National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung delivers a speech at the first plenary session (Photo: VNA)
The fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament commenced in New York city, the US, on August 31 (local time) with the attendance of 140 parliamentary delegations from around the globe.
National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the event.
Opening the conference, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Saber Chowdhury said though countries have reaped substantial achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, they are facing challenges such as increasing climate change impacts, natural disasters and inequality that caused heavy damage and hampered parliaments’ efforts to improve the situation.
He said that as parliaments are tasked with supervising the Governments, adopting laws, ensuring law enforcement and harmonising resources through budget allocation, they are critical to carrying out the Sustainable Development Goals.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the world is now facing more and more crises in all fields. This requires that all countries stay united and determined to foster peace, security, sustainable development and human rights.
He also valued the role and efforts of the IPU in solving global issues and contributing to the UN agenda.
Following the opening ceremony, participants at the first plenary session listened to reports delivered by senior parliamentary officials of Uganda, Bolivia and Germany.
In his speech, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said the event was an occasion to review the commitments made and to re-confirm them in a changing world.
He stressed that with strong political resolve, IPU member parliaments approved the Hanoi Declaration on “The Sustainable Development Goals: Turning Words into Action” at the 132 nd IPU Assembly in Hanoi last March.
They reaffirm their vision of people-centred sustainable development based on implementing human rights, empowering all individuals to exercise their full potential, while ensuring international peace and security, and observing the UN Charter and international law, he noted.
The leader made clear that Vietnam always desires to maintain peace, hence the country wants to address conflicts peacefully based on respect for the UN Charter and international law as well as commitment to no use of or threats of using force.
Vietnam strongly condemns violence and the threats of using force and terrorism, the NA leader said.
Also on the first working day, the second plenary session of the World Conference took place with speeches by IPU President Saber Chowdhury, Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives David Carter, and UN Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark.-VNA
