Report

OVERVIEW

A delegation from the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) attended the 136^th IPU Assembly and related meetings in Dhaka (Bangladesh) from 1 to 5 April 2017. The Canadian delegation was comprised of the following members:

• Honourable Salma Ataullahjan, Senator; Vice-President of the Canadian IPU Group and head of the delegation;
• Honourable Dennis Dawson, Senator;
• Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, M.P., Past-President of the Canadian IPU Group;
• Blaine Calkins, M.P.;
• Shaun Chen, M.P.;
• Cheryl Hardcastle, M.P.; and
• Bev Shipley, M.P.

Meetings of the IPU provide an important opportunity for Canadian parliamentary diplomacy. Multilateral work occurs through the meetings of various committees and other bodies that take place during an IPU assembly. Bilateral work occurs through the side meetings that arise during IPU assemblies.

Throughout the 136^th Assembly, members of the Canadian delegation engaged in exchanges with their counterparts and participated in various debates in an attempt to further the principles of representative democracy, the rule of law, human rights and gender equality. They also addressed matters pertinent to Canadian foreign policy, including international action against famine in Africa, as well as the financial inclusion of women as a driver of development.

THE IPU: BACKGROUND

Established in 1889, the IPU is the international organization of parliaments of sovereign states. The IPU is the focal point for global parliamentary dialogue, working for peace and co-operation as well as for the firm establishment of representative democracy. To this end, it:

• Fosters contacts, co-ordination, and the exchange of experiences among parliamentarians of all member parliaments;
• Considers questions of international interest and concern, and expresses its views on relevant issues in order to bring about action by parliaments and parliamentarians;
• Contributes to the defence and promotion of human rights, which are essential aspects of parliamentary democracy and development; and
• Contributes to better knowledge of the working of representative institutions, and to the strengthening and development of their means of action.^[1]

At present, the IPU’s activities are pursued according to its Strategy 2017–2021: Strong democratic parliaments, serving the people adopted in October 2016 during the 135^th Assembly.[2]

At the close of the 136^th Assembly, 173 national parliaments were members of the IPU and 11 regional parliamentary assemblies were associate members.

THE 136^TH IPU ASSEMBLY

A. The 136th Assembly Agenda   [3]

The IPU Assembly is the principal statutory body that expresses the views of the IPU on political issues. Two Statutory Assemblies are held each year, bringing together parliamentarians from around the world to study international issues and make recommendations for action.

The agenda for the 136^th Assembly included the following items:

• Election of the President and Vice-Presidents of the 136^th Assembly;
• Consideration of requests for the inclusion of an emergency item in the Assembly agenda;
• General debate on Redressing inequalities: Delivering on dignity and well-being for all
• Resolution on The role of parliament in preventing outside interference in the internal affairs of sovereign States (Standing Committee on Peace and Security)
• Resolution on Promoting enhanced international co-operation on the SDGs, in particular on the financial inclusion of women as a driver of development (Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, Finance and Trade)
• Reports of the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights and the Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs
• Approval of the subject items for the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security and for the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, Finance and Trade for the 138^th Assembly and appointment of the Rapporteurs;
• Amendments to the IPU Statutes and Rules
• Debate of an emergency item on Urgent international action to save millions of people from famine and drought in parts of Africa and Yemen.^[4]

Overall, delegations from 126 member parliaments participated in the activities of the 136th Assembly. Of the 1,206 delegates in attendance, 608 were members of national parliaments; they included 42 Presiding Officers and 35 Deputy Presiding Officers, as well as 192 women parliamentarians (31.6% of all parliamentarians).

B. The General Debate   

At the 136^th Assembly, a general debate was held on the topic of “Redressing inequalities: Delivering on dignity and well-being for all.” During the debate, which was held over three days, representatives of 88 Member Parliaments, and 11 partner organizations took the floor to address this theme.[5]All members of the Canadian delegation attended at least one of the sessions.

As head of the delegation and on behalf of the President of the Canadian IPU Group, Senator Ataullahjan delivered a speech during the General Debate. She presented specific measures Canada recently took to better include marginalized groups, such as women, young people and Indigenous people in all decision-making processes in the hope to provide a way forward for the implementation of Goal 10 of the Sustainable Development Goals focussed on reducing inequalities.

On 5 April 2017, the Assembly adopted the Dhaka Communiqué, an outcome document that reflects the key messages and policy recommendations from the Assembly’s General Debate.[6]

C. The Emergency Item   

The IPU Statutes provide that an IPU assembly may include one emergency item in its agenda.[7] The IPU Rules further provide that: “Should several requests obtain the requisite majority, the one having received the largest number of positive votes shall be accepted.”[8] The 136^th Assembly received six requests for the inclusion of an emergency item on its agenda. Three were merged into one proposal (Belgium, Kenya and United Kingdom) and one was withdrawn before the vote (Argentina). Following a roll-call vote,[9] the proposed emergency item entitled “Urgent international action to save millions of people from famine and drought in parts of Africa and Yemen” put forward jointly by Belgium, Kenya and the United Kingdom was added to the 136th Assembly’s agenda. The Canadian delegation voted in favour of this item.

On 4 April 2017, the Assembly adopted the resulting resolution by consensus, calling for immediate action by the international community to provide humanitarian and nutritional relief to famine affected regions; the delegation of India expressed a reservation on some paragraphs.[10]

D. IPU Standing Committees   

Each IPU assembly is assisted in its work by standing committees. Each delegation is represented on standing committees by one member and one substitute member.[11] At the 129^th Assembly in October 2013, the Governing Council adopted significant amendments to the rules of the standing committees: in addition to the topic of a draft resolution, a committee’s work plan can now include other activities, such as hearings, reports and missions.

During the 136^th Assembly, the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security, and the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, Finance and Trade each debated a draft resolution.

1. Standing Committee on Peace and International Security   

The Standing Committee on Peace and International Security addressed the topic: “The role of parliament in respecting the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of States.” The Committee met on 2–4 April 2017. The co-rapporteurs, Ms. S. Koutra-Koukouma (Cyprus) and Mr. K. Kosachev (Russian Federation), presented the draft resolution.

The Standing Committee then moved to finalize the draft resolution in a plenary session of the committee. It had 143 amendments to consider,[12] including several that had been submitted by the Canadian delegation.

submitted by the Canadian delegation.

The draft resolution in its original form was not acceptable to a large number of delegations, including a majority of delegations of the Twelve Plus Group. For example, the premise of the draft resolution was to assume that respect for human rights is only a domestic matter, whereas respect for universal human rights is a matter of global concern as stated in the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Therefore, the Canadian delegation, along with 21 other delegations, voted in favour of the first proposed amendment, which asked to reject the entire resolution without considering the other amendments. That proposal was rejected by the Committee (22 votes in favour, 24 against).

During the ensuing debate on the other proposed amendments, Blaine Calkins, M.P. and Bev Shipley, M.P. presented and explained each of Canada’s proposed amendments, and participated in the debate on certain amendments that had been submitted by other delegations. Most of the Canadian amendments were incorporated into the resolution in addition to others proposed by delegations of the Twelve Plus Group. While these amendments improved the text, the draft resolution still presented contradictions between paragraphs and did not clearly establish that no State under the principle of national sovereignty can establish restrictive interpretations of human rights and compromise the legitimate possibilities of defending these rights in accordance with international law.

At its sitting on 4 April, the Committee adopted the revised text by a vote, with 44 in favour, 10 against (including Canada) and one abstention. Following adoption by the Assembly in plenary on the following day, the President of the Twelve Plus Group expressed the reservations of the delegations of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom to the entire resolution.

2. Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, Finance and Trade   

The Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, Finance and Trade addressed the resolution: “Ensuring lasting protection against destruction and deterioration for the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of humanity.” The Committee met on 2–4 April 2017. The co-rapporteurs, Mr. N.K. Premachandran (India) and Ms. G. Cuevas (Mexico), presented the draft resolution.

The Standing Committee then moved to finalize the draft resolution in a plenary session of the committee. It had 82 amendments to consider,[13] including several that had been submitted by the Canadian delegation.

During the plenary debate on the proposed amendments, Cheryl Hardcastle, M.P. presented and explained each of Canada’s proposed amendments, which complemented and were intended to build on the existing draft resolution. She also participated in the debate about certain amendments that had been submitted by other delegations. Most of the Canadian amendments were incorporated into the resolution. Senator Ataullahjan also presented some of the amendments proposed by the Forum of Women Parliamentarians. The Standing Committee unanimously adopted the revised resolution at its final sitting and the resolution was adopted by the Assembly on the following day.

3. Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights   

The Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights held sessions on 3–4 March 2017 in order to: [14]

• debate on the subject matter of the resolution to be considered at the 137^th Assembly on " Sharing our diversity: The 20th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Democracy;” and
• debate on the subject of “Act now for adolescents: the role of parliamentarians in promoting adolescent health and well-being.”

At its first sitting on 3 March 2017, the Committee elected two new members to its Bureau including Sven Spengemann, M.P. representing the Twelve Plus Group.

4. Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs   

A dedicated IPU Committee on United Nations Affairs was created in 2007 “in order to better respond to the growing partnership between the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations (UN).”[15] Following changes to the IPU Statutes and Rules that were adopted at the 129th Assembly in October 2013, the IPU Committee on United Nations Affairs became the fourth standing committee of the IPU.

The Standing Committee held a session on 4 April 2017 in order to discuss:[16]

• Preparation for the 2017 session of the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development; and
• The main theme of the 2017 UN HLPF: “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world.”

Senator Dawson attended the Committee’s session. As a member of the Bureau of the Standing Committee, Senator Dawson met members of the UN Country Team, led by the Resident Coordinator, Mr. R. Watkins. The UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Mr. M. Jenca, also attended. The Bureau members reviewed the work of the UN development system in Bangladesh and the practical ways in which the UN Country Team interacted with the Government and Parliament of Bangladesh. Senator Dawson also visited two UNICEF facilities dealing with early childhood and adolescent development in Dhaka: the Early Childhood Development Centre and the Adolescent Development and Participation club, both located in Baunia Badh, Mirpur (Dhaka). The aim of these visits was to examine how UN Country Teams work with parliaments as recipients of technical assistance and as development partners in their own right. The discussion revolved around UN Country Team work to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Bangladesh.

PARTICIPATION BY CANADIAN DELEGATES IN RELATED MEETINGS AND ACTIVITIES

A. IPU Governing Institutions    

1. Governing Council   [17]

The Governing Council is the plenary policy-making body of the IPU.[18] Moreover, several committees fall under the Governing Council’s responsibility and report to it on their work.[19] The Council is composed of three representatives from each IPU member parliament, provided that its representation includes both men and women parliamentarians.[20]

Meetings of the 200th Session of the Governing Council were held on 2 and 5 April 2017. All Canadian delegates attended at least one of these meetings.

The Governing Council had a number of items on its agenda, including the following:[21]

• questions relating to IPU membership;
• financial results for 2016;
• IPU co-operation with the UN system;
• implementation of the IPU Strategy for 2017–2021;
• reports on recent IPU specialized meetings;
• action by the IPU to strengthen democracy and parliamentary institutions;
• activities of committees and other bodies;^[22]
• future inter-parliamentary meetings;
• amendments to the IPU Statutes and Rules; and
• elections to the Executive Committee.

The Council approved the request for reaffiliation from the Parliament of the Central African Republic and a request for affiliation from the Parliament of Tuvalu.

The Governing Council considered the Financial Report and Audited Financial Statements for 2016. The Governing Council also received an overview of the IPU's financial situation at 31 January 2017 and noted that the overall level of expenditure was on target for the year-to-date budget.

At its session on 5 April, the Council heard of an invitation from the Parliament of Argentina to host an IPU Assembly in April 2019, and asked the Secretariat to conduct an on-site mission to ascertain that all the requirements for holding an Assembly could be met.

The Governing Council adopted amendments to the IPU Statutes and Rules, specifically to the revised mandate of the Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS and Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and the Rules and Practices of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians.

The Governing Council also appointed the incumbent Secretary General for a second term of office starting on 1 July 2018 and ending on 30 June 2022.

B. The Forum of Women Parliamentarians   

In accordance with the IPU Statutes, a meeting of Women Parliamentarians is held during the assemblies; it reports on its work to the Governing Council. In general, the Forum of Women Parliamentarians aims to:

• encourage contact among women parliamentarians;
• foster democracy by promoting partnership between men and women in all fields;
• promote the participation of women parliamentarians in the work of the IPU and the equitable representation of women at all institutional levels within the IPU; and
• pre-study certain issues on the agendas of IPU assemblies and/or the Governing Council.^[23]

The 25th Forum of Women Parliamentarians took place on 1 April 2017. Agenda items included the following:[24]

• a briefing on the work done at the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians (38^th and 39^th sessions);
• a briefing on the work and recommendations of the Gender Partnership Group;
• a briefing on recent IPU activities on gender equality and on the follow-up to the IPU 2012 Plan of Action on Gender-sensitive Parliaments;
• consideration, from a gender perspective, of the draft resolution entitled “Promoting enhanced international co-operation on the SDGs, in particular on the financial inclusion of women as a driver of development” on the agenda of the 136^th Assembly;
• a debate on the topic of women’s political participation; and
• a panel discussion on “empowering girls today to achieve sustainable development tomorrow”.

There were 132 delegates from 73 different countries.

Senator Ataullahjan reported on the work of the 38^th and 39^th meetings of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians.

The Forum Women Parliamentarians recommended that an event involving men and women be organized at the 137^th IPU Assembly to mark the 5th anniversary of the Plan of Action on Gender-sensitive Parliaments (adopted at the 127^th Assembly in Quebec City).

Senator Ataullahjan and Cheryl Hardcastle, M.P. attended and participated in the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, where participants in attendance were divided into two working groups to provide recommendations for the draft resolution on the 136^th Assembly’s agenda. Senator Ataullahjan was the rapporteur of the working group on “Reforming regulatory frameworks and changing unfavourable cultural norms: a must for the financial inclusion of women” in which Ms. Hardcastle participated. The discussions led to suggested amendments to the draft resolution. All of these amendments were subsequently included in the final resolution.

1. The Bureau of Women Parliamentarians   

The Bureau of Women Parliamentarians assists the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians by:

• preparing the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians and facilitating its normal working in conformity with the Statutes and Rules of the IPU;
• ensuring the continuity of work and the coordination of the initiatives of women parliamentarians; and
• ensuring coordination between the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians and the other bodies of the IPU.^[25]

It is composed of 12 elected members representing the geopolitical groups and women members of the Executive Committee, who are ex-officio members. Senator Ataullahjan was elected titular member of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians (formerly known as the Coordinating Committee) for the Twelve Plus Group at the 134^th Assembly. She participated in the Bureau’s 39^th Session, which included meetings on 1 and 4 April 2017.

C. The Forum of Young Parliamentarians of the IPU   

The Forum of Young Parliamentarians of the IPU was created in March 2014 as a permanent body dedicated to enhancing the quantitative and qualitative participation of youth in parliaments and in the IPU. Its objectives are to:

• broaden diversity and inclusiveness by increasing the presence of young parliamentarians at IPU Assemblies and meetings;
• strengthen the added value of youth in the IPU by incorporating a youth perspective in the IPU’s agenda and work and building bridges between the IPU and youth organizations;
• achieve better parliaments and stronger democracies by promoting youth participation in parliaments and reaching out to young people involved in politics; and
• ensure better follow-up and implementation of decisions and recommendations contained in the IPU resolution on "Youth participation in the democratic process", adopted by the 122nd Assembly in Bangkok.

The Forum met on 2 April 2017.[26]Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, M.P. and Shaun Chen, M.P. attended this session. There were 90 young parliamentarians in attendance, 42% were women. The average age of participants was 37.9.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, M.P. was elected to the Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, representing the Twelve Plus Geopolitical Group, and attended the session of the Board, which included meetings on 2 and 4 April 2017. Mr. Erskine-Smith offered an update on the preparation of the Fourth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, which will be held in Ottawa in November 2017.

The Forum discussed the draft resolution to be debated at the 137^th Assembly, “Sharing our diversity: The 20th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Democracy”, and generally agreed that the document should have a strong component on youth participation. Mr. Erskine-Smith was mandated by the Forum to provide the co-Rapporteurs of the draft resolution with a report on the Youth Forum’s recommendations and comments in the form of a written contribution.

D. Meetings of the Geopolitical Groups   

Article 27 of the IPU Statutes permits IPU members to form geopolitical groups; there are six such groups formally recognized by the IPU. The groups play an important role in the functioning and activities of the IPU. Each group determines its own working methods, and informs the IPU Secretariat of its composition, officers and rules of procedure.

Canada belongs to two geopolitical groups:[27]

• the 47 member Twelve Plus Group, which includes nations from Europe, as well as Australia, New Zealand and Israel; and
• the 31-member Asia-Pacific Group.

While Canada participates in the activities of both groups, it submits candidatures for vacant positions within the IPU through the Twelve Plus Group.

1. Asia-Pacific Group   

A meeting of the Asia-Pacific Group was held on 1 April 2017. Bev Shipley, M.P., Cheryl Hardcastle, M.P., Shaun Chen, M.P., Senator Dawson and Senator Ataullahjan attended the meeting.

Agenda items included the following:

• briefing by IPU Executive Committee members;
• report from the ASEAN+3 Group;
• review of vacancies to be filled during the 136^th Assembly;
• discussion of emergency item to be added to the Assembly’s agenda; and
• amendments to the rules of the Asia-Pacific Group of the IPU.

2. Twelve Plus Group   

Meetings of the Twelve Plus Group were held on 1, 3, 4, and 5 April 2017. Mr. Duarte Pacheco from Portugal chaired the meetings. All Canadian delegates participated in these meetings.

Agenda items included the following:

• report on the Group’s Steering Committee meeting, held in Lisbon on 6 March 2017;
• report from the Group’s representatives on the work of the IPU Executive Committee;
• elections to fill vacancies;
• debate of the emergency item;
• meetings of the IPU standing committees; and
• matters related to the Group, including a new logo and the dates of future meetings.

The Group discussed extensively their common position regarding the draft resolution on “The role of parliament in respecting the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of states,” which many deemed unacceptable in its current form. It was decided that members of the group would vote in favour of the first amendment to be considered, which was to reject the entire resolution without considering the other amendments. In the event that such an amendment was rejected by the Committee, the Group would work on a common position for the remainder of the amendments.

Mr. Pacheco circulated a proposal to change the logo of the Twelve Plus Group. He requested that members provide their comments by 15 May 2017, and that the Group approve a new logo at the 137^th Assembly.

E. Bilateral Meetings   

Members of the Canadian delegation held bilateral meetings with other delegations, including the following countries:

• Georgia;
• Iraq; and
• Thailand.

They also met with Ms. Shirin S. Chaudhury, Speaker of the Parliament of Bangladesh, and Mr. Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.

These exchanges provide an important opportunity for the Canadian IPU Group to engage in parliamentary diplomacy, to increase its understanding of other countries and regions, to discuss key bilateral issues and matters pertinent to the international agenda, and to work towards shared multilateral goals, including in the context of the work of the IPU.

Respectfully submitted,

David McGuinty, M.P.,
President,
Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union