SPEECH
BY HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM
NGUYEN SINH HUNG
AT THE INAUGURAL CEREMONY OF
THE 132ND INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION
(Saturday, March 28th 2015, National Assembly House)
***
Your Excellency Mr. Truong Tan Sang, President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam,
Your Excellency Mr. Saber Chowdhury, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,
Your Excellency Mr. Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,
Madam Amina Mohammed, Special Adviser of the UN Secretary General,
Excellencies Leaders and Members of Parliaments,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, I wish to extend a very warm welcome to all distinguished delegates and guests from across the world to the 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union held in Ha Noi, the capital of Viet Nam.
It is a great pleasure and pride for the National Assembly and the people of Viet Nam to host this important forum for the very first time. The presence of over 160 delegations representing member parliaments, associate members, observers and guests with more than 1,600 delegates reflects the keen interest of parliaments all over the world in the 132nd IPU Assembly as well as their high expectation for its success. Once again, I would like to express my sincere thanks to you all for your attendance.
Throughout the 125-year history of the IPU, the world has witnessed many historical ups and downs, yet the great ideas for peace through dialogue initiated by the IPU’s founding fathers remain relevant and valuable to this day.
From only nine members at the time of its inception in 1889, the IPU now embraces 166 member parliaments from across the world, making it the largest world organization of parliaments. Along with its growth in membership, the IPU has been taking ever more important mandates of raising the voices and aspirations of the world people on safeguarding peace, shaping multilateral cooperation, promoting international law, promoting political dialogue, democracy, human rights, gender equality, fostering economic and trade development and sustainable growth. As IPU member parliaments, we can be proud of its achievements over the past century.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Agenda of the 132nd IPU Assembly focuses on the theme: “Sustainable Development Goals: Turning Words into Actions.” This topic is of great significance at the time when we are about to complete the first 15 years of implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015) and the United Nations is preparing to adopt the Post-2015 Development Agenda. At this Assembly, the task is on us to deliberate on the roles, mandates and measures undertaken by the member parliaments to “turn words into actions,” implement sustainable development goals, deliver a strong message of the world community of parliaments on their commitment to effectively follow through with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) via legislative actions, awareness building, mobilisation of social resources, budget financing, funding and technical assistance for SDGs implementation and monitoring.
Apart from that, the 132nd IPU Assembly will reserve time for the discussion of many important topics which include, among others, the role of parliaments in response to cyber warfare, shaping a new system of water governance, international law, national sovereignty, human rights, gender equality, United Nations affairs, human rights of parliamentarians, maternal and child health care, HIV/AIDS. Being convened in the year of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, the 30th anniversary of the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians, the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Platform of Action, this Assembly provides an excellent opportunity for us to have in-depth discussions on the role of parliaments in the promotion of these significant goals.
I am confident that the Assembly will successfully fulfil its agenda and reach high consensus on adopting the Ha Noi Declaration, reflecting on the major issues discussed and the commitments of the IPU and its member parliaments on promoting the implementation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. This important document will be submitted to the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015. The Ha Noi Declaration with a clear message about the role of parliaments in realising the Post-2015 Development Agenda will serve as our practical contribution to the new development phase of the international community.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, the National Assembly of Viet Nam is delighted to welcome you all at the new National Assembly House, adjacent to the Thang Long Imperial Citadel heritage site with thousands of years of history, overlooking the Ba Dinh Square where President Ho Chi Minh read the historic Declaration of Independence 70 years ago in September 1945 to declare to the world the birth of an independent Viet Nam. With the spirit of peace-loving, national independence, international integration and the acknowledgement of the role played by the IPU, soon after the restoration of peace in Indochina (1954), President Ho Chi Minh and the National Assembly of Viet Nam submitted the proposal to become a member of the IPU.
Over the last 70 years, inspired by the spirit of peace, national independence, democracy, cooperation and development of President Ho Chi Minh, the State and the people of Viet Nam have persevered with the struggle for peace, national independence, and continuously carried out reform, strived to achieve the goal of “wealthy people, strong country, democratic, just and advanced society”. Having gone through untold difficulties, Viet Nam today consistently pursues the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralization and diversification of relations, active international integration, being a friend, a reliable partner and responsible member in the international community, contributing to the course of peace, national independence, democracy and social progress in the world.
Bearing the noble task of hosting the 132nd IPU, the National Assembly of Viet Nam has been doing its best to prepare for this largest international parliamentary event. Besides the official agenda of the Assembly, we do hope that the delegates will spend time to attend cultural and art performances and sightseeing tours in order to better understand the culture and history of the Vietnamese nation, the hospitality and friendship of our people.
Inspired by the great ideas of peace, democracy, equality and fraternity throughout its 125 years of history, with its diverse and substantive agenda, with the experience and the zeal of all delegates, with the spirit of cooperation and our joint efforts, I am convinced that the 132nd IPU Assembly will be crowned with success. On that note, I have the honor to declare open the 132nd Assembly of the IPU.
Thank you for your attention./.