Ross

ROBERTSON

Associate Spokesperson for Disarmament

5 November 2013 MEDIA STATEMENT
MP to lead peace process in Colombia
Labour’s Associate Spokesperson for Disarmament and Parliamentarians for Global Action President, Ross Robertson, will next week open the 34th Annual Parliamentary Forum of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) in Bogota, Colombia.

He will be joined by Juan Fernando Cristo, President of the Colombian Senate and Speaker Hernán Penagbos Giraldo.

“The date of this year’s Forum coincides with International Human Rights Day, and will address the topic ‘Building a stable and durable peace: the role of parliamentarians in support of peace processes,” Ross Robertson said.

“The focus will be on generating parliamentary support for the peace process in Colombia, in order to end a war of over 50 years.

“Workshops during the Forum will also discuss, among other issues, the ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty and the complementary jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court,” he said.

In addition to the Forum, the 2013 Defender of Democracy Award will be granted to Tongan MP, Samuela ‘Akilisa Pohiva, who is being honoured for his contributions to democracy in Tonga and the wider Asia Pacific region. He is a leading member of Tonga’s pro-democracy movement.

Past recipients of the Defender of Democracy Award include former New Zealand Prime Minister, Helen Clark, and Mary Robinson, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“It is always very positive and uplifting to acknowledge those whose leadership has been an inspiration to so many,” Ross Robertson said.

ENDS

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