The Speaker participates in IPU Speakers’ Conference in Geneva

Approximately one hundred Speakers and thirty Deputy Speakers participated in the conference, which included a general debate, panel discussions, round-table discussions and presentations of reports.

The conference took place at a time characterised by global tensions and regional conflicts. After three days of debates and negotiations, the Speakers adopted a declaration which, among other things, recommends deeper parliamentary engagement in the work of the United Nations with the aim of building stronger, more effective multilateralism.

The Speaker Andreas Norlén delivered a speech during the general debate and made contributions to two panel debates. In his main speech, the Speaker highlighted six challenges that the world faces: decreasing respect for international law, propaganda wars fuelled by disinformation and lies, trade wars, great powers that are trying to force their will on smaller states through threats and violence, and backsliding democracy and gender equality in many parts of the world. The speech is available in its entirety below.

The Speaker also held meetings with representatives of UN bodies based in Geneva, such as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, UNDP Assistant Secretary-General Susan Brown and Secretary-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysesus. He furthermore held bilateral meetings with fellow Speakers from various countries including Ukraine, the UK and South Korea.

The Speaker’s speech

Honourable Chair,

Dear Speakers, Dear Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I appreciate this opportunity to meet, especially in these troubled times when all of us, who believe in multilateralism for peace, justice and prosperity are facing several challenging issues. Let me comment on six of them, which members of the Swedish Parliament are very concerned about. Some of them have already been mentioned by other speakers.

First: Respect for international law is decreasing. There are numerous examples of this, and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is certainly one of them. Russia’s war of aggression is a blatant violation of international law, and it is also an attack on democracy and human rights.

International law must be respected in all conflicts, including in the Middle East. Israel naturally has the right to defend itself after the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust, but Israel now has to do more to protect the civilian population in Gaza and greatly increase access to humanitarian aid. International law, including humanitarian law, must be respected and all violations of international law have to be investigated and those responsible brought to justice.

Second: Apart from the real wars that are being waged, there are also several wars of propaganda going on, fuelled by disinformation and lies, not least on social media. Again, Russia’s war against Ukraine can illustrate this. Russia tries to spread its false narratives about the causes of the war, and has been relatively successful in some countries.

Third: Also, trade wars are looming. History has shown that when tariffs rise, there are almost no winners, only losers. Free trade creates growth and innovation, protectionism leads to economic stagnation and growing tensions between countries.

Fourth: Great powers are trying to impose their will on smaller states through threats and violence. Russia is once again a clear example, pursuing a 19th century-style imperialistic policy, with the aim of dividing the world between great powers into spheres of influence. Russia’s war against Ukraine aims at destroying Ukraine’s statehood and creating a sphere of influence resembling the borders of the Soviet Union.

Fifth: Democracy is backsliding in many countries. The pattern is often the same. Attacks on the freedom of expression and freedom of the media are followed by attempts to manipulate the electoral system and then by attacks on civil society.

Sixth: Gender equality is also backsliding in many countries. Rather than acknowledging that women’s rights are human rights, work to promote gender equality is being questioned.

But in spite of all these challenges, I remain an optimist. I believe that, eventually, democracy will prevail, because of its inherent strength and the courage and commitment of so many individuals around the world.

Apart from the moral issue, there is also solid support for the notion that democratic societies are better than other societies at delivering growth and wealth to the benefit of all. The laureates of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2024 highlight the connection between democratic institutions and economic development.

But nothing comes automatically. I believe that countries with common values or common interests or both should work closer together. The IPU is one important platform. One task is to counter attempts to create a world where great powers call the shots. Another is to support struggling democracies and help them consolidate their institutions, not least their parliaments. The IPU provides technical support in this arena.

It is my firm belief that the best way in which we as Speakers of Parliaments can promote multilateralism, peace and international security is to stand up for democracy, human rights and a rules-based world order.

Thank you.

Further information

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the global organisation of world parliaments, consists of 181 member countries and 12 regional parliamentary bodies from the whole world. The IPU holds two large meetings every year.

The World Conference of Speakers of Parliament is organised every five years in close collaboration with the UN with the aim of strengthening the parliamentary dimension of the work of the UN. The conferences take place in cities with United Nations headquarters (New York, Geneva, Vienna).

The Riksdag delegation to the IPU