(1st meeting) 2026 IPU Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations

Good morning, everybody. If I can get everyone please to take their seats. It is 10 o'. Clock. S' il vous plait.

Trouvet votre place. Mesdames et messieurs, bienvenue chez plais truvez votre place.

I don't know how to say that in Spanish. Can I ask you to get to your seats, please?

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Good morning. There will be lots of time for photographs later.

If I can get you to take your seats, please.

Thomas, can you help get people into their chairs, please? I know, but.

I know that. But look how low these chairs are. I always feel like I want a booster.

While everyone's taking their seats, I'll encourage you to reference the IPU's anti harassment policy, an important document that guides all of our workings with our members and in all of our assemblies. You'll see a link there and it's also on the card that is in front of you. Again, please be respectful to your colleagues and to the IPU staff. And if I can encourage everyone to sit down. Si vu plait.

It.

Ladies and gentlemen, bienvenue. Welcome to the 2026 annual parliamentary hearing. My name is Patty Torsne and I'm the Permanent observer, the Inter Parliamentary Union to the United nations here in New York, together with the office of the President of the General Assembly. My colleagues and I are pleased to present this two day meeting to all of you. We have a lot of work to do, some really interesting sessions.

And this morning at the podium, we have the President of the General Assembly, Annalina Brabach. Bare box. Sorry. Who is herself a former parliamentarian. And we have the IPU President, Tulia Axon, and the IPU Secretary General, Martin Chong Gong.

Without further ado, I will now invite the PGA for her opening remarks.

Thank you and good morning. Dr. Tullia Axon, President of the Inter Parliamentarian Union. Excellencies, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. Dear friend, allow me to say welcome from the bottom of my heart. It's not only good to see you, but we really need you.

In normal times, we would all gather together here in New York to celebrate 80 years of the UN, underlining how important the UN is and the relationship to ipu. But unfortunately, we are not living in ordinary times. This dear institution is not only under pressure, it is under Outright attack. Consider that one of the biggest contributing countries has recently withdrawn from the World Health Organization, among several other UN entities. The Secretary General has warned that the UN could face a financial collapse by July, given a persistent liquidity crisis as member states are failing to pay their SaaS contributions, weakening the organization ability to operate.

You can even see the light is not working properly anymore. And while peacekeeping is not the only area which has faced cuts, it is especially concerning that at the moment we most need cooperation, most need the United Nations. Some powers, especially those who have a special responsibility to protect peace and security, are pulling away from that very responsibility or even actively undermining it. Therefore, it's good that you are here, I hope not only for two days, but afterwards, every day, also in your Parliament, because we cannot just passively observe all of this. What is required is engagement.

Your engagement. During my priority speech on January 14, I called on permanent representatives from all your countries to step forward. As parliamentarians, you control your governments and you sit closest to to your own societies. You help ensure that global decisions are grounded in real needs and lived realities. You play a central role in engaging civil society, the private sector and young people.

You bridge the international and domestic transatlantic global agreements into practical national policies. And that is why the Pact for The Future in Action 55 explicitly called for more robust and structured engagement between parliaments and international and regional institutions. So again, it's great that you're here and we also count on you. As we will discuss later, different, different topics, allow me to emphasize at the beginning three areas where we urgently need your support. First, the UN needs you to stand up for the Charter during a time when core principles of the charter, including Article 2 on the prohibition of the use of force and non intervention, but also human rights and the humanitarian law are openly violated.

It makes a difference of how many countries take a principled stance. It makes a difference if there are debates going on in the national parliaments all over the world. And upholding the Charter also means recognizing the interlinkage between all its three pillars of work, peace and security, sustainable development and human rights. They have been interlinked from the beginning on. So if suddenly some are threatening by amendments to delete climate actions or women rights from our deliberations and from our resolutions.

Every vote of every country counts in this hall, on the General assembly next to it. And indeed, speaking about human rights, I remember very well when I was preparing for a speech to be delivered in London COMMEMORATING the 80th anniversary of the first General assembly, which holds place back there in A destroyed London after the Second World War. And the SG and I were going through the black and white photographs of this grainy footage. Something in between stood out. There was a side event led by Eleanor Roosevelt in a room packed with women, which made clear from the beginning on that United nations would represent all humanity, not just men.

So when you hear these days, maybe sometimes in your own parliament, that women rights are something called Vogue, just show them the old black and white pictures again. Women rights have been embedded in the very DNA of the United nations since its creation. Because the founding mothers back then only a few, but especially also the founding fathers after having through two world wars, knew if women are not at the table, then peace won't last. Yes, obviously not only women rights, but also other rights are under heavy pressure, especially when we're looking to the SDGs. Actually it has been a success story.

More children back in school, fighting poverty altogether, realizing in a pandemic that we can also work on health challenges only together. Yet we are heavily slowing down. Which brings me to my second point. Implementation and why the UN needs your support reforming this institution. Over decades this House has been growing in parallel processes.

And like any institutions over 80 years it needs an update. So therefore the SG has called for a big reform initiative. I hope you all know it. It's easy. UN80, which has three different work streams, mandate review, operational decisions and budgetary discipline across the system.

Too many entities are tasked with overlapping responsibilities, often working in parallel or similar objectives, sometimes in the same countries and occasionally even competing for the same limited resources. Again, it's up to you Member States, because your government sometimes also some of you sit also in the boards of these different agencies. So we are finding, for example that we have with regard to education, where everybody wants to play a role, different institutions doing similar things within UNESCO, within unicef, within undp, on teacher training, on learning materials, on the development, even on schools construction. So we are at the point where we, and I think this is a strength and not a weakness, are reflecting of saying we can do better, but we also are at a point that we have to pay every second attention that we are not pouring the baby out with the bath water. Because this is not about less education, but it's about making education available for every boy and every girl around the world.

And therefore I called on again your missions here, your permanent representative, the ambassadors to engage to address this also in your capitals, in your governments, in your, in your parliament. Where are your reform proposals? Yet reform is meaningless if the UN simply runs out of money. We cannot allow those who would weaponize failings or setbacks to use existing inefficiencies as justification to unravel all we have built for lack of funding. I repeat, the Secretary General has sounded the alarm.

Our organization could face insolvency as early as July. So I call again on you. This is your house. This is your institution. We will have a survey afterwards.

The vast majority of citizens all around the world trust the blue flag. Trust this UN more. I'm sorry to say it counts also to my country than our own governments, even. Even sometimes your own institutions, because they believe in it. But it won't be the citizens of the world who will come here to save this United Nations.

They tasked your governments, they tasked you. They tasked us with these jobs. So I count on you to ensure that your country is paying its obligation and contributions in full and on time. It's like in a sports club. If you don't pay your fees normally you cannot participate anymore.

But the current budgetary constraints are forcing the United nations agencies to make devastating choices, such as cutting nutrition programs for infants by 20%. This means 20% more babies are literally starving. So the question is, yes, if some are cutting, can you mobilize national extra budgets to provide voluntary contributions? And the third point? Emitting these challenging times, we obviously need sound leadership.

As you all know, the selection of the next Secretary General is coming up. This choice will shape not only how the United nations functions, but whose voices it reflects, whether it serves all humanity, half of whom are women and girls. Indeed, it is reasonable to ask how, in 80 years, despite billions of potential candidates, there has not been a single woman leading this organization. So the process of selecting the next Sarah General has now begun, and I'm honored to preside over it as a President of the General Assembly. Two applications have officially been received through so far, and the interactive dialogues will begin in the week of April 20th.

Over the summer, the Security Council will discuss and have their own hearings.

I quote, the Secretary General shall be appointed by the General assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. So, as all of your countries have not only a seat, but a voice in the General Assembly, I encourage you to remain deeply engaged in this process. I have already heard from some countries that they intend to hold debates on what they expect from the next Secretary General. And maybe it would be also something for your Parliament to consider if you could hold, for example, live streaming when we will have our dialogues here in April. For the choice decision will shape not only how the United nations functions, but how it responds to A world facing both enduring challenges and emergently new topics.

And I encourage you as well, because we are not only in crisis mode. Yeah, I mean we can see that also with this nice spring flowers, that even though we had minus 20 degrees here, there will be better times coming up. This house is not only built for crisis, this house is built for the big successes as well. Fighting, for example aids, HIV was something we could only do together. Fighting the pandemic, we could only do together because the virus didn't have any passport, it didn't stop at any border.

And therefore, besides all the tricky discussions we are having around crisis, we will also have in the spring the review of the global counterterrorism strategy to implementation. We have also the new urban agenda, we have also advancing south south cooperation and the second international migration review format. In this regard, it won't get boring. Anything is there for everybody. So you can really cherry pick what you would like to engage.

But not engaging in these times, sorry to say, is no option. I know and I remember very well when I was in Parliament, it was 12 years along that unfortunately not everybody is excited and engaged in international diplomacy and policy like you. This is why you are here. So bringing up international topics, the UN and the national discussions, is quite challenging. Even more standing up and speaking.

Speaking up in these times with social media and artificial intelligence, amplifying misinformation and disinformation is not easy at all. But this institution, dear colleagues, was not built for easy times. We are not bystanders with the luxury of standing on the sidelines while injustice unfolds. Silence is a choice. Courage and action are choices as well.

And the good thing about courage is that it is infectious. If one stands up, others will follow. I thank you.

Thank you so much. It's really quite terrific to have you as the President of the General assembly in this very difficult time. And I think you've given this audience your marching orders or their marching orders. And without further ado, we'll turn to the President of the Inter Parliamentary Union, Tullia Axon.

Dear colleagues, I think we all agree we have been given marching orders. President Annalina Bajbuch, the Secretary General of the IPU, Mr. Martin Chugong. Distinguished colleagues, dear friends, it is my pleasure to open another parliamentary hearing at the United nations together with the President of the General Assembly. We are very honored to have you and thank you so much for working very closely with us. This flagship event provides a unique opportunity for parliamentarians to learn more about major UN issues and to provide input.

This year's hearing. Dear colleagues, dear friends, Parliament at the United Nations. Better Together Delivering for the people is very timely. Amidst major global turmoil, we will reflect on the purpose of the United nations as the leading multilateral institution and its path forward. After eight years, the United nations is being challenged on many fronts and may well need a reboot, as you have just heard from the President.

Despite this, my overarching message to you is clear and unwavering. A world without the United nations is unimaginable. Let's not give in to the voices of doom, the destructive forces that want to see the United nations weakened, if not gone. To this day, the United nations stands as the greatest exercise in human coexistence. Throughout modern history, international relations were marked by chaos.

There was no unified direction. Nations pursued their own self interest alone or as part of competing alliances, without a shared vision of the world and of the future. In 1945, after a lot of suffering and a lot of work, world leaders came to the realization that people everywhere are the same in their fundamental rights and aspirations and that they needed a shared space where they could work together for a better world. That's how the United Nations Charter was born, along with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United nations is not a world government.

It is an organization, a convening place where governments look for common ground on a multitude of issues that directly affect their people and the planet as a whole. As such, the United nations can only mirror the governments and the politics of the day. The double standard with which rules are applied, the impunities that some governments enjoy, the misuse of force outside the boundaries of international law, and the blunt disregard of global commitments. These and other such shortcomings of international order are imputable to the geopolitics of the moment more than to the rules and methods of work of the United nations. As they have done throughout history.

Big powers may well dominate the international order, but the rest of the world can work together to counteract that power. Within the safe confines of the United Nations. The results of this balancing act may come down to a compromise which, as imperfect as it may be, is preferable to go eat alone. Solutions, colleagues? Nothing comes from nothing.

The politics that have taken us to the current global malaise do not originate in this building at the United nations here in New York. They come from back home and they concern all of us. The deep roots of our problems today can be found in economic and social policies that over several decades have generated an unprecedented degree of inequality, insecurity and social isolation. These ills, dear colleagues, dear Friends have percolated up the political systems of many countries in the form of anger, divisiveness, and confrontation. If we want to strengthen multilateralism and reform the UN for the better, we must begin by revisiting the policies that have characterized the last few decades of globalization, as well as the underlying assumptions of those policies.

To start with, colleagues, let's rethink the notion that extreme competition is better at finding solutions to our common problems than thoughtful cooperation. We need a much better balance between the two within countries as well as globally. Let's rethink the idea that markets are self regulating are always and always more effective than governments are delivering for the people. Governments must do a better job at regulating markets consistent with the fundamental human rights. Let's rethink, dear colleagues, the expenditures in human development, particularly education, health and the environment, not as mere costs, but as investments in the future that create goodwill and trust among the people and their governments the world over.

Let's rethink, colleagues, the politics of exclusion and discrimination, particularly against women, youth and the poor, which make a mockery of democracy in too many countries. Sound decision making depends on everyone being included and able to participate fully in institutions at all levels. Friends, colleagues, while it is governments that represent our countries and the United nations, it is parliaments that oversee governments at home, ensuring that global rules are respected and commitments fully realized. And it is parliaments that must translate international rules into domestic legislation that delivers from for the people. The Pact for the Future, dear colleagues, adopted here in September 2024, reaffirms the value of multilateral cooperation for peace and development as the only way forward for humanity and for the United Nations.

Most importantly for us at the ipu, the Pact calls for a deepening of parliamentary engagement in the United nations processes and the implementation of United nations agreements. With this commitment in mind, I ask each of you to do your part to help strengthen the multilateral system and the United Nations. While IPU does its part as the voice of parliaments here at the United nations, the concrete ways and means by which we can work together are many and are outlined in last year's General Assembly's resolution on interaction between the United nations national Parliaments and the ipu, copies of which are available in the room. You can have them from the desks. Dear colleagues, dear friends, with regard to United nations reforms, including the latest UN80 initiative, which we will discuss today and tomorrow, there is a lot that you as parliamentarians can do as well.

For example, you can take action in your parliament on three motions that the IPU Standing Committee on the United nations affairs adopted over the past few years, namely on gender equality in the General assembly. And this one we can expand later during the discussions on the reforms of the Security Council and on electing the first woman United Nations Secretary General. I was expecting a bit of clubs.

It's very important to stress on this point, not because the President of the General assembly and myself are ladies, but it is time for the UN to be more inclusive, particularly to consider a woman as the first Secretary General of the United Nations. Especially now from the information that we have just received, that we already have at least two candidates who are female for that position at the country level. Dear friends, dear colleagues, where the development impact of the United nations is in full display, supporting health, education, nutrition and so much more for millions of people. You can reach out to the Resident Coordinator for policy guidance and technical assistance. But as you have heard, we have a role to play because this is now being affected by the budget constraints that the President of the General assembly has just alluded to it.

And as members of Parliament, we have now to start talking to our governments how we are going to work on these issues in our own national budgets. This is what it takes to deliver for the people in the years and decades ahead. There is no shortage of tools and knowledge to get the job done. Colleagues and friends, the United nations is here to help all of our countries for the good of humanity. We can build on this together.

Indeed, we can be better together. I thank you for listening.

Thank you very much. You've really both given us a lot to think about and to embark upon. And the next two days, or today and tomorrow for this hearing, we'll continue on these themes. We'll now ask you to do a quick family photo and we are going to go to the Mentimeter survey where everyone is going to play a part. And if you see this form on your desk, I encourage you to look at it and get it ready to go quickly.

We'll do Secretary Jono a photograph.

It.

It's.

If the technician can put the slide up. Dan.

Oh, yeah, sorry, Yeah.

Just while Dan gets his mic turned on. If everyone can see this card on their desk there is a QR code. So you need to use your telephone or your tablet and pull up that QR code for the first one. Participate in our Mentimeter survey. Okay.

Participe notre en quette interactive Mentimeter.

If the technician can also turn on Mike's Dan's mic. No, you're not. No, you're not.

Can you Come down here.

You're not on, Dan, why don't you come stand? Sit here. Dan. Good morning. There we go.

The mic is working. Good morning, everyone. My name is Dan Dunsky. I'm a journalist from Toronto, Canada. Canada being the rather large landmass just north of this country that's been in the news rather a lot lately.

And I will be your moderator for the next two days. It is my privilege to be back here with you for a third time. I've already had the pleasure of seeing some familiar faces. It's my privilege to be back with you as you conduct your annual parliamentary hearing this year to consider the ways in which parliaments and the United nations can work together to deliver a more prosperous, sustainable, just and peaceful world. Now, as Patty just mentioned, we're going to begin today with a survey that has been designed to identify a few initial trends seen by or held by yourselves.

It will be useful to gauge an initial sense of what the room believes and we can refer back to this, to this survey over the next couple of days. So, as Patty just mentioned, please use your phones or your tablets to scan the topmost QR code on the turquoise card that is on your desk to enter the mentimeter survey. Again, the small blue green sheet that is the pamphlet that is on your desk. There are several QR codes. Scan the top one.

To begin the survey. We will put the questions and the answers to up on the screen. So away we go. And Dan, I'm going to. All of you should be at the first question.

Patty will ask the questions and then we will do it interactively. So the first question is, it would be hard to imagine a world without the United Nations. Again, it would be hard to imagine a world without the United Nations. You can vote, agree, disagree, or you're not certain.

It doesn't work. I'm hearing that people are saying it's not working. All right, don't worry. Okay, we're taking a quick look.

Technology is wonderful until it's not. Please.

Has anybody been able to log on and vote? No, not yet.

Yes, the questionnaire begins at 10 for many of us. Begins with. Oh, it begins with question 10. Ah, it's backwards. It was a trick.

So it's starting with 10.

Well, you know, parliamentarians are very adaptable to any circumstances that are thrown at them. So we will start with slide 10. Ah, and you voted already, Dan? Yes. If you want to come and take this seat, then we can work from here.

All right, so right now we've said parliaments, this is A good question to start with Ireland. Yes, thank you. Parliaments need to have more say on their country's contributions to the UN budget. 77, 78 people say they agree, 13 aren't sure. And one person disagreed.

Not to out anybody, but if someone who disagreed wants to put up their. Hand, who's the person who disagreed? Oh, it might be an ambassador. No, no. Oh, 14 are unsure.

That's okay. Is someone who's unsure want to give their comment as to why they're not certain? It's okay. There's no wrong answer in the back. You are from the uk Dame Karen, just turn on your mic.

Can you put your hand up again there? Thank you.

Yes, I said disagree because in the. UK Parliament, we do have a full. Say over the uk, the country's contributions to the UN budget, and we've had votes on that matter on a number of occasions.

So I don't think we need to have more in the United Kingdom.

Thank you. Is there another. Another delegate who would like to echo that or who disagrees?

Just press the button on your table and your microphone should be active.

Sir, if you just put your hand up. Oh, thanks.

Yes, I'm Kim Valentin from Denmark. We have no seating in front because. Of an arrow, but I was unsure.

And I was unsure because what is. The conditions for creating a US Budget? I'm not certain on that, so that's why I'm unsure.

Understood. Thank you.

Terrific. We're now going to go to question number nine. Parliaments are well equipped to understand and implement United nations outcomes such as treaties and resolutions. And an example of that is the Pact for the Future. If you could all vote, agree, disagree or unsure.

Parliaments are.

We are clearly having some. I apologize for these technical difficulties, but we will. Here we go. Question nine is now on the screen. Is that what you're seeing in your.

No, no, but they're not seeing it on their screen.

We're going to give it one more.

Please wait for the presenter. All right, we have. You might want to tuck it, please.

Natalie. No.

Now, just while we understand that the technology is not helping us right now, so while we try to figure this out, what I'm going to do is, if you don't mind, I'm going to take care of a few housekeeping details just so that we can keep things moving along. So I have a few reminders for everyone, and then when we figure this out, we'll be back to the. The mentimeter survey. First of all, please be aware that all these proceedings over the next Two days are being broadcast live on untv and if you wish to see that or send the link to anybody, there is a link to the UNTV on the IPU website. IPU.org.

the next point I'd like to make is that these are in interactive sessions, so this is important. If you wish to ask a question or make a comment during any session, please push the button in front of your microphone and you will be placed automatically in the queue on the list that I will use to recognize you. So again, if at any point during the next two days you wish to ask a question, please press the button on your desk in front of the microphone and you will be placed on a list and I will recognize you. Now, as you can see from the room here, there are many delegates with us and many of you will no doubt want to be recognized and speak over the next two days. That is great.

However, since there are so many of you, I will ask that you keep your questions or comments to 90 seconds to 2 minutes long. We do want to get to as many of you as possible, so I would ask that you be considerate of your colleagues and keep your questions or comments brief.

I will be back with the rest of them. As we've figured out, the rest of the mentimeter. Thank you. Okay, so the sec. The second question is actually the first question.

It would be hard to imagine a world without the un. So the choices are agree, disagree or unsure.

Okay, so so far, nine people who disagree with this, 70 who agree, two are unsure. Fair enough. Who disagrees? Please show me your hand. Gentleman, over there, please press your mic.

There you go. Thank you. Javier Marotto from Spain.

I disagree because now we have some very big countries in the world who has decided to create new rules. So you're big, you're powerful, you can do whatever you want.

And some of these big countries are not very into respecting the rule of. Law, the human rights or freedom and democracy. So it's not a question of imagine. That I'm talking about maybe it's happening. And we should take that into account.

Fair enough. Would anybody like to reply to that? Is there a delegate who would agree with that position? Sir? Gentleman from.

No, gentleman from Belgium.

We're not talking about a world with new rules, a world without rules at all. And the only multilateral organization that is multilateral, truly is the United nations. And we need to defend it out. The United nations is a world without rules. Any last comments?

Okay, let's go to the next question. Investing in diplomacy. Sorry, sorry. We'll Come to you next, sir. We will come to you next, sir.

Okay, I know. Don't worry, there'll be lots of time. We're just running a little bit behind time, and I want to get through the slides. Investing in diplomacy is more effective for peace than investing in the military.

Investing in diplomacy. The options are you agree with investing in diplomacy or you disagree. Investing in the military is more important. So with apologies to the interpreters, if you remember your high school Latin, si vis pacem para bellum. If you wish for peace, prepare for war.

Nine people perhaps agree with that. So disagree with the question here. Again, who disagrees? I'd like to hear from you, Sir.

Disagreeing so much, but it's obvious that. If you want to achieve peace, a real peace in Ukraine against the illegal aggression, diplomacy is not working at all. And it's very obvious after all those years. So diplomacy is not always the only solution. Not always the only solution, but a solution.

Is there somebody in the audience who would like to speak in favor among. From among the 73 delegates of. The importance of diplomacy goes without saying. Okay, Patty. The next question is development cooperation as a form of global solidarity is needed more than ever.

You agree, you disagree or you're uncertain?

So I think we're seeing a lot of unanimity there, Dan. Well, let's. Let's go to.

Ah, yes, okay. Yep, perfect. So lots of people believe in development cooperation. That's good, good news. And let's go to the next question.

Among the various UN reform proposals, reform of the Security Council is the most important. Among the various UN reform proposals, reform of the Security Council is the most important. You agree, you disagree, or you're unsure?

This time I'd like to hear somebody from the dominant position explain why this is so important.

Representative from Kenya.

Yes, I'm here.

Thank you. Reforms in the Security Council is very important. If the big boys in the global will cede their ground in terms of dominancy in decisions, you can only put sanctions to poor countries and you leave out the big boys and therefore oppression will continue. So we need a very serious reform in the Security Council, especially on implementation of the resolutions of the UN Assembly. And also representation should be now be widened to input or to put more of the lesser countries than the big boys.

Thank you. Delegate from Morocco.

Sorry, just a second. The technician. There we go.

We believe that the Security Council must be reformed. The veto is something that should not just be used by five countries. And that is why we fully support the reform of the Council. Thank you. I think we'll move it on in the interests of time to the next question.

Patty.

The current United nations annual budget should be reduced, enhanced, or you're not certain?

Somebody might ask. The current UN budget should be paid by the member states in a timely manner and in full. But we didn't ask that question. Should the budget be increased or enhanced, reduced or you're not certain?

No.

Ah. Maybe unsure. Sorry, Maybe unsure. Who's unsure?

Spain, Chile Excuse me, I can't see from here.

Just push your microphone once, sir. And put your hand up just so the technician can see you. No, it's not. There you are.

We all know recently made a lot of decisions not to fund some things in the. Some programs. Frankly, some of those programs were. I wouldn't have funded them either. I'm very much in favor of all.

The things we have said previously, but I think that there are too many programs in the UN that are not doing what they should do. And then the second thing is that actually I don't think it will take place. I don't think there will be. We should fight for a To maintain the budget and not waste anything in. Discussing the possibility of enhancing it because.

It'S not going to happen in the next few years.

Thank you. I suspect that these and similar issues will come up during our first session. And I know that the two presidents. I suspect the two presidents, both of the IPU and the General assembly may want to weigh in at that point.

The delegate from Korea, please.

I don't think it's a matter of increasing or decreasing. It's a matter of who pays. And especially United States has been using budget issue to control the un. May I?

Thank you, sir. May I hear from somebody who wishes to increase the budget?

Evidently not the Gambia. Excuse me. I'm sorry. Thank you.

I think really not to be increased.

But to be enhanced. The monies that of course the UN receive annually is. Should be used judiciously in the area. Of enhancing peace, social inequalities, human rights, just wall. And to help also.

Reform the United nations so that all walls and regions. Will be equal, especially the United Security Council. Once we have equal voices by all regions, then therefore its budgets and money. Would be enhanced for the best interest of member states.

That is a very good point.

Thank you very much. We will move on to the next question. The next question. The next Secretary General should be a woman. Yes.

Other.

Unsure. I don't think we have to do that. It's okay. Just recall that we have a motion. Who has a motion?

And apparently a reminder that the IPU Committee on Standing affairs has a motion to this effect. The Standing Committee on UN affairs has a motion on this. And we will have them in the room. All the words are there, Dan. It's okay.

All right, I'm going to see good unanimity on this one. Terrific. Thank you very much for your responses. And we'll go to the next one. Today, more than ever, parliamentarians must participate in the processes and initiatives at the United Nations.

Today, more than ever, parliamentarians must participate in the processes and initiatives at the un. You can agree, disagree or unsure. And if anyone's wondering why I'm reading this out, we only have these in English. We wanted to make sure that everyone could hear them in the various languages that this meeting is being conducted in. Of course, this question goes to the heart of our discussions over the next two days.

There seems to be quite a bit of unanimity here.

Moving on.

Generally, parliaments are kept well informed of their government's positions in UN negotiations. Generally, parliaments are kept well informed of their government's positions in UN negotiations. Ah.

Okay.

Okay.

We've got 50 over 50 people who disagree. And I suspect we may want to hear from some of you on this who would like to put up their hand and explain their vote.

Perhaps someone. We haven't heard from anyone. Gentlemen from Ireland.

Yes. So I think the part of the problem may be, and it kind of. Alludes to the funding aspect that Patty. Alluded to about countries paying their bill as well as making contributions. I think there's a lack of awareness.

In parliaments and the link between. Between the UN and the respective parliament. So I think this, you know, there is a lack of information, I think across the globe of parliamentarians bar the delegates to this assembly. So I think that needs to improve and I think if it improves, you'll. See a better return as well.

I would hope as well. Thank you. The delegate from Poland.

Parliament know nothing about the UN negotiations and the work. Nothing. So only the parliamentarians who are engaged in international organizations, for example ipu, know something more. But I don't know what is the reason. But when you ask in, I think not only in Poland, everywhere, just MP about the last resolution of negotiation of the United nations, they do.

They know nothing about it.

Well, your voice clearly is reflected in the votes. Any last comments on this before we go to our final question?

Pakistan, I would like to mention that. We face the same problem.

We come to know from the television. Actually that what our government has taken, what position our government has taken in. The UN or what advice or what. Decision our government has taken in the un. So we also feel the same, that.

The governments should brief the parliament before. Taking any decision, not after, because we. Are just informed like ordinary people how. The government has done and what they. Have done in the un.

Thank you. And our final question, which is number. Nine, and just on that last point, this meeting is intended in part for you to be able to engage with your ambassador so that you might find ways to find new ways to engage with each other. The next question, and this will be the last question, parliaments are well equipped to understand and implement UN outcomes, such as treaties and resolutions. And this would go to that last point.

You haven't been informed maybe of the negotiations. How can you be well equipped to implement the outcomes of the treaties? We will turn to the audience in a second and I think we see Chile. Delegate from Chile.

Yes, just for Chile.

Chile was particularly involved in the negotiations on the pact for the Future. Chile was the second country to establish the Commission on Challenges for the Future. It was founded in our country in 2010. That was when it got through the Senate. And this is part of an effort to try and come up with efforts to local responses to challenges that we have.

Finland was the first country to come up with this idea in 1993. And now many other countries have joined the effort. And there have been three summits that have been organized on the issue of responding to the challenges of the future. And this has involved parliaments from many different countries to try to come up with joint efforts. I'm also convinced that these commissions on challenges, on future challenges needs to work together to ensure that their recommendations are implemented.

It's the only way to work together to build the future that we really want. We have to come up with responses to these challenges that we are all facing. Thank you very much and thank you all for participating in these surveys. We're just going to remind everyone of the tenth question, which I now have almost unanimity. Just a few people that aren't sure about whether or not parliaments need to have more say on their country's contributions to the UN budget.

If anyone wanted to vote still, I think we're pretty well sure of everybody having voted. Terrific. Thank you very much. And thank you, Dan. We're now going to ask the panelists for the next part of this session to come, please come forward.

And while that. Thank you. And again, apologies for the technical difficulties. Fingers crossed. That will be the only one that we have over the next two days.

Now, just as the Panelists, come and sit down. I was in the middle of doing a bit of housekeeping and so I just wanted to follow up. I was talking about keeping your questions brief. When you are asking a question, at 90 seconds I will hold up a sign and then at 15 seconds I will turn it over to give you an indication of how you may keep to time. Please again be considerate of your colleagues.

One way of saving time, by the way, is forgoing protocol. Thank yous and just getting straight to your question. Finally, I have to remind everybody, sound travels very easily in this room. We can hear every word you say down here at the front. I will ask that if you must have a conversation, please do so very quietly or exit this room and go into the members lounge.

And in that manner, please also show be courteous towards your qualities. Finally, to our presenters or to the delegations who are supporting your presenters, if you have prepared remarks, please be sure to send to the interpreters in advance of your presentations and you can send that to estatementsn.org so any prepared statements, please send them to estatementsn.org okay, now we're going to begin with our first session of this hearing. The UN at 80, renewing trust and purpose through cooperation and partnership. The multilateral system as we all know created at the end of World War II in 1945 with the United nations at its core, is at an impasse, some might even say in crisis. And while global challenges are on the rise, the UN's ability to address them is under considerable scrutiny.

The Pact for the Future adopted in September 2024 by Member States serves as a key roadmap to forge new global consensus and restore, excuse me, full operability of the UN led multilateral system. In our lead off session today, fireside chat if you will, two New York based permanent representatives will discuss these problems and offer solutions for a more effective multilateral system. We will then be able to invite your question. Joining us now we welcome His Excellency Mr. Tarek Albanai, the Permanent Representative of Kuwait and the co Chair of Intergovernmental negotiations on the question of, of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council. And we just spoke about that.

And Her Excellency Ms. Carolyn Schwalger, permanent Representative of New Zealand, Co Chair of the informal Ad hoc Working group on the mandate implementation review of the UN80 initiative. We're going to start off, I'm going to ask you, Mr. Albanai for your opening statements and we will take it from there.

Good morning. Thank you very much. Dan. Madam President. Madam President.

My distinguished colleague, Excellencies, distinguished parliamentarians, ladies and gentlemen, as we mark the United Nations 80th anniversary, it's both appropriate and necessary that we begin with with a clear eyed assessment of the world where it stands today. The multilateral system, conceived in the aftermath of global catastrophe and grounded in cooperation, restraint and shared responsibility, is under unprecedented strain. At the very moment when global challenges are becoming more complex, interconnected and urgent, confidence in our collective institutions is eroding. Allow me to begin by briefly situating the work of the intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform, which I have the honor to have co chaired for the past four years. The IGN process remains the sole inclusive forum mandated by the General assembly to advance discussions on Security Council review form.

It continues to engage all Member States across the five key clusters. There are categories of membership, the question of the veto, regional representation, size and working methods of an enlarged Council, and the relationship between the Security Council and the General Assembly. While positions remain divergent, the process has matured. There is a broad convergence on the need for reform to enhance the Council's legitimacy, representativeness and effectiveness, and growing recognition that inaction itself carries systemic costs. What remains lacking is not diagnosis, but political will translated into practical decision making.

This bring me to the broader context of today's discussion. The United nations did not arrive at its current impasse by accident. The challenges undermining its effectiveness are in many respects, Member State generated fragmentation, duplication of mandates, chronic underfunding of core functions and the selective application of multilateral principles have weakened the system from within. Too often, short term political gains and ideological positioning have overridden utilitarian objectives. Objectives such as preventing conflict, protecting civilians and saving lives.

The Pact for the Future, adopted by member states in September 2024, represents a critical attempt to confront this reality. It is not a declaration of ambition alone. It is a roadmap for restoring operability to the UN led multilateral system. Member States recognized the historical injustice done against Africa and called for representation for underrepresented and unrepresented regions and groups such as Asia Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean. On the Security Council, the Pact for the Future was a defining step, amplifying the urgency for action and reinforcing that inclusivity must be at the heart of our international security framework.

It is now incumbent upon all of us to translate this commitment into actionable steps. Crucially, the Pact recognizes that governments cannot do this work in isolation. The Pact explicitly calls for deeper partnerships with parliaments and civil society to deliver on existing commitments and to respond to emerging challenges with credibility and public trust. This parliamentary dimension is not symbolic, it is essential. Parliaments play a unique role in bridging the gap between international commitments and domestic implementation.

They shape national budgets, provide democratic oversight and hold governments accountable for the positions they take or fail to take. At the United nations. When domestic agendas are misaligned with international obligations, multilateralism weakens. When parliaments insist on coherence between national policy and global commitments, the system gains resilience. Finally, transparency, oversight and citizen engagement are not peripheral to multilateral reform.

They are foundational. Parliamentary hearings such as this one are models for how multilateral processes can reconnect with the publics they serve. They demystify decision making, expose trade offs and reinforce accountability. Strengthening these mechanisms is not a concession to skepticism. It is a pathway to renewed trust.

IGN meetings are webcast and posted on the United nations website, making them easy to access and follow and ensuring the process is as transparent as possible. That accessibility matters, especially for Security Council reform. Governments frequently cite political constraints at home as reasons for caution or delay. But parliaments can exert pressure on executives to move beyond entrenched position toward practical compromise, recognizing that a council shaped by 1945 realities cannot credibly manage the security challenges of 2026 and beyond. As we look forward to the future of the United nations, we can remain anchored in inherited structures and narrow interests, or we can collectively invest in a system capable of delivering security, dignity and cooperation in a profoundly changing and changed world.

The IJN process and the broader reform agenda will only succeed if political courage, parliamentary engagement and citizen expectations move in the same direction. I look forward to a frank and constructive exchange on how we can make that alignment a reality. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Albanai. Thank you.

And we will. We will certainly lot to unpack in that. But first, Ms. Schwalger, excuse me. The floor is yours. Thank you so much.

Thank you for the invitation to be here this morning. It's such a privilege to be amongst such a great panel, but also in an audience that has got passion. And my colleague and I were both commenting that there's more kind of feel in the room this morning than when we sit here only as permanent representatives. And over really welcome that my colleague spoke so well. We all know in this room that the world is facing deep uncertainty, deep crisis.

I'm not going to linger on my diagnosis of that, but rather to just comment and observe how all of that complexity comes in the doors of the United Nations. The issues that you think about and you're grappling with, we have to do here, but with a, basically a parliament of 193 countries. It is true that the trust deficit that exists out there in the world at the moment between states also comes in the door here at the United Nations. And so one of the biggest challenges we're seeing here to the implementation of things we've agreed, such as the Pact for the Future, is that very trust deficit. And this is coming at a time when the world's challenges and our crises couldn't be more accomplished.

So it is really important that we both accept at face value that the international rules based system is under pressure, but also that not only have we seen the withdrawal of kind of financing of the organisation, but the truth is we are experiencing a withdrawal of political investment in the organisation as well. And so I think I'll come at the end of my comments to the comment about, about what we can do and what we can hope from you as political decision makers in our countries, because a lot of these exercises that we're engaged in are both highly technical, but they're also highly political as well. So in my case, along with my colleague from Jamaica, I'm one of the co chairs of the Working Group that's looking at the implementation of mandates. And you might say, well, what are mandates? Well, mandates are essentially designed decisions that Member States take on activities or work programs that we want to undertake or statements of things which we agree on.

So taken collectively, they essentially set the strategic direction of the organization, which of course then flows over into the allocation of resources. As a result of those decisions, our Working Group was set up in September. We have a very short week window. We have to complete our work by the end of March. And our task is essentially to come up with a set of principles as well as concrete actions and how we might better implement the mandates that we choose to take.

So in the first part of our work we focused on a discovery phase where we engaged in a deep dive and diagnostic of all the challenges that are facing us. And since January we've been engaged in this process, process of trying to find solutions and decisions to resolve some of those complexities. We have a General assembly resolution in draft form. We are negotiating it as we speak to capture the agreements. This discussion that we're having about this, how we set the strategic direction of the organization is not something that we can do as a summary or as recommendations.

We need to take decisions now and that is what we intend to do in this exercise. So our approach is system wide we're not dealing only with the principal bodies that sit here in UN in New York. I apologise. We are looking across the whole system to the funds and programs, the specialised agencies. We have kept our focus on the future.

How can we be better? We've practiced, provided for some retrospective application if Member states so which. But essentially we're engaged in a process of how we can create a more effective United nations through the work that we do on mandates. This process is heavily focused on member state prerogatives. So I was so interested in the poll that you took that said so many of you don't feel closely connected to the decision making that happens by your delegates here in New York and in other UN capitals.

And I think that could be something useful to explore this morning in a little bit more detail. And then really, in terms of what the actual substantive issues that we're dealing with are, I think they are very similar things to what you grapple with in your governments as well. Issues of how do you deal with the volume of demand, how do you deal with duplicate and fragmentation, and how do we better monitor and evaluate and review the work that we do here in the United Nations? This is something we are very weak at and something that we need to do much better at if we are to show our publics and to show you as our political decision makers, what we actually do and achieve here at the United Nations. So my last comment really is also a response to, to your poll.

And then I'll wrap it. The two things, perhaps, that politicians or parliamentarians can do in terms of supporting the work of the United Nations, I definitely think one is to remember that the United nations is the primary and most representative platform for decision making of the world's biggest and most complex challenges, especially those challenges that require collaboration, decision making, trans boundary issues, issues of international law. We cannot do these things in isolation. And then the second thing I would say is, please work to secure the means of implementation in your separate government systems so that we can honour the commitments that we make here at the United Nations. We agree lots of really helpful, progressive, thoughtful, complex things as we decide mandates.

But we fall very short in terms of having the means to implement those decisions. So I'll leave it there for now. Thank you. Thank you.

Now, thank you. As you have noticed, we've also invited up the first speakers that we had today, President Baerbock and President Axson, to give some responses to what we just heard. And I'm going to start it off by asking you, Ms. Baerbock, one thing that I heard Ambassador Albanai mention was the decline of public trust in the institution. Is that the case? And from your perspective, what are you seeing?

Well, first of all, we all know with surveys and facts also all around the world, you always have to look at what kind of period or what kind of number. So I think it's very difficult to answer in general because as I said before, also when you have surveys around the world asking who do you trust most, the church, the mosque, your government, the police, the university, the UN in these kind of, if you compare it to other institutions, the UN is overall worldwide ranking very, very high. If we have this kind of open question, we saw it also. Here is the UN the place you trust most. Well, I trust my family most, frankly speaking.

Yeah. So I think this is why we always have to be a bit careful. But I would like to come to the points both ambassadors raised here. And we saw also in the survey number eight was a question or if parliamentarians feel well enough informed, why we all from the UN side here making such a big plea of engagement is exactly about that one. You trust only institutions and the work if you know what's going on.

So also as parliamentarians, if you would say, well, we don't really know what's going on. I mean, it's very difficult. We added also in the finance discussions here to say, well, maybe we should increase our funding for the un. So the point of saying, engage with your missions here, engage with your PRs here, engage with your governments is crucial. I would go even one further.

Even though we are in an open screening here as well. If you might have known, I was not only in Parliament, but I was also minister before foreign minister. Now changing the seat and being here, realizing how many discussions on also my mission took, where the minister gave kind of a guiding role, also underlined me again that also governments have to engage way more. And as Ambassador Sholger has said, these are not only technical issues, these are highly political issues. If we say we want to reduce resolutions, and we for sure have to reduce resolution because we have incredible numbers, there are 40,000 mandates for the UN.

So those who said there's a bit too much also UN going on for sure, but now to say, which kind of resolution shall we reduce? Do we need sunset clauses for some of the tops? This is not a technical issue of just saying we want to have half. This is a highly political issue. And this is why the engagement of parliamentarians, but also of governments in these times is so much needed.

Thank you.

It made Me think that maybe an 11th question on the survey could have been, if there weren't a UN would we have to invent the UN Right. Even despite everything that we're talking about right now. Thank you for that. Dr. Axson, your contribution, please.

Thank you so much. Dear colleagues, you have spoken so well and we noted your points, and I think mostly we agree to the issues that you have raised. But I wanted to address first the issues that were raised during the survey and the responses that we had from our colleagues here. One of the issues that got got some nos, much as they were fewer, and maybe they were, I don't know, for some reason unexpected is the question that relates to whether we could have female as the Secretary General of the United Nations. And there were a few nos there.

I would like to say it's true. You know, at times like this, people have different opinion. Maybe they are looking at the candidates, maybe they are considering the world where we are right now and then thinking, well, would the woman be able to take us through during this time? But I think some of those issues, we have to first make that decision and then see how things will go. Because even under a man, there are some issues that have come up.

And we weren't talking about Oman having failed, but, you know, we talked about the UN going through difficulty the same way we are now discussing about how multilateralism generally is facing challenges. So I think those colleagues, I would like to implore on them that they should reconsider the. That they had previously. The second issue was that was also put up here is the knowledge of us as parliamentarians and what is happening here at the United Nations. And you would say, maybe it's part of the challenges that are going on now, because our governments at some point do not feel like they are responsible to report everything that goes on here in the parliaments, because it is the parliament that oversee not just the budgets, but all the activities of the government.

So for the government to come here at the United nations, make commitments and. And then not go back to their countries to report through the people's representative. It's very sad. But the Secretary General of the IPU is here. We have always been trying to talk to the membership of ipu, that we have to talk to our government so that they include the members of Parliament in their delegations whenever they come to the United Nations General Assembly.

But of course, the question would be, who is bringing them here? Is it the parliament? Because the Parliament is not a member of the United Nations General Assembly. So it's the government. So it's the government that is extending the invitation to the Parliament.

When it does that, who is going to ask this Member of Parliament where you went, what are the reports and stuff like that. So because we are members of Parliament who are here in the interest of time, I think we have to do the soul searching. How we would want to engage more with these processes here at the United nations in terms of linking now with our national parliament so that it builds up. Otherwise the governments will always want to be in charge of everything and not really letting the parliaments know whatever it is that is there. So the last point that I wanted to talk about is the question has asked how can parliaments help the United nations deliver to its promises?

One, we will try as much as we can to talk to our membership of IPU to keep supporting gender equality, especially in the General Assembly. The other one is to push for the Security Council reform. We have heard many of you have said so I won't take much of your time to address that. But it's very important that that the United Nations Security Council looks at the geopolitics and what is happening now. We can't have the same membership which worked then to work now.

Population has changed, the numbers are different and we need all the regions to be there. And lastly, let's try to think of how we are going to have the next Secretary General of the United Nations, a female one. Thank you very much for listening. Thank you.

I would point out that the I would point out that the overwhelming majority of delegates did agree with you on that last point just before.

We're going to open it up to the delegates in just a moment. But I have a question. Ambassadors, we'll begin with you. Ambassador Albanai, it was referenced earlier that there's a withdrawal. We're seeing a withdrawal of political investment at national levels in the United Nations.

Help us understand how we can reverse that calculus so that we are seeing less of a withdrawal and more of an engagement at the national level.

Thank you for the question and thanks for the comments. Madam Presidents. I think it's important to recognize which region you are talking about, where you come from. So the United nations is visible and present and able to contribute. You see vehicles, you see health centers, you see people on the ground helping in certain places around the world, but you don't see it in other places.

And when there is less visibility, the value added of the United nations is not really appreciated. And in a world today where security has become paramount and budgets are more concentrating on military expenditures and other matters related to security, the work that the United nations need. Unfortunately, the help that the United nations provides costs money and it requires resources. And with these resources being directed to matters that are not concentrating on development and human rights and other humanitarian purposes, it is only natural that we see this happen. But I think the question really comes from where you come from and what the perception is and how you see the United nations on the ground.

Thank you. And just, just a heads up that we will be opening it up for questions just after this. Cyprus, you will be first in just a moment, followed by Belgium. So please. Ambassador.

Thank you. I completely agree with Ambassador Albaneijt about the visible presence on the UN on the ground, but I'll offer a contrary view because we like to debate too. We are close friends. You know, my country is one of the very, very few countries in the world where there is no physical UN presence in our country. We have no UN agency delivering programs in our country, and we are not the headquarters for any UN agency.

And yet we are one of the most committed countries to the un. So I agree with what you said, but I do believe it goes beyond that. And I think what it takes is a kind of re imagining or reminder perhaps of really why we set the United nations up. In the first part. You know, if we go back to the UN Charter, it really does say everything that we would want it to say for all of us.

We can all see ourselves reflected in it. There are three core pillars of the United Nations. Peace and security, which we see see manifested through the Security Council, sustainable development, and of course, human rights. All of these things matter to all of us, but perhaps in different proportions, depending where we are in our own journeys, in our own domestic situations, in terms of our own peace and our own prosperity and our own security. So I think that's one of the difficult things about the UN as we have diversified from the less than 50 countries that were founding members of the UN to the now 193.

This is both one of the most beautiful and biggest assets of the United nations that we're all here. But if we're really honest with ourselves, it's also one of the biggest challenges, because with that diversification of participation, we have diversified our agenda and grow in our work programs to this huge volume of work. And it means that for the very smallest of states, and we are small states, proud small states who make up the majority of the membership of the United nations, we actually really struggle to participate in the full breadth of the UN's work. And in the strategic decision making of the organization as well. So I actually think one.

One of my diagnoses of why we see a kind of withdrawal of political will is actually a direct correlation to the fact that the UN's work seems so huge and sometimes it's more difficult at the state level to actually identify what is it that the UN adds value to our state. So there's got to be something in that discussion as well.

Thank you all for your responses, for your candor, and for staying up here while we start receiving our questions from the delegates. A reminder, please keep your comments or your questions to 90 seconds to 2 minutes. I will be reminding you of the time questions are preferred to comments.

And if you have a question for a specific representative or ambassador or president that is here with us today, also let us know that. Otherwise, I will do my best to direct it. And finally, please, again, if you must speak, please do so quietly. It's very, very loud up here. With that, we will begin for 45 minutes.

And I'd like to call upon the delegate, the representative from Cyprus. Dear colleagues, the United nations faces three fundamental challenges. First, the gap between commitments and delivery. Second, inconsistency in the application of international law, which directly undermines credibility. And third, a growing distance between multilateral institutions and the citizens they are mean to serve.

For Cyprus, these challenges are not theoretical. The continuing absence of progress on the solution of our issue, despite. Binding United. Nations Security Council resolutions, demonstrates a central weakness on the multilateral system. When international law is not implemented consistently and without exception, confidence fail for more countries.

In particular, respect of international law is not just political preferences, but an existential necessity. The path for the future provides an opportunity to restore effectiveness and credibility. Thank you for your attention.

Thank you very much. Representative from Belgium, please.

Thank you.

Dear colleagues, allow me also to add one extra important challenge to our debate. Today the world has become smaller, but also far more complex. Traditionally, when we speak about power, we think of states, governments and parliaments. Yet today, we must ask a more fundamental question. Where does real power lie?

Power is shifting, and perhaps faster than our institutions can follow. Multinational corporations and big tech companies exercise enormous influence over economics, information flows and even public discourse. This is not an ideological, ideological statement. It is a factual observation. And the United nations often discuss the role of civil societies and NGOs, and rightly so.

But how do we address the role and involvement of these other powerful actors with global impact? That's one question for you, ladies and gentlemen. That's one extra challenge, I think, and about the solutions I think to remain relevant and effective despite UN should focus on their core missions. And I mentioned them here in my preparation. But I think the time will be up.

So let us focus to the extra challenge. Let us focus here today in our core business, the core business of the United nations, because I think if we go back to our core nations, that will impact the effectiveness and also is good for the universality. So that task is up to us. Is up to you. I am glad to hear your answers to my question.

Thank you. Thank you. I am going to ask the question just to let the representative from Pakistan know that you will be next. Okay, so starting with the ambassadors, but also I am eager to hear what the President of the General assembly has to say. Is the multilateral institution that was born in the wake of World War II able to accommodate the shift in power structures that we are seeing today?

Who would like to start that one? They're going to fight over this one. All right, I'll go first this time. I mean, it's a very political question to a set of ambassadors who have different roles in our governments. But I'll be very frank.

Of course, it's not because if we had embarked some decades ago on a continent, contemporization of the United nations, the Security Council would not look the same as it did 80 years ago. If we had improved the way that we work together as states, when we knew we had challenges, but instead turned a blind eye to those challenges, this organization would be more impactful and a greater reflection of the communities that we serve. So have we kept up? We have not. But we all know, because we all participate in our governments and the bureaucracies that exist in our own countries, that that kind of change is really difficult.

But I think what we're saying now is that the gap between the stresses that are on the international system means that what the United nations is facing is really quite an existential crisis. And we have to embrace this moment and we have to change. And that is why these reform processes that many of us are leading are so crucial. But what's really important is that there needs to be a golden thread that runs between all of them, too. We cannot do Security Council reform in isolation of how we do mandates and how we run our funds and programs and how the principal organs of the United nations work.

We need to look again at how the regional groupings are formed. There are many aspects that we need to contemporise in moving on. And I, for one, am an optimistic person from an optimistic country, which is why we take on these leadership roles because we can do it. Thank you. Thank you.

Would we like to continue in the spirit of candor, President Baerbock?

Yes. I'm always having these discussions about neutrality and I'm representing 193 very diverse countries and therefore also people around the world. But I always say this is not a challenge at all because I swore my oath on the Charter of the United nations and you cannot be neutral against the Charter. So if there's a severe violation of the Charter, it's my job, it's the job of the Secretary General to defend the charter.

And as Ambassador Schwalger said, all the three principles which are in the charter and they. They are interconnected peace and security, sustainable development and human rights. And I really like the question from the colleague from Belgium about the complexity. So I think sometimes one says things quite easily of saying, so we should prioritize on the core focus of the Charter. Again, this is a political decision.

What is a core focus? And on the other hand, again, it's quite easy. And this is why I also said in my introduction that women rights and human rights have always been at the core of this charter. This charter was written 80 years ago and it included the third pillar of human rights. So how would I answer the question with regard to the issue also from Cyprus, about implementation and consistency?

This is up to all the 193. If all the 193s speak up, if there is a violation of the Charter, then obviously this is a clear signal if only some are speaking up with regard to some violations. I would say as the President of the General assembly, as I said also in the last 50 days of this year, the Charter is Not optional. Article 2 is obliging every member states that you are not allowed to intervene in another's country. Third remark I would like to make is with regard also to the Belgian question on where does the real power lie.

And again, the more complex issue is obviously the real power lies in also tech companies and who is shaping the truth. And we all know that without truth and without facts, we cannot have solutions for, for the world problems. So it is very important to also see if we say core principles, that the regulation, for example, for the digitalized world and also AI is a core principle of defending the basic human rights, also in the Internet. And this is why it's kind of almost today. No, it is today.

In the afternoon we will announce the experts for the AI discussions here, showing again that the UN is not only about solving crisis, but also addressing future topics. And again, this would be a very important topic because many member states said it cannot be that only a few companies in a few states will form the governance structure of the digitalized world. So it's up to all the member states to engage in this process. Again, very interesting epistemological debates that are happening here at the United nations this morning. So now the delegate from Pakistan, following which we will hear from Republic of Korea.

Go ahead, Pakistan. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Good morning distinguished delegates. I thank the President of the UN General assembly and the Inter Parliamentary Union for convening this important hearing. As the United nations marks its 80th anniversary, it remains the cornerstone of multilateral cooperation grounded in its universal membership and charter based mandate.

Yet today, the overlapping crisis of climate change, violent conflict and deepening inequalities continue to limit its ability to deliver across its three interconnected pillars. These pressures fall mostly heavily on the Global south in eroding hard won development gains. Such systematic challenges underscore a fundamental reality. No nation can redress them alone. Renewed trust in the United nations must therefore be anchored in strengthened multilateral cooperation supported by adequate from financing to enable it to carry out its mandate effectively.

Respect for the international law and meaningful progress in the peaceful settlement of long standing disputes in accordance with UN Charter and relevant Security Council's resolutions is equally essential. And yes, there should be reform. Reform for all. Thank you. Privilege for none.

Thank you very much, sir. Thank you.

We will now hear from the Republic of Korea, followed by Morocco, then Spain, Korea. Go ahead please. Colleagues.

My name is Jun Yeong Kim from rok. In March of last year, an American journalist, David Sanger, wrote in New York Times that President Trump had done more than any president to hollow out foundation of the international order painstakingly built over 80 years since World War II in just 50 days. It is a painful but accurate observation. The world is facing tremendous change. We all clearly recognize the order of international cooperation is severely weakening, if not collapsing.

We are entering an era of every nation for itself, which is very dangerous. We are all being thrown from the arena of coexistence into the arena of survival of the fittest. The interest of individual nation must be respected. However, if they are not accompanied by values, everyone will end up as losers. That is why values are crucial, of course.

Values like democracy, peace, human rights and so on have been used tools for division politically and ideologically. Yet their absence may be far worse than their misuse or hypocrisy. Over the past eight years, Roobei's order has been far from complete. Yet I firmly believe that this means we must strive for completion, not abandon everything. The hatred, divisiveness and bold closures of globally rampant far right forces will lead us all to mutual destruction.

The solidarity of global citizens who value this principle is needed now more than ever. Thank you. Extreme national egoism is a mutual disaster such as hurricane for tsunami. I call upon fellow legislators from like minded nations to work together to counter the rise of fragmented world and build a more cooperative world. Thank you very much.

Thank you for listening. Thank you very much. I'm going to take a few more before we turn it back over to our experts here. Morocco followed by Spain. And a reminder, please, folks, it is very loud up here if you are talking, so please try to keep the talk to a minimum.

The representative from Morocco, please. You have 90 seconds to two minutes.

Morocco.

Ladies and gentlemen, the international community eternalizes today the anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations. It was a station and this landmark, its moment comes at a critical juncture of our joint history. We need to reflect deeply and responsibly about the future of multilateralism. The Kingdom of Morocco, in loyalty to the directives of His Majesty the King, reiterates today its firm commitment to the principles that have established this organization through its strategic position as a bridge between continents and as a land of coexistence. Morocco believes that restoration of the credibility of the United nations must go through restoring the trust between the member states and operationalizing the international cooperation through true partnership and collective responsibility.

Our diagnosis of our reality places us before structural challenges that require courage and decisiveness. First, it's no longer acceptable that selectivity remains in the application of international law. The respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity are cornerstones that cannot be neglected to guarantee international peace. Second, reform of the United nations and in particular the Security Council is not an intellectual luxury, but a political necessity to reflect the 21st century and to give justice to absent continents led by Africa. And finally, Human Rights Mechanism must remain a space for cooperation and technical assistance free from politicization that deviate these mechanisms for their purposes.

Thank you. We will hear from the delegate from Spain and then I will invite our guests to respond, beginning with Ambassador Albanai. Spain. Please go ahead.

Thank you very much. From Spain's view, the debate on the UN at its 80th anniversary is deeply political. We are seeing a fragmented world and fragmentation in the international order. The prolonged conflicts are putting the international system to the test. Spain has always advocated a rules based international order and the need for international cooperation.

Spain is directly affected by stability or instability in its near neighborhood. And this has fed into our commitment to to the rules based order.

Spain is also a major tourism hub and tourism shows how cooperation and legal stability are essential concepts for economic prosperity. For sectors that depend on human mobility, these are the first sectors to suffer when instability breaks out. We are talking about a practical need. For Spain and many other countries, the Pact for the future is an important opportunity. But its credibility will depend on the extent to which it is implemented.

And in this domain, parliaments have an important role to play to ensure that international commitments are actually translated into practical results on the ground. We need to improve mechanisms for transportation, transparency and accountability. We need to make sure that multilateralism is actually effective in practice if it is to have popular support. I wonder how the UN system can strengthen these mechanisms for participation so that there is greater buy in in the entire system.

Thank you, thank you, thank you lots to unpack.

Go ahead, Ambassador. I mean much of what was said, nobody disagrees with. The multilateral system is our only way forward. It's indispensable. This is what we've all signed up to by joining the United nations system.

This is the one place where 193 countries can come together. And I can speak to New Zealand in the morning, Vanuatu in the afternoon, Qatar the next day. I speak to everybody. There's access to everybody. We all sit on one table and have discussions on all these issues that are plaguing our world today.

So multilateralism is surely the key. And you know, this engagement between the United nations and parliaments or civil society. The United nations cannot be more transparent in its work. Everything is webcast, everything is out there. The documents are there, the conversations are there, the arguments are there.

The coverage is extensive of what happens in these halls. It's truly up to civil society and parliaments and governments alike to have that conversation internally and put together their priorities and make sure that the priorities of the United nations align with the national priorities and moreover the global priorities. Because resolving conflicts by peaceful means is a priority. I mean, this United nations was set up to save humanity from the scourge of war. There's 120 conflicts going on around the world today.

We're not doing a good job, obviously, and we need to be more active in that domain. Conflict prevention, development, safeguarding human rights, safeguarding the multilateral system. And that comes by engagement by all stakeholders. And that includes stakeholders and that includes parliamentarians. So yes, I fully agree that we have existential challenges happening around the world, including climate change, including the advent of AI.

But we are trying to do something about it. We're not sitting here idle. We are not fully equipped to handle it all. But we are having these discussions on AI governance, we are having discussions on autonomous weapons systems, we're having discussions on the militarization of outer space, we're having discussions about everything possible and hence what the president said, 40,000 mandates going on. It's a lot that we need to handle, but it's all out there.

And I urge parliaments to be engaged with the United nations by taking account of what's happening here and holding everybody accountable to what they say in this building and how they act in this building, so that we can actually do the job that we are intending to do here. Thank you.

If you would like to comment, President.

Baerba, just very briefly on the points which may be a bit new in the debate, what Spain has addressed with regard to the implementation, I think it's heavily important what you said, that it's up to parliaments to implement. So if we're Speaking about the SDGs or especially all the resolutions in ECOSOC, we are also coming up to the implementation of the Social Summit from Doha. So Social Security systems, for example, cannot be implemented by the President of the General assembly, by the Secretary General or by the PRS here. This is something national governments, national societies have to implement.

And the follow up question you had, so what can we do? Use also this place as a best practice learning place. For example, when we had the debate of celebrating 30 years of Beijing, women rights are human rights and representation, I invited as the president all the female leaders from around the world. Unfortunately it's not 50% yet, but we had 25 or something more. And I learned also again, something new from, for example, that in some countries you have a quota already in Parliament.

It's most of the times not what some Europeans think, that it's their parliament, but it's for example, Rwanda leading and learning from the genocide experience, that you have to have women at the table. And this makes your society stronger. So also using the United nations as a best practice place, when you go home after these two days saying, wow, this is something new, we could just pay paste and copy from another region or from another country, I would say is heavily important. This counts also what our dear colleague and Ambassador Barney is doing together with the Dutch colleague on the reform of the Security Council. Obviously the shortcomings of the Security Council are the poster child of the shortcomings of the un.

But it's not that we are not doing anything. There have been small reforms and now the African Union summit is coming ahead. We all hope that there might be a proposal coming. Somebody mentioned it as well. I think it was Pakistan that Africa is not being represented.

So it's not only about the veto of the P5 but also the question of representation. And if other continents would call for more just representations in the Security Council, the work of the two co chairs here in these halls might be a bit easier. Thank you. And briefly Ambassador Schwalter.

Thank you.

Two brief comments from me. I was really taken by the number of you that mentioned about the shift I guess to power and to might and we agree with that. We also see the trend that we're at the we see move from rules to power. But I think it's really important to remember we all have agency. 193 minus 1 does not equal 0 and in fact even 193 minus 5 doesn't equal 0.

So I think a baseline requirement to ensure that the international rules based system endures is that the rest of us stand up and honour our commitments and honour and speak to the principles that we have all committed to. I think only if we do that and be principled is there a future for us all to benefit from a system like the United Nations. Having said that, we are also very pragmatic and I think part of courage is not only standing up to be principled but also to have the courage to be pragmatic and to evolve and see the world with realistic eyes for what it actually really is. And part of that is exactly what Belgium and others have said. I agree with Pakistan when they said no country can address the world's challenges alone.

But I would also argue that governments alone cannot meet all the challenges that the world is facing. And this is why the United nations has to open its doors better to the multinational corporations, to civil society, to parliamentarians. It's that collective fabric of our society that will find the solutions, who have the resources, who have the ideas and expertise to meet the challenges that we're facing. So thank you, thank you, thank you for your very thoughtful responses. We have a number of you who want to speak and I do understand that we will do our very best to get to everyone.

However, we've had to close the queue right now just so that we don't raise expectations that we can't deliver on. I'm going to hear from Hungary, Qatar and France and then two more before we see if we go back to get comments Hungary, please. Thank you very much. We can hear some spectacle opinions about the role and the future of the un. But I believe, and we believe that our interconnected and interdependent world we must work, work together to solve our common problems and achieve our common goals.

In an era of global instability, a forum that promotes diplomacy rather than division is more urgently needed than ever before. In today's conflict ridden world, diplomacy must take over as solution cannot be found on the battlefield. Only at the negotiation table can speak stability and sustainable peace to be achieved in the UN has another important role to prevent to avoid our outbreak of World War 3. The process of global block formation has unfortunately intensified. We Hungarians are interested in establishing international cooperation then strengthens connectivity and prevents the emergence of another world war or similar geopolitical battlefield.

Appropriate reforms are needed. The support effort to rationalize UN programs and organizations with overlapping mandates as well as the strategic goal of reducing the organization's presence in high cost locations for the sake of long term financial sustainability. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Representative from Qatar.

Jazila.

Thank you.

Several challenges have been addressed today. These are challenges that the United nations is also currently facing, particularly geopolitical fractures.

Some Security Council resolutions are also not being implemented. However, I do think the parliamentarians can play a role in being true partners to the UN so that the UN can honor their commitments. Indeed, parliamentarians implement laws, they earmark the necessary resources and they find follow up on them through monitoring mechanisms, be it the SDGs or other resolutions relating to maintaining international peace and security. Parliamentarian diplomacy represents a bridge between parliaments and international organizations. This allows the UN to implement its mandates.

It also strengthens trust between people and the UN and allows us to achieve the the aims of justice and sustainable development. We should establish common inter parliamentary commissions to follow up on the implementation of treaties and resolutions, as well as to enable the public to attend meetings. We should involve citizens in multilateral and intergovernmental processes, particularly through digital platforms or interactive platforms. At the same time, we should ensure that we include women, young people and civil society.

Bringing reform to the UN to strengthen its role means that we need to involve parliamentarians. Because parliamentarians have an important role to play in ensuring reforms for the un. Thank you. France, followed by Chile, Peru and Sweden. And then we will have a chance to hear back from our respondents.

France, please. The floor is yours.

Thank you. Dear colleagues, multi UN multilateralism is facing from multiple crises. The finance crisis, which is only accelerated by the American situation. Also geopolitical tensions and blockage within the organization undermining of global geopolitics which is undermining the organization. However, if we take into account the number of conflicts around the world and the serious violations of international law, we have never needed a multilateral system as much before.

Restoring trust in in this system is the aim of the pact for the future. We fully supported this pact implementing priorities such as agenda for the Peace and the digital agenda. As a permanent member of the Security Council, France supports the reform of that body. We support the expansion in non permanent and permanent member categories. We are also at the origin together with Mexico of an initiative to keep the use of the veto out of the context of the mass atrocities.

We should also ensure that the UN can perform more effective by doing the same by spending less as is aimed at by UN80. The aim here is to simplify and develop the work of the UN without compromising its ability to ensuring its fundamental ensure its fundamental aims. It's worth recalling that the UN today supports more than 130 million displaced persons and ensures the vaccination of half of children around the world. We must ensure that its transformation agenda doesn't lead to us undermining certain agendas such as sexual and reproductive rights and women's rights, which are particularly important for France. We should also avoid perverse effects to ensure that we just have an accounting approach here which might lead to breaking down the UN ecosystem.

Thank you. Thank you. A good reminder of the work in part that the United nations does. The representative from Chile, please.

I have been listening very closely to today's discussion and it's my impression that we do have a lot in common, particularly around the main pillars of the UN democracy, human rights, development.

And until a couple of years ago we still had the environment. But this is the currently an issue. However, I do think that we are reaching such a point in the crisis, and we never say this, that there are certain suppositions that the international system is based on. These aren't always respected, unfortunately. Firstly, the assumption that all states are equal.

It seems that there are some countries that are saying that not all countries are equal. Some have more rights than others. Secondly, the respect for international law. We see so many countries that previously kept to international law and don't do so. Thirdly, we need to ensure cooperation between states that is better than the unilateral action of states.

This is also being undermined nowadays. So I'd like to understand more about this. We can talk an awful lot about pillars, we'll always agree on those. But we have a system that is based on Assumptions that aren't necessarily being upheld. And this will lead us into problems.

Thank you. Well, certainly worthy of response, I think. Why don't we hold off on going to Sweden? Dr. Axson, you've been nodding your head, so why don't you start us off?

Well. Colleagues, I think our colleagues who have just addressed us have raised very important and pertinent issues, which I think as members of Parliament, we at all times have to look at the responsibility that we hold on behalf of the people that we represent and how we are trying to hold our governments responsible in terms of delivering what it is that they promise here at the United nations to our countries, but also the commitments that the UN Charter stands for.

One of our colleagues here have spoken about the use of veto power and how it can be helpful. And this, we all know, comes from the members of the United Nations Security Council. And we have from the first session been looking at how important it is to reform so that we have maybe not representation of everybody, but honestly, everybody's voice must be heard because politics have changed, the dynamics have changed, interests also have changed. So there is no way we are going to continue the way things are. Because we definitely all believe in how the United nations is important in keeping the world order.

If at some point one would feel their notes really part of the decision making table, they will pull out. And it's very unfortunate this time that we are discussing these matters when we have to use the language of the colleague who addressed us in the morning, that we have some big brothers and then you have some others who would be feeling, I don't know, small sisters or big sisters. I don't know which language we are going to use. But it's unfortunate that when we talk about cooperation, we have now compartmentalized this cooperation. People decide depending on their interest.

If it's a country that your country is benefiting from, you keep quiet. You don't want to talk about that because it will affect the cooperation that you have. But we forget now that we have to work together so that we deliver better for the people that we represent. And it is our responsibility as parliamentarians to make sure that this compartmentalization that is happening between our governments, they will have bilateral relations. They will have block relationship.

Like I think our colleague from Hungary has just said, it is good, yes, but it is our responsibility to make sure this bilateral cooperation. But at the same time, block cooperation doesn't affect multilateralism because multilateralism makes us come together, discuss the issues that affect the global at large, not just individual countries. And so I will use one of the saying that we have in my own national language, which is Kiswahili, we say kidole kimoya haki vunji chawa, meaning one finger cannot kill a lice, small as it is, but one finger can't. So you need two fingers to be able to kill a lice. So let's work together to make sure that we keep pushing these issues that are of common interest to everybody else.

Thank you. Thank you, President Axon, President Baerbock, if there are some specific. Just before we go to Sweden and Romania, if there are some specific points that were raised that you'd like to respond to.

Yeah, to the one because it was also addressed before from Belgium, but Qatar raised it again. Well, first of all, I think it's very important, as you were suggesting, thinking outside of the box, to have also as parliamentarians, the Inter Commission top and where you can engage in different thematic fields.

And I think this is really something which also with regard to civil society and youth, it's not about ticking a box, participation for participation, but the question where do you have extra benefit? And we had a big event here with civil society discussing exactly this. Where can young people bring in extra benefit? Obviously in a digitalized world, I mean, I'm struggling sometimes to understand this and my 14 year old daughter has to explain me. I guess it's similar for you, but the opposite is also true.

Young people are facing already the negative sides of social media heavily. So there are different also opportunities and maybe if also not all representations are here aware of this. In the Third Committee, for example, when we have hearings there, when we have debates there, there are some member states who share their speaking times with youth delegates or also with delegates from civil society. If you you would do that more, we can include more people here as well. We have ECOSOC consultations where more than 6,500 civil society actors are engaged.

Again, bring them here, train them, help them to participate in our exchange as well. And then big jump. With regard to the question of Security Council and with many addressed the injustice, I think it's very important to underline again what Ambassador Schwalger has said. We live in this world. I mean we cannot change the past, we can only change the future.

So obviously there are certain rights, especially for five member states who do have more rights than others. Many do not have a veto power, but we can complain about it or we try how we work on it, like Franz was mentioning as well. There have been proposals in the past by two other Permanent members of the Security Council not using the veto by themselves, for themselves. There is initiative with regard to the veto initiative. It was introduced by Lichtenstein saying, you have to explain your VTU in the General Assembly.

There's a new initiative you mentioned with regard to severe violations and international crimes. So include this process in the work the IGN process is doing. And on the other hand, I would say it's heavily important while reforming that we are defending this institution. This has been also in one of the questions on the chart, but there could be other bodies and institutions, and many journalists ask me this as well. And you go back and I guess you also get in contact with media again.

You can always say, but the UN failed. It didn't solve that war or this crisis. But who would imagine that? You say it didn't work out because of veto in this institution. Why should the same member state in any other institution suddenly say, well, this time we don't have this special right.

So the question about what would the alternative look like? I would say is a very important one, especially if we had discussion about an alternative already and not everybody was invited. And there was a good reason that in this institution, no matter how big or small, no matter that we do have a Security Council with special rights, every country has a seat of the table. It has the same voting rights. You don't have to pay for it.

You just have to show up and use your vote whenever it's needed.

Thank you very much, President Baerbock. We're going to hear from Sweden, followed by Romania, the United Kingdom, China, and then Switzerland. I know that the ambassadors are going to want to respond. Again, I'm just trying to hear from as many of you as possible.

Excuse me. I'm sorry, I skipped over Peru. I beg your pardon? The representative from Peru, followed by the representative from Sweden.

See? Yes, go ahead. Senora, Madam President, distinguished colleagues, we are seeing an extremely complex international scenario marked by multidimensional and urgent global and regional challenges. Therefore, the UN's role and mandate is increasingly relevant 80 years after its foundation. Our main challenge is to ensure that we have effective multilateralism, an efficient organization that is able to respond with specific outcomes to the most urgent needs.

This should lead to laws, budgets, and true action that improve the lives of our citizens. In this delicate context, the election of the next UN Secretary General is particularly relevant. We have a legitimate expectation that this responsibility should fall once again to Latin America and the Caribbean. Recalling that the only Secretary General from our region was the Ambassador of Peru, Javier Perez Collo. Who also had a mandate during an extremely complex scenario at the end of the Cold War.

As parliamentarians, we need to do our utmost to consolidate and further our democracies. Citizens trust in is strengthened when institutions work where there is a rule of law and where there are international commitments that are reflected in effective public policies. In this process, we have an essential role to forge agreements and to audit their implementation as we see in relevant General assembly resolutions. To conclude, I would like to reiterate that we need to work to ensure that we have a more effective, efficient UN that is closer to the people. And parliamentarians must also come closer to the un.

It's essential that we strengthen all types of new international cooperation to address new threats to peace, security, human rights, development and to our democracies. Crime. Transnational organized crime is one of these challenges. We need to combat it robustly. This is.

We need to at this 80th anniversary, make a more efficient UN more relevant multilateralism and ensure cooperation to protect the well being of our people. Thank you. Representative from Sweden, please, the floor is yours. Thank you, sir. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to start to say that I'm really very grateful for this hearing.

I think the IPU hearing that we have annual here at UN are one important step to include us as parliamentarians in the work of un. And I say this because we are elected by the people and un it's about people. And because of that we need all the treaties, we need a rule of law, we need the international law. But that's not all. I think here about the pact of The Future Adapted 2024 what have happened with it?

Is it implemented? Is there a program to implement it? I see it as really important. I am not convinced that if UN wasn't here existing today that the world would manage to establish a new united nation. That's why it's so important for us to contribute that UN continue.

And let me mention I said it's about people. 24th February 2022, almost four years ago did the war Russia's war against Ukraine started. It's a war that's affect millions of people, millions of people. Not only in Ukraine, also in the rest of the world. I think even if this Ukraine who is under attack and there is always a risk when it's a war that there will be another war and another one.

And today IPU statistics shows that there is 120 weapons conflicts in the world. This shows how important it is with the diplomacy. And I believe in diplomacy to prevent war, to end war. To find a long standing peace. Thank you.

But of course we need also the military side when there is not respect for the treaties and international law. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. And thank you also for referencing the Pact for the future which will be the subject of our session this afternoon.

Romania, the United Kingdom, followed by China. Romania, please. Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, it is. Clear for everyone here in the room that the United nations needs a reform.

About the reform of the United Nations. This is another discussion. Discussion for another time. How deep it can go. But it has to start with the Security Council.

Also to continue with the huge apparatus. Which United nations became today here in. The offices, but also on the ground. As a former person who worked for the United nations over 20 years, I can tell you that there is a. Huge discrepancy between what is happening in the offices of the United nations and.

What is happen in the applicability of. United nations resolutions on the ground. This being said, we heard about the trust and transparency, which are two main, two very important pillars of what multilateralism means today and what is based, what represents the basement, the base, I apologize, the base for the United nations today, along though the peace and security, human. Rights and sustainable development, its main principles. So my question will be in regards to the custom of the United nations, which unfortunately we are not very happy.

To see missing it today. And this is in regards to the geographical rotation for the nomination of the Secretary General. I'm coming from the East Europe, I'm representing East Europe. And as far as I know, and. Please correct me if I'm wrong, East.

Europe is customary nominated to be seen sending a representative for the Secretary General. We are supporting the role of the. Woman and we don't have anything against the selection of a woman. However, so far the names which are being ruled around in regards to the potential replacement for the Secretary General are. Not from Eastern Europe.

So can you please clarify why this custom is not necessarily respected? Thank you. Well, we seem to have had our first direct question, so I applaud you and thank you very much. The representative. We will for sure answer that question.

The representative from the United Kingdom. Please. Thank you. And let me carry the tradition of direct questions. We've talked of UN reform.

I'd welcome the panel's view that reform. Also means about the effective nature of. The mandates, the budgets that are deployed and the efficient use of those particular mandates, including their views on streamlining the structures of the UN and organizations within. And just a very brief point on. Conflict resolution and Prevention.

As a former Foreign Minister for the. United Kingdom and Elise and I sat. Round tables, tragically, it wasn't initiated by the un. We've seen those gaps on conflict prevention. And resolution being filled by other countries.

Uae, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, on major conflicts. Of the world, including Russia, Ukraine as. Well on the Middle East. So I'd welcome the panel's view specifically that the structures exist. But is it the people or the organization that has failed to deliver?

Thank you. Thank you. We'll take one more from the delegate from China. And I know that there was a lot of in this go around, so we will want to hear, starting with the ambassadors. China, the floor is yours, please.

As significant organ of power, legislatures have both the responsibilities and capacities to play an active role in promoting a more just and equitable system of global governance. First, we must jointly uphold the authority and stature of the UN and shore up the cornerstone of global governance. The national legislature should firmly uphold the UN's central role and safeguard the purpose and principles of UN Charter and basic norms governing the international relations and support efforts to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of UN through reform. We oppose any attempts to play stronger hold on the UN and readjust unilateralism, block confrontation and hegemonism. Second, we must work together to advance common development and enhance the effectiveness of global governance.

Legislatures should adhere to a people first developmental philosophy, prioritize development in international cooperation. We have to enhance the greater macroeconomic policy coordination and trade WTO at its core through legislative oversight and budgetary functions. Parliamentaries should support and promote the alignment of national development goals with 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development and provide the rule of law guarantees necessary for accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. We should promote exchanges and learning from each other and pull synergies for global governance. We should enhance the exchange and also just try to participate and deepen the engagement in multilateral diplomatic activities organized by parliamentary organizations such as ipu.

We should enhance the roles of parliamentaries in global affairs, build consensus in responding to common risks and challenges. The China's National People's Congress stand ready to work with other parties to stay true to the UN Charter and try to implement and translate the pact for the future from vision to reality. Thank you.

Begin and take this round. Okay. And we're going to try to get to everybody. So if you could keep your responses fairly brief. Thank you.

I'll be brief. Thank you. Well, I really welcome, welcome the comments that were made around efficiency and streamlining and, you know, fighting against the huge apparatus that is the UN and My role as co chair of the mandates process, of course, that is, you know, music to my ears. But I really did have a reaction to the comment from our colleague from France. I think if the interpretation was correct, you said something like we have to do the same by step, spending less.

And I really do want to address that because I really do think we need to reframe that comment. I really think the future of the un, if we want it to succeed as the preeminent platform for international cooperation, we really have to think about it as how do we deliver better by doing things differently. And I think that is really the key challenge ahead of us. There are so many forces here that pull us like gravitational forces that pull us towards the status quo. And we really only going to be able to deliver better if we do things differently.

And that requires the support of all of us as constituencies, ambassadors and parliamentarians alike. We know that your assessment is that we are not fit for purpose to embrace these challenges that you've all spoken to. So somehow, some way, we're going to have to get on the same page as this. And I think that's why sessions like today and bringing parliamentarians to the institution is so important. So thank you.

Well, thank you, Ambassador Albanai, thank you. Very much and thank you very much for the input. It's really interesting to hear these points of views. I would like to address what His Excellency Lord Ahmed had said about.

The. Lack of UN involvement in conflict resolution and prevention. The institution does not lack capacity. The capacity is there. We have incredible people on the roster dedicated to doing exactly that.

It's the willingness to be used in that manner that is lacking. It is unfortunate, but sometimes it's also on member states, for example, in the Security Council and Lord Ahmed, you know very well there was a practice of horizon scanning where the Secretariat would come and brief the members of the Security Council about possible conflict areas or problem areas around the world. And it became such a politicized and sensitive issue. No country wanted to be on that list of countries on horizon scanning. And that practice suddenly just disappeared.

And that takes away a tool for member states to be aware of what's coming. So I don't think we lack the capacity. I think it's just employing the tools that we have. And I thank him profusely for recognizing the role of the government, Gulf Cooperation Council, Qatar, Saudiya, UAE for filling in the gap into that matter. We are states that are trusted.

We usually don't have a horse in the game. We are neutral, we are principled. We try to abide by the UN Charter and hence there is a trust issue there for us to take on these roles. And I think if we develop that in the capacities of the United nations and employ these tools, including good offices of the Secretary General and others in this building, that we will be successful in handling these conflict resolutions and horizon scanning in the future. Thank you.

Thank you. Go ahead. President, just briefly because Ambassador already answered to the question of a lot. Ahmed from UK in addition to it, I would even say we have to be a bit careful, even though I started also quite pessimistic that we don't rewrite history in a very positive mode and say everything is bad right now. I mean the Oslo records are called Oslo records because obviously they didn't happen in New York in the United nations building.

So I think it has been always the case that the UN is also a broker platform. China said it also for global exchange. And then you see who can broker trust most. Having said that, it's also the guarantor for the principles of the Charter. So brokering trust in these times means also everybody has to play to the rules.

So the UN maybe has a new role now as well if more actors are engaging and brokering peace, that this is on the base of the principles of the Charter with territorial integrity, with sovereignty and that sustainable peace is something more than the absence of war. So I think it might be also a new dimension. Again another positive example. Yes, these are new geopolitical times, but a multipolar world could be also more just for many countries who have not benefited from the old world. So again it's how do member states engage and if there is this cross regional alliance of those who believe in the Charter.

Again as it has been said, 193 minus a couple is not zero. It's also not. I'm not so good at math like 97. Yeah, but we see almost in all votes if they are not in consensus, these are like 187 or sometimes 160. This is still a big 2/3 majority and I think we can especially build on that one.

And then there was a very concrete question question with regard to the sg. As I'm overseeing the process, I have to say it lays fully in the hands of the 193. In the end they decide in the General assembly by simple majority. So it might get very interesting. And the rule you have spoken about, this is not a rule written in stone.

But in the past at least the processes have been win between different regional groups. And because you asked directly about the Eastern European group. It was meant to be that for the last selection with Guterres it was a turn of the Eastern Europeans. There has been also strong call on women. Obviously Antonio Guterres, my dear friend, is neither a woman nor from Eastern Europe.

He's a man from Portugal. I say a great sg. So now the point point is that it would have been the term for Latin America, but Eastern European has not taken that term. And this is also again up to the member states, I would say especially also from these two regions from Romania, to discuss if nominations. So it's not me calling for nominations, I'm just receiving them.

So far we have received two from Latin America, one man and one woman. But this process is open and I called that before the hearing starting on 20th April. Candidates should come up with their applications to have a fair process for everybody to be heard in the interactive dialogues. So you heard it here. It's not a rule, it's a custom.

And number two, get your applications in. We will hear from. I'm going to try to get through everybody, so if I can ask you to condense your questions, that would be very helpful. Thank you. Switzerland, Portugal, Norway.

Switzerland. Go ahead, please. Thank you. The greatest security threats today come from permanent members of the Security Council, namely Russia and more recently the United States, together with China. The these countries are floating international law.

Indeed, the US President has stated publicly that he does not believe the rules of international community apply to him. The Security Council, which blocks itself with its veto power, is powerless to counter such threats. An essential first step must be to abolish or at least to limit the veto power of the Security Council's permanent members. That would require an amendment to the UN charter. But articles 108 and 109 of the charter stipulate that this is possible.

Article 109 also stipulates that the General Conference of the Members of the United nations may be convened for this purpose. Such a conference should have taken place 10 years after the UN charter came into force. But that never happened until now. It is heim time to rectify debt. So My question to Mrs. What do you think about the probability, feasibility and the possible effects of such a conference?

Thank you. Thank you, representative from Portugal. Please.

Dear colleagues, at a time when we see efforts by some countries or actors to weaken multilateralism, I wonder whether this ultimately leaves smaller or less economically powerful countries more exposed in a fragmented city system. They may face greater vulnerability to unequal bargaining power. From the European Union's perspective, having a Structured framework that allows us to speak with one voice clearly strengths our position internationally. But beyond that, regional integration has also supported economic and social progress within our union. And that success helps sustain public trust in cooperation beyond national borders.

Could strengthening regional economic and perhaps even political unions in other parts of the world help reinforce multilateralism? And if these unions deliver tangible benefits to their citizens, might that also rebuild confidence in international cooperation more broadly? Should we therefore consider giving regional blocs a stronger role within the United nations system as part of that effort? Thank you. Thank you.

Three questions. Three direct questions. There from Portugal. Representative from Norway, please. Norway, you have the floor.

Thank you so much. First, I understand that the discussion on a reform on the Security Security Council is difficult. So can you mention three other kinds of reforms we could do in the un? And number two, it was mentioned it would be nice or important to have a female or women General Secretary. But what other qualifications do you think is important to lead the UN or the IPU through these reforms?

Thank you. Thank you. I was wondering if one of the couple of the votes when that question was asked was precisely, is it just being female? That is the qualification? I would doubt that's the answer, but I will let our assembled guests answer.

Greece. Over to you, Representative from Greece, please.

Excellencies. Dear colleagues, it is a great honor. To take part in this discussion. At a time when the international community is facing multiple interconnected crises. Geopolitical tensions, energy security, climate disruption, migration pressures, health threats and widening social inequalities.

The multilateral order built after the Second World War is being tested, and along with it, public trust in the system of international cooperation is also under strain. The most serious challenge is not only institutional, it is political and societal. Here lies a key part of the solution. Parliaments are the democratic bridge between the. International and the national level.

The answer is not more bureaucracy. It is stronger democratic connectivity. Structured participation of civil society, NGOs, academic institutions, scientific communities and local actors should be systematically connected to multilateral processes. Inter parliamentary cooperation. Parliamentarians from different countries can exchange best practices and collectively promote accountability in international institutions.

Multilateralism is not an abstract concept. It is the tool that prevents conflict, reduces inequalities and manages global threats. Parliament can become the bridge that reconnects citizens with multilateral system. And this is not only the procedural. Task, it is a democratic responsibility.

Thank you. Thank you. We just have a few minutes left, so I'm going and I'm trying to get to three more representatives from Gambia, Nigeria and Chad. I'm going to ask, and I hate to do this, but I'm going to ask if you could please keep your comments or your questions to one minute. And that way we can ensure that we hear closing statements from our guests.

Gambia, please. Thank you very much. Honorable colleagues, in light of the United nations role as the world's leading multilateral organization, what key political, structural and financial challenges currently undermine its effectiveness and impact, particularly in addressing the needs of development countries such as the Gambia? Furthermore, how can the national parliaments, including the national assembly of the Gambia, play a more active role in supporting the United nations to deliver on its mandates and uphold its promises to global peace, development, women and children and their human rights? Finally, what best practice models exist for strengthening parliamentary oversights, enhancing transparency and promoting meaningful citizen engagement in multilateral decision making processes at the United nations levels?

Thank you very much. Thank you. The representative from Nigeria. Please go ahead.

Thank you for the opportunity. I'll go straight to the questions. Legislation on UN global goal is a sure way the Parliament can help the United nations to deliver on its promises. One example is the establishment of the SDG Fund by the Nigerian Parliament. What are the ways you could recommend to ensure that the parliaments among member states are very intentional about this?

My second question you've touched a bit, but I would like to repeat and see if you can give more direct answers. Some countries among the member states have become even more powerful than the UN itself. What is the specific plan with measurable timelines to control this and ensure that trust, transparency and comfort among member nations are sustained? Thank you. Thank you.

One minute to Chad, please.

Thank you very much. Thank you for giving me the floor.

Multilateralism is under threat. It is being threatened by differences between the great powers. And Africa bears the brunt of this because when it comes to Africa, peacekeeping operations are suffering from unclear mandates and insufficient resources and the lack of agreement in decision making.

So how can parliament authoritarians react to these conditions where conflicts only seem to be proliferating?

That's why I think more than restructuring the un, we need to talk about a route and branch overhaul and it needs to be done urgently. This is something that we need to think about in the near future so that we're really represented to talk about ourselves as well.

One more. A minute to the delegate from Ecuador, please.

Thank you very much.

First of all, we are here to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the UN and we've seen a great deal of progress over the last 80 years. But this anniversary cannot just be a symbolic commemoration. It has to mark a turning point. We are seeing how organized crime is able to use advanced technologies, but multilateral procedures don't use cutting edge technologies at all.

Countries such as Ecuador are seeing the ineffectiveness of the UN and this has a real impact on our citizens. So I'd like to know, how can parliaments ensure that the UN can fulfill. Its promises to the delegates for whom I cut their time in half, Although it does tell me that we can do it. And now for final comments and responses from left to right for this session. We will begin with Ambassador Schwalger.

Go ahead, please. Thank you very much. I'll take the question about the qualifications of the Secretary General. From our perspective, it's really two key qualifications. They need to be the international chief diplomat and they need to be the chief administrative officer of this organization.

In terms of chief diplomat, they need to have the skills and experience to be able to navigate the intricacies and depends on delicacies of working with the major powers. But of course they also have to show an understanding and a connection to the interests and the values that the broader membership have in terms of this organisation as well as chief Administrative Officer, they need to have a strategic vision for the future of the organisation. And more specifically, they have to have a plan on how to contemporise the organisation to make sure it's fit for purpose for the future. So thank you so much for having me. It was such a privilege to be part of this really rich and thoughtful.

Discussion and we thank you for attending and for your candor. Once again. Thank you. Ambassador Albanai, your final thoughts? Thank you very much.

I completely agree with what my distinguished colleague said here. I will tackle the two questions, one on regional groups and one on a conference for the review of. Although it was addressed to the President, I think it's important for me to address it. Also, because of the role in the ijn, I urge everybody to familiarize with the process of amending.