Peace, justice and strong institutions dominated the IPU meeting in Angola
Published:
On 22–27 October, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) met for the IPU Assembly in Luanda, Angola. The meeting largely focused on parliamentary work for peace, justice and strong institutions. A resolution on trafficking of orphanage children was adopted after extensive debate. The Swedish delegation consisted of four members of the Riksdag.
In total, almost 700 representatives from 110 of the world’s parliaments attended. 60 Speakers of Parliament participated in the Assembly.
The Swedish delegation was led by Arin Karapet (Moderate Party), who started his speech with a moment of silence for the Swedes who fell victim to a terrorist in Brussels ten days earlier. He noted that despite the fact that the session was being held in Africa, the continent has not been in focus. In his speech, Arin Karapet maintained that it is high time that Africa stops just being a consumer of the raw materials the continent offers. It is time for Africa to also become a producer of refined raw materials.
Strong institutions important
The member of the Riksdag Mattias Karlsson (Sweden Democrats) was elected to the IPU's High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in the spring. Among other things, Mattias Karlsson raised the issue of the terrorist attack in Brussels and highlighted that it shows the need to build strong institutions that can counter terrorism. The discussion in the High-Level Group otherwise focused mainly on the situation in the Sahel region in northern Africa and the tough demographic and humanitarian challenges that the region now faces.
Resolution on trafficking in orphanage children
During the Assembly, a resolution on trafficking in orphanage children was also adopted. The problem is that several of these orphanage children are not orphaned, but have fallen victim to trafficking where the purpose is for the owners of the orphanage is to earn money. The resolution is a way of increasing awareness of the problem and attempting to put a stop to this exploitation. Ulrika Westerlund (Green Party), who was the Swedish representative in the Third Committee, pointed out that a strength in this context is that the resolution takes a broad approach to different types of trafficking in children, including adoptions.
Code of conduct in the IPU
Janine Alm Ericson (Green Party), who is a member of the IPU Executive Committee, presented the organisation's budget in the IPU Governing Council. She also presented the work of the IPU Working Group on Transparency, Accountability and Openness and of the Gender Partnership Group. Among other things, the organisation has prepared a code of conduct, under the Executive Committee's leadership, as well as a guide for countering sexual harassment within the IPU.
New President elected
During the session in Luanda, the first woman President from Africa was elected to lead the organisation. Tulia Ackson, currently Speaker of the National Assembly of Tanzania, will become the IPU's 31st President, and the third woman ever to hold the position. She was elected with 57 per cent of the votes, and will succeed the Portuguese parliamentarian Duarte Pacheco, whose three-year term as President now comes to an end.
Bilateral meetings
During the week in Luanda, the delegation held a number of bilateral meetings with parliamentarians from Ghana, who contributed with an African perspective on the continent's challenges, Myanmar and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Members
The Riksdag delegation in Luanda consisted of:
- Arin Karapet (Moderate Party), Chair of the Riksdag's IPU delegation and Head of Delegation.
- Mattias Karlsson (Sweden Democrats)
- Janine Alm Ericson (Green Party)
- Ulrika Westerlund (Green Party)
Background
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the global organisation of world parliaments, consists of 179 member countries and twelve regional parliamentary bodies from the whole world. The IPU holds two major meetings every year, one in the spring and once in the autumn. Founded in 1889, the IPU was the first multilateral political organisation in the world. Its purpose is to promote cooperation and dialogue between all nations. The IPU works to develop parliamentary institutions, and helps build up democratic functions, work procedures and well-functioning parliaments. The Riksdag has been a member of the IPU since 1894.
Further information
Contact person for the media
Björn Sondén, International Adviser, International Department of the Riksdag, telephone +46 70 361 88 02, email bjorn.sonden@riksdagen.se