‘You Are a Crucial Bridge between the Local and the Global’, Secretary-General Tells Interparliamentary Union Assembly, Urging Support for Women Leadership
Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the Interparliamentary Union’s 145th Assembly, in Kigali, Rwanda, today:
I am pleased to greet this Assembly of the Interparliamentary Union (IPU). As a proud former parliamentarian and member of IPU myself, I know how pivotal your work is to building stronger communities and a better world.
You are a crucial bridge between the local and the global. You bring people’s concerns into the international arena — and translate international agreements into national action.
But to do so effectively, parliaments need to represent the people they serve. I commend your focus on gender equality and gender-sensitive parliaments as drivers of change. And I congratulate the host of today’s Assembly, Rwanda, for being the world’s first country with a female majority in Parliament.
I urge you to raise your ambition to ensure women everywhere have the same opportunities to sit at the decision-making table as men. And I count on you to take action to better protect women in politics against the growing threat of violence.
We know that when women take leadership roles in public life, Governments and legislatures are more responsive and more accountable for all. We look to you to advance gender equality — including through special temporary measures — to help drive change and results.
That’s what our world needs. To advance climate action at a scale that matches the scope of the challenge. To defend human rights and the rule of law. To mobilize resources to confront the hunger crisis and escalating humanitarian emergencies. And to promote sustainable development and deliver the 2030 Agenda.
Together, let us go farther and faster towards a world of peace, equality and opportunity for all. Thank you.