IPU Forum at UN highlights parliamentary role in tackling global goals
This week, the IPU convened dozens of parliamentarians from around the world for its annual meeting at the High-Level Political Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the United Nations Office in New York. New countries attending included, for the first time, representatives of the China’s National People’s Congress, underscoring the growing relevance of this event as part of the overall UN Forum.
The IPU Parliamentary Forum engaged parliamentarians in assessing progress on the SDGs at the global level and provided an opportunity to exchange good parliamentary practices on implementing the global goals.
This year’s meeting focused on two SDGs under review at the United Nations Forum: SDG 16 to promote peace, justice, and strong institutions, and SDG 13 to combat climate change.
SDG 16 is a key enabler of the entire SDG framework which aims to drastically reduce poverty and inequality while setting the planet on a sustainable course. This goal recognizes that the multiple crises of our time stem from a fundamental governance challenge linked to people’s trust in government institutions and their capacity to meet the needs of all people equitably and sustainably. Addressing issues such as the rule of law, representative and accountable institutions, fundamental freedoms, corruption, access to information, displacement, violence and criminality, Goal 16 provides the critical connective tissue that keeps societies together.
Key elements of Goal 16 lie at the heart of the IPU’s strategy for 2022-2026. The IPU is working to improve the representation of women, youth and minorities in parliaments, and to strengthen parliaments’ oversight and legislative capacities. The IPU is working also to develop and refine standards of parliamentary practice so parliaments can improve their own oversight and legislative performance.
Participants highlighted the concrete steps parliaments can take to strengthen their institutional capacities for legislation, oversight and representation, especially for the excluded and most vulnerable in society. The IPU President Dr. Tulia Ackson opened the meeting by emphasizing the importance of strong parliaments in delivering on the SDGs as a whole. She called for efforts to retool parliaments for more effective representation, legislation and oversight, and to create a political environment that is less confrontational and more conducive to consensus building and compromise.
Among other things, the meeting highlighted many examples of innovation in parliaments such as the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI), as well as enabling legislation to institute ombudsmen offices, parliamentary committees of the future, women’s caucuses, independent electoral bodies, etc.
With 2023 confirmed as the hottest year on record, and in a city gripped by a heat wave, SDG 13 to combat climate change is more urgent than ever. Despite recent progress in advancing both climate change mitigation and adaptation, the Global Stocktake at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) showed that the world is far off track for implementing the Paris Agreement goals on climate change.
Mobilizing climate finance, particularly for developing countries, is critical for accelerating climate action and building the adaptive capacity of frontline countries already experiencing severe impacts from climate change. Budget oversight is key for parliaments to improve climate finance. Among other things, parliaments need to push for fossil fuel subsidies to be slashed and for these public funds to be used more effectively to leverage private investments.
Increasing climate finance and expanding adaptation support is essential for achieving SDG 13 and the Paris Agreement goals.
In closing the Parliamentary Forum, the IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong challenged parliaments to be more robust in exercising their constitutional powers, including lawmaking, oversight, budget allocation and representation. He emphasized that the SDG mantra is “to leave no one behind” and that parliaments need to be the mirror of society, embodying and articulating the needs of society as a whole. In this way, parliaments can continue to be relevant and regain the trust required for effective governance.
The Parliamentary Forum at 2024's HLPF ©IPU
