GENEVA
Parliamentary leaders from around 120 countries adopted a landmark declaration calling for “stronger and more effective multilateralism” to advance peace, justice, and prosperity as the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament concluded at the UN Office at Geneva on Thursday.
The high-level gathering, co-hosted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the UN every five years, brought together 102 parliament speakers and 34 deputy speakers, as well as many members of parliament, UN officials, and experts from civil society and academia.
In the joint declaration, the parliamentary leaders emphasized that global issues such as climate change, economic instability, armed conflict, and digital transformation require coordinated responses and political will.
“The declaration highlights the need for greater collaboration and enhanced political will to tackle issues including climate change, armed conflict, economic instability and digital transformation. Parliamentary leaders underscored the view that global challenges require coordinated responses and solidarity among nations,” the IPU said in a statement.
The declaration also urged governments to rebuild public trust in democracy, fully integrate the UN Sustainable Development Goals into national policy, and ensure that legislation is grounded in science and evidence. Misinformation, it said, must be tackled through transparent, accountable policymaking.
Parliamentarians called for redefining security, by saying it “should not be viewed solely through a military lens.” Instead, they called for a broader approach that addresses the root causes of insecurity, from poverty and inequality to environmental decline.
Gender equality emerged as a core theme of the conference, shaped in part by the 15th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament, which preceded the main event. The summit underscored the need to place women’s empowerment at the center of peacebuilding and innovation, according to the statement.
The declaration also backed economic reform, advocating sustainable, people-centered models, investment in the green and care sectors, and protection of vulnerable populations.
The leaders, furthermore, called for the responsible regulation of artificial intelligence and digital technologies to ensure they are “governed responsibly and used peacefully, with respect for fundamental rights and for the benefit of all of society.”
