates seeking the post of IPU President.

During the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians, Senator Ataullahjan reported on the work of the Gender Partnership Group.

The Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians

The Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians assists the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians by:

·         preparing the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians and facilitating its normal working in conformity with the Statutes and Rules of the IPU;

·         ensuring the continuity of work and the coordination of the initiatives of women parliamentarians; and

·         ensuring coordination between the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians and the other bodies of the IPU.[37]

It is composed of 12 elected members representing the geopolitical groups and women members of the Executive Committee, who are ex officio members. As an ex officio member, Senator Ataullahjan participated in the Committee’s 34^th Session, which took place on 12 and 16 October 2014. As her term on the Executive Committee ended at the end of the 131^st Assembly, Senator Ataullahjan was elected substitute member of the Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians for the Twelve Plus Group.

Meetings of the Geopolitical Groups

Article 27 of the IPU Statutes permits IPU members to form geopolitical groups; there are six such groups formally recognized by the IPU. The groups play an important role in the functioning and activities of the IPU. Each group determines its own working methods, and informs the IPU Secretariat of its composition, officers and rules of procedure.

Canada belongs to two geopolitical groups:[38]

·         the 47-member Twelve Plus Group, which includes nations from Europe, as well as Australia, New Zealand and Israel; and

·         the 31-member Asia-Pacific Group.

While Canada participates in the activities of both groups, it submits candidatures for vacant positions within the IPU through the Twelve Plus Group.

Asia-Pacific Group

A meeting of the Asia-Pacific Group was held on 12 October 2014. Senator Ataullahjan, Senator Dawson, and Malcolm Allen, M.P. attended the meeting.

Agenda items included the following:

·         presentation by the candidates seeking the post of IPU President;

·         briefing by IPU Executive Committee members;

·         report from the ASEAN+3 Group;

·         review of vacancies to be filled during the 131^st Assembly; and

·         discussion of emergency item to be added to the Assembly’s agenda.

Twelve Plus Group

Meetings of the Twelve Plus Group were held on 12, 14 16 October 2014. All Canadian delegates participated in these meetings.

Agenda items included the following:

·         report on the Group’s Steering Committee meeting, held in Berlin on 22 September 2014;

·         report from the Group’s representatives on the work of the IPU Executive Committee;

·         elections to fill vacancies;

·         presentations by the candidates seeking the position of IPU President;

·         debate of the emergency item;

·         meetings of the IPU standing committees; and

·         election of the president of the Twelve Plus Group.

During the meeting, Senator Ataullahjan, along with her colleagues on the Executive Committee, presented the outcomes of the meetings of the Executive Committee and its Sub-Committee on Finance that had been held in the preceding days.

Side Events

On 15 October 2014, Senator Ataullahjan moderated the side event “Leaving no woman, child or adolescent behind: Accelerating parliamentary action in reducing maternal and child mortality to reach the Millennium Development Goals.”[39]

More than 40 parliamentarians discussed the progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals on reducing child and maternal mortality. They particularly focussed on parliamentary contributions to these efforts. In her concluding remarks, Senator Ataullahjan informed participants that the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights had decided to review the implementation of the 2012 IPU resolution on Access to health as a basic right: The role of parliaments in addressing key challenges to securing the health of women and children, at the 132^nd IPU Assembly.

Respectfully submitted,