Luanda - The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on Friday in Luanda urged its members to strengthen democratic rule of law to promote good governance and to manage the treasury in favor of the common good.
This is expressed in the Luanda Declaration of the 147th IPU General Assembly held under the slogan "Parliamentary action, justice and strong institutions".
According to the Luanda Declaration read by Angola National Assembly Speaker Carolina Cerqueira, strengthening the rule of law must be at the centre of parliamentary action to promote good governance and transparency in public management.
The document recommends that parliaments act with collective responsibility in assessing the issues addressed during the event's general debate.
"If we do this, we will be promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as governance goals," the text states.
The Luanda declaration considers good governance to be essential to achieve the SDGs defined in 2015, with parliaments having a key role to play in this regard.
It also calls for the need to strengthen trust and guarantee more active participation of citizens and social groups in all institutions, at all levels, in an equitable manner and encourages the functioning of superior institutions independent of public finances control.
The declaration considered it necessary to continue working to deepen the impartiality of the organs of the administration of justice to ensure speedy proceedings and respect for human rights, as justice is the essential requirement for peace.
Conflicts
The Luanda Declaration recognized that the resurgence of conflicts in various parts of the world has extremely harmful consequences for populations, and is often the result of economic and social asymmetries, as well as discrimination due to gender, race, and ethnicity, religious or cultural differences.
The document strongly reaffirms the belief in the rule of law, both at national and international level, as the foundation for the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts, reiterating the need to protect human rights in times of war and a strong appeal to the international community to provide humanitarian aid in conflict-affected areas.
It also calls for the necessary measures to be taken to prevent and combat all forms of violence against women, minority groups and the most socially disadvantaged.
"The Luanda Declaration urges us to commit ourselves to working towards the defence of the public sector, as a way of guaranteeing a better service to citizens, and to this end the necessary financial and human resources must be mobilized," reads the document.
It therefore calls on countries to review their development cooperation policies, emphasizing public investment, with a view to the global assessment of SDG 16, which is expected to take place in 2025 at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
During the 147th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union around 160 speeches were made by 120 national parliamentarians and 12 partner organizations.
The event was marked by the election of the new president of the IPU, Tanzanian Tulia Ackson.DC/VM/AMP
