The Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament kicked off in Vienna Tuesday with the participation of Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union President Duarte Pacheco, during the conference opening speech, affirmed that the current situation requires more solidarity between countries, stressing that this conference is an important opportunity to rebuild a global social and economic climate to protect and strengthen democracy after the COVID-19 epidemic.

He also noted that in too many places, several governments have used the epidemic to “violate human rights and undermine democracy.” In his speech, Pacheco also touched on the role of parliamentary leaders in combating terrorism, stressing that no country can confront terrorism alone.

Furthermore, he said that Afghanistan’s future is a real test for the international community’s unity in face of adversity, emphasizing the need to provide safe passage to those at risk.

The first conference of Parliament Speakers, which was held in August 2000 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, adopted a declaration entitled Parliamentary Vision for International Cooperation at the Dawn of the Third Millennium.

With this declaration, the world parliaments’ leaders committed and their institutions to work with the United Nations to help address the challenges facing the global community

Source: Kuwait News Agency