Tulia calls for coordinated responses to natural disasters
NATIONAL Assembly Speaker Dr Tulia Ackson has called for a consolidated global response to natural disasters to serve people’s lives irrespective of their political and economic circumstances.
Addressing the 146th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), in Manama-Bahrain Dr Ackson who is also the Chairperson of Africa Geopolitical group in the IPU indicated that their faction assessed four out of six items.
She noted that the main objective of the faction’s emergency item was based on the reality that responses and reaction to natural disasters are currently fragmented and uncoordinated and at times comes with various conditionalities.
“Our emergency item primarily introduces a consolidated global response to natural disasters whose primary objective will be to serve people’s lives irrespective of their political and economic circumstances,” she said.
She said the emergency item does not invalidate the legitimacy and weight of other items submitted.
The Africa Geopolitical group proposed the change of the IPU statutory and rules to allow for more than one emergency item per assembly and also have a clear deadline of submission so that the groups would have enough time to consider all the emergency items on their merit.
IPU is the global organisation of national parliaments with 178 member Parliaments out of the 193 countries in the world. Its critical goals involve promoting democracy, equality, human rights, development and peace.
The theme for this year’s assembly is ‘Promoting Peaceful Coexistence and Inclusive Societies: Fighting Intolerance’ whereby delegates will get a chance to deliberate, exchange views and galvanise parliamentary action in this area.
It was founded in 1889 to promote inter-parliamentary dialogue and diplomacy between nations. Since then, the IPU has become a unique global convening power for parliamentary networking, especially through its Assemblies.
The Assembly is the IPU’s main political body through which the IPU’s Member Parliaments adopt parliamentary resolutions on global issues. It plays a pivotal role in addressing the issues which threaten peace, democracy and sustainable development, including through its four thematic standing committees.
At the Assemblies, MPs from around the world can come together to exchange good practice and build bridges at the parliamentary level.
IPU Assemblies—formerly known as Inter-Parliamentary Conferences—are held twice a year either in Geneva or hosted by Member Parliaments.
Hundreds of parliamentarians, members of parliamentary staff, experts, partners and representatives of the media attend. The participation of women is strongly encouraged, in line with the IPU’s commitment to gender equality.
