The President of Uzbekistan underscores the importance of expanding multifaceted cooperation in the framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Union

On April 7 President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev addressed the opening session at the 150th assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

More than 2 thousand delegates from nearly 140 countries are participating in the summit.

The Assembly of the Union, uniting 181 national parliaments and 15 regional organizations, is being held for the first time in the Central Asia region.

At the beginning of his speech, the President of Uzbekistan particularly noted that in recent years, conflicts, ecological and technological disasters, economic crises, "trade wars," and threats of terrorism and extremism have been intensifying in various regions of the world.

- In such an extremely difficult situation, the time itself demands that parliaments intensify their participation in maintaining peace, ensuring social development, and justice in the world, - emphasized the President.

It should be noted that at the initiative of Uzbekistan, the current Assembly is held under the slogan "Parliamentary Movement for Social Progress and Justice."

According to the data of international organizations, over the past 30 years, the global GDP has increased 4.5 times. However, the income of the poorer segments of the population has practically remained unchanged. If this trend continues, by 2030, 575 million people worldwide will live in poverty, and 84 million children will be deprived of access to education.

It was emphasized that the further expansion of multifaceted cooperation between representative bodies in this area would make a significant contribution to overall development.

As the President highlighted, in the "Uzbekistan – 2030" Strategy, the development of the parliamentary institution is identified as an important task. Over the past few years, more than 20 laws have been adopted aimed at increasing the role of the legislative branch in the life of society and the state.

The list of powers of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis has been increased from 5 to 12, and the Senate’s powers have been expanded from 14 to 18. Several powers of the President have been transferred to the legislative branch.

Today, the share of women in the Parliament of Uzbekistan has reached 38 percent. In 2021, the first Youth Parliaments were established under the chambers of the Oliy Majlis.

Uzbekistan is promoting several international initiatives of global importance in the parliamentary sphere. In particular, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution "On strengthening the role of parliaments in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals".

Representatives of Uzbekistan actively participate in the work of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of Central Asian States, the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS, and other multilateral platforms.

The Head of our state outlined the priorities for inter-parliamentary cooperation.

It was noted that conflicts in various regions pose a serious threat to global and regional peace and security. It was emphasized that Uzbekistan is a strong supporter of resolving any conflicts only through diplomacy and peaceful negotiations.

In these matters, it is advisable to follow universally recognized norms of international law, the Charter, and resolutions of the United Nations.

In this context, Uzbekistan views the UN as the only universal international organization, which has no analogues.

The President of Uzbekistan emphasized that issues related to climate change should remain at the center of close attention. The importance of fully fulfilling commitments under the Paris Agreement and achieving carbon neutrality goals was highlighted.

One of the main conditions for societal development was named as the firm establishment of women’s rights. Today, their share in parliaments worldwide has increased from 11.3 percent in 1995 to 27.2 percent this year.

In recent years, in cooperation with UN institutions and the Inter-Parliamentary Union the Asian Women's Forum and the Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament were successfully hosted in our country.

The hope was expressed for the support of the UN General Assembly resolution "On expanding the socio-economic, political-legal, and cultural-humanitarian activities of women in Asia", promoted at the initiative of Uzbekistan.

The leader of Uzbekistan particularly emphasized the relevance of the issue of expanding the rights and opportunities for the full participation of youth in all areas of societal life. In this context, the importance of actively involving youth in the activities of national parliaments and the Union was noted.

It was proposed to create a Global Platform for Youth Parliaments within the framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and hold its founding forum in Uzbekistan.

Another priority area is cooperation in ensuring the right of every individual to social protection and providing quality services based on international standards.

The President of Uzbekistan invited the participants of the Forum to actively participate in the International Conference on Poverty Reduction, scheduled in our country in September this year.

The Head of our state noted that today’s realities require strengthening systematic cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence. In this regard, it was suggested to consider developing a legal framework on ethics for its use to effectively regulate this sector.

In conclusion, it was emphasized that all the proposals and initiatives presented are fully in line with the goals of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Strategy.

The President of Uzbekistan wished all participants of the anniversary Assembly a successful summit and fruitful meetings.