Chinese top legislator urges IPU to play important role in international affairs

Chinese top legislator Zhang Dejiang said here Monday that the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) needs to play a more important role in international affairs.

Zhang is in New York to attend the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 at the invitation of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) President Saber Chowdhury and IPU Secretary-General Martin Chungong.

In his speech, he applauded the tremendous efforts IPU has made to uphold world peace, promote common development and advance democracy in international relations, which is "widely recognized and supported".

However, he said that under the new circumstances, the IPU needs to update its thinking and play a more important role in international affairs.

For China's part, he said that China's NPC attaches great importance to the IPU's role and influence in international affairs.

"We have taken an active part in IPU activities to contribute to its development," he said.

He announced that China will make a donation of 1.5 million U.S. dollars in cash to the IPU to further support its work.

A draft declaration, titled "Placing democracy at the service of peace and sustainable development: Building the world the people want", is expected to be adopted at the conference.

Moreover, special emphasis will be placed on achieving 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) due to be adopted at a UN Summit in September.

The Conference is organized by IPU every five years and supported by the UN.

The IPU, established in 1889, is the focal point for world-wide parliamentary dialogue and works for peace and co-operation among peoples and for the firm establishment of representative democracy, according to IPU website.

Source: XINHUA