Dhaka, UNB
Having strongly condemned the terror attacks in Brussels as a brutal assault on democracy and core human values, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on Wednesday called for a wide range of actions to counter the growing global threat of terrorism.
In a resolution on peace and international security adopted at the conclusion of the 134th Assembly in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, IPU members proposed a multi-faceted approach to dismantling terrorist networks, combatting hatred, and counteracting terrorist propaganda, according to a message received here from Geneva.
The resolution stressed the ‘absolute need’ for international anti-terror cooperation to be stepped up.
Among the nearly 30 action points identified, it urged parliaments to legislate to combat pro-terror websites and criminalise acts such as travelling abroad to commit terror, recruiting and training terrorists or funding terrorism.
IPU members also called for action to cut the risk of extremism taking root – by tackling poverty, discrimination and unemployment while increasing dialogue, education and youth empowerment measures.
In a statement in reaction to the attacks in Brussels, IPU President Saber Chowdhury pledged the organisation will do its utmost to engage all groups in social and political processes.
Members will work to make parliaments more representative institutions to provide a space and mechanism for political differences to be resolved through discussions and negotiations.
Underscoring the relevance and tragic timeliness of the resolution on terrorism, he called on all members to follow up on the commitments made at the Assembly.
In a document outlining how parliaments and parliamentarians could help rejuvenate democracy and give the world’s young people a voice in political decision-making, IPU members stressed that responses to rising extremism must be based on more democracy, not less.
“It’s time for action to bring about a democratic renaissance,” said President Chowdhury. “Political institutions have too often failed to open up to young people. Our institutions have not kept up with the fast-changing and increasingly interconnected world into which young people have been born.”
The Assembly’s main theme of rejuvenating democracy was prompted by statistics showing declining youth voting trends at a time when the world’s youth population is at its highest-ever level.
The IPU members committed to modernising their parliaments so they become inclusive, open institutions capable of delivering a better future for youth.
Nearly 640 MPs from 126 countries, including 79 Speakers and Deputy Speakers, attended the IPU Assembly in Lusaka, jointly organised with the Zambian Parliament.