Donald Oliver: Speaker pro tempore, Senate, Canada

Of course, much of what I am raising reflects a hopeful analysis of the potential of ICTs for the work of Parliaments. We are still at a relatively early stage in their adoption, and a number of challenges must be overcome for ICTs to fully flourish as a tool for strengthening democracy. Investment in public [...]

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Anouchka van Miltenburg: Vice-President of the House of Representatives, Netherlands

Whereas more people than ever live in democracies, more people than ever are deeply disappointed by the problem-solving ability of democracy and politics. The gap between voters and their representatives is much smaller these days than a few decades ago, which is due to the media in particular. Yet, many of our citizens are turning away [...]

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Veronica Nataniel Macamo Dlhovo: Speaker of the Assembly, Mozambique

Democratic accountability should be an antidote for the world crisis, for it promotes the construction of a more liberated society, where the human being is the epicenter of our attention and where all of us are called upon to reverse the crisis of values before the superiority of the economic and financial power.

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Fehmida Mirza: Speaker of the National Assembly, Pakistan

The structure of the world economy has changed considerably since the Bretton Woods Conference [in 1944]. Today, the developing countries and economies in transition account for half of the world’s output. Yet these changes are not reflected in the decision-making structure of the financial institutions. The governance and legitimacy of their decisions have become questionable.

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Fernando La Sama de Araújo: President of the National Assembly, Timor-Leste

Today, the resources available to take poorer countries out of misery are more abundant than ever before. However, history shows that these resources have been more for the benefit of developed countries that managed to take advantage of the social and economic liberalization process.  Timor-Leste is striving to put an end to this logic. We [...]

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Max Vuyisile Sisulu: Speaker of the National Assembly, South Africa

The time for paying lip service to the need for global democratic accountability is past.  Parliaments can no longer be mere chambers of debate and time worn speeches without bringing about change. We can not call for this change from the sidelines, but must take up the challenge and become activists for change within our [...]

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Jorge Pizarro: President, Senate, Chile

In Latin America, authoritative polls show that only 48%  of citizens believe that democracy is the best form of government.  This phenomenon… is now reaching critical levels which political leaders need to confront.  We need to ensure the legimitacy and representativity of parliaments, which are today called into question by restricted electoral systems and low [...]

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Panel discussion: Millennium Development Goals

Excerpts from the panel discussion: There has been incredible progress towards implementing the MDGs.    More than I had expected when I was at the Millennium Summit.  Meeting the MDGs by 2015 is doable when governments act together and use aid wisely.   (Eveline Herfkens: Founder of the UN Millennium Campaign and Special Advisor to UNDP) The effects of the [...]

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Ene Ergma: Speaker, Riigikogu, Estonia

Internet has given politicians a channel to transmit directly unmediated information. As a result, citizens have been given the opportunity to participate in different stages of the decision-shaping process, allowing influence on the outcome… Virtual politics and social communication are still insufficient to replace traditional communication based on face-to-face social networking. Despite fast development and [...]

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Josep Dallères Codina: Speaker, General Council, Andorra

The world is changing constantly. That institutions should fail to bear this in mind is unthinkable if they wish to continue be effective. That we be more or less favourable to this trend and although the role of national parliaments remains local, no one can deny the need, in particular for political leaders–and thus, for [...]

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Isaac Figir: Speaker, Congress, Federated States of Micronesia

Most of you have probably never heard of Micronesia. We are however a thriving democracy, and proud of it… But we cannot do much in the long term if we cannot survive as a nation. We are threatened with sea-level rise as a result of climate change. We call upon all fellow parliaments around the world [...]

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Marios Garoyian: President, House of Representatives, Cyprus

The key question that arises involves the types and practices of democratic accountability that are appropriate on the world scale. Which entities should be held accountable and to whom? Contrary to popular belief, weak states and intergovernmental organizations are amongst the most accountable actors, whereas multinational corporations, terrorist networks and even powerful states are amongst [...]

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Abdurahim Abdi: Speaker, East African Legislative Assembly

At the United Nations level, my view is that the relevant statutes need to be amended to give room for the participation of parliaments in decision making. For instance it can be made a requirement that every decision of the UN General Assembly or the UN Security Council is subjected to some form of a [...]

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Elizabeth Renner: Speaker, National Assembly, Gambia

There is growing empirical evidence to suggest that there is positive correlation between the absence of a parliament, or a non-functioning or vibrant parliament, and failed states.

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Nabih Berry: Speaker, National Assembly, Lebanon

The parliamentary role could also be strengthened through the promotion of the concept of democracy as a lifestyle and not merely a procedural process, through the promotion of education for democracy in every country…  and by enabling women to participate fully in political, economic, social and cultural life.

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Pavel Gantar: President, National Assembly, Slovenia

We are faced with an energy crisis, an environmental crisis, the crisis of relations between the developed and less developed world, we bear witness to the crisis of the predominant economic and political system which solely builds upon the functioning of the capital market. This is a crisis which consequently leads to a crisis of [...]

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Heng Samrin: President, National Assembly, Cambodia

Cambodia has been strictly adhering to the principle of strengthening accountability, democracy, pluralism, and respect for human rights which are the necessary elements for the sustainable development of the country… The important roles of opposition parties, representatives of ethnic minorities, and civil society are a needful part of democracy for the purpose of national construction.

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Asser Kuveri Kapere: Chairman, National Council, Namibia

I call upon parliaments to enact laws that will allow authorities to have more oversight and regulation of the financial systems, both at national and international levels.   We are told that the G20 represents some 85 per cent of the world economy and two-thirds of the world population. But…the G20 is not accountable and neither [...]

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Roberta Alma Anastase: Speaker, Chamber of Deputies, Romania

A financial crisis has become an economic one, and our countries and our democracies face unique challenges. We must ask ourselves “where do parliaments and national representatives stand in this situation? How can we preserve and promote accountability”… We can, and we must, make sure that governments implement needed policies to tackle the crisis, as [...]

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Barbara Prammer: Speaker, National Council, Austria

All who are assembled today have the responsibility to promote human rights at home in our own countries.  Without credible efforts in this respect by those who speak in our midst, all the nice speeches on human rights and women’s rights, on development, peace and democracy must be judged as empty talk. 

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