CONFERENCE OF PRESIDING OFFICERS
OF NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS
U.N. Headquarters, New York, 30 August - 1st September 2000
Organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in cooperation with the United Nations
BACKGROUND
The IPU is convening a Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Conference is to be held in conjunction with the Millennium Assembly and will take place in the United Nations General Assembly Hall from 30 August to 1 September 2000.
At its 53rd and 54th sessions, the United Nations General Assembly welcomed the initiative of the IPU to hold the Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments.
The aims of the Conference are to express support for international cooperation and to enshrine a commitment at the highest level by parliaments to work much more closely with the UN system and other major international negotiating fora both nationally and globally through their world organisation, the IPU. The Conference is part of the IPU's efforts to strengthen its cooperation with the UN, as envisaged in the Agreement of Cooperation concluded between the two Organisations in 1996.
In order to prepare the Conference, the IPU set up a Preparatory Committee composed of the President of the IPU Council, several Presiding Officers and other MPs. The Committee met in Vienna (January 1999), in Rabat (September 1999) and in Geneva (January 2000) to draw up the practical arrangements for the Conference, to draft the Rules of the Conference, and to prepare a Declaration for the Conference.
The draft Declaration, entitled the "Parliamentary vision for international cooperation at the dawn of the third millennium", highlights the main challenges facing the world community and the United Nations in the twenty-first century, describes changes in international relations and outlines the national, regional and international parliamentary dimension of international cooperation. The first drafts were prepared by a Working Group. The IPU geopolitical groups and the national parliaments represented in the IPU were given an opportunity to study the text and make proposals prior to its finalisation at the third and last meeting of the Preparatory Committee. Presiding Officers of national parliaments will provide their perspective on the Declaration in their speeches.
PROVISIONAL ANNOTATED AGENDA
1. Inaugural Ceremony
* Welcoming address by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan
* Opening statement by the President of the IPU Council, Mrs. Najma Heptulla
2. Adoption of the agenda and practical modalities for the Conference
3. The parliamentary vision for international cooperation at the dawn of the third millennium
* Keynote address by the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Theo Ben Gurirab
* Statements from the Presiding Officers of National Parliaments, as well as the Presidents of the Parliamentary Assemblies which are Associate Members of the IPU
* Statements by some high-ranking personalities
4. Adoption of the final Declaration
* Presentation of the draft declaration by the Rapporteur of the Preparatory Committee and adoption of the text.
5. Closing ceremony of the Conference
CONFERENCE PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENTS
President
Dr. Najma Akbarali Heptulla, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha of India, President of the IPU Council
Speakers invited to be Vice-Presidents
Mr. A.C. Magalhaes, President of the Senate of Brazil
Mr. Li Peng, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China
Mr. R. Forni, Speaker of the National Assembly of France
Mr. A. Majali, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Jordan
Mr. G. Seleznev, Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation
Dr. Frene Ginwala, Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa
Ms. B. Boothroyd, Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom
Mr. J.D. Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States of America
STEERING COMMITTEE
Ex-officio members
Dr. Najma Akbarali Heptulla, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha of India, President of the IPU Council
Mr. F. Solana, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate of Mexico, Vice-President of the IPU Executive Committee
Mr. M.M. TraorMembers appointed by the IPU Council
Dr. A.F. Sorour, Speaker of the People's Assembly of Egypt
Mr. S. Ito, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan
Mr. Z. Tuyakbai, Chairman of the Assembly of Kazakhstan
Mr. M.P. Tjitendero, Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia
Mrs. B. Dahl, Speaker of the Parliament of Sweden
PREPARATORY COMMITTEE
President
Dr. Najma Akbarali Heptulla, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha of India, President of the IPU Council
Presiding Officers of National Parliaments
Mr. Neil Andrew, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Australia
Dr. Heinz Fischer, President of the Nationalrat of Austria
Mr. Humayun Rasheed Choudhury, Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Parliament of Bangladesh
Mr. Michel Temer, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil
Mr. Gildas Molgat, President of the Senate of Canada
Mr. Carlos Montes, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile
Dr. Ahmed Fathy Sorour, Speaker of the People's Assembly of Egypt
Mr. Ganti Mohan Chandra Balayogi, Speaker of the Lok Sabha of India
Mr. Luciano Violante, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy
Mr. Abdulhadi Majali, Speaker of the House of Deputies of Jordan
Mr. Abdelwahed Radi, President of the House of Representatives of Morocco
Mr. Petre Roman, President of the Senate of Romania
Mr. Guennadi N. Seleznev, Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation
Ms. Frene Noshir Ginwala, Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa
Mr. Federico Trillo Figueroa, President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain
Ms. Birgitta Dahl, Speaker of the Riksdagen of Sweden
Members and former members of the Executive Committee
Mr. Miguel-Angel MartMr. Eduardo Menem, Senator of Argentina
Mr. MMr. Fernando Solana, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate of Mexico
Dr. MosDr. Chung-Soo Park, Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea
Presidents of the British and French Groups, Founding Members of the IPU
Mr. David Marshall, Chairman of the British Group
Mr. Michel Vauzelle, Executive President of the French Group
Honorary Secretary General of the IPU
Mr. Pierre Cornillon
Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations
Mrs. Gillian Sorensen, Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations
Secretary General of the IPU
Mr. Anders B. Johnsson
