National Institutions Crucial to Peacebuilding

Annan to Parliamentarians: National Institutions Crucial to Peacebuilding

New York, Nov 13 2006 4:00PM

National law-making bodies and other institutions are crucial to preventing war and building peace, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in a message to mark the opening of the yearly gathering of parliamentarians at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

“Country ownership of peace-building is essential, meaning that the role of national institutions such as parliaments is crucial to success,” he said in a statement delivered by Deputy Secretary Mark Malloch-Brown to the 2006 Parliamentary Hearings organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Pointing to the recent General Assembly resolution on cooperation between the UN and the IPU, pledged the world body’s commitment to strengthening partnership in peacebuilding.

According to the IPU, the Parliamentary Hearings, organized every year during the fall session of the General Assembly, are an opportunity for members of parliaments around the world to exchange views with UN officials, national representatives and scholars.

This year’s meeting, which runs through tomorrow, will discuss the 2006 Secretary-General’s Report on Conflict Prevention, the new UN Peacebuilding Commission, anti-corruption efforts and coordination between parliamentarians and the UN, 1the IPU said.

ENDS

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