The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) is attending the 128th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly being held in Quito, Ecuador, between 22-27 March 2013. The Assembly was inaugurated by the President of Ecuador, H.E. Rafael Correa.
The main theme of the Assembly is “From unrelenting growth to purposeful development – Buen Vivir”. PAM Secretary General, Amb. Sergio Piazzi, together with nearly 1200 delegates, among which 630 MPs from all continents, are looking into issues pertaining to economic growth and how this can lead to the general well-being of populations around the world.
The nearly 120 national parliamentary delegations will also deal with issues on safeguarding civilian lives during armed conflicts, natural disasters and other threats, as well as how to ensure that any future global development plan will deliver tangible results.
Parliamentarians are also tackling the future of human development. Participants, including 42 Speakers of national parliaments, will focus on how democratic governance can be integrated into a new global development agenda after 2015, when the current Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will expire. It was highlighted that the lack of effective democratic governance has had a significant impact on MDGs not being met, particularly amongst the most marginalized groups.
The internal conflict in Syria will be among the major concerns that will be discussed during the Assembly. It is expected that proposals for an immediate ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population will be on the table. On this issue PAM has been highly operational and has put its parliamentary network at the full disposal of UN-League of Arab States Joint Special Envoys for Syria, H.E. Kofi Annan and H.E. Lakhdar Brahimi respectively. With regards to the Middle East in general PAM will also organize in the coming weeks a High level mission to the region with visits to Jerusalem, Ramallah, Amman and Beirut.
PAM Secretary General will also be engaged in a number of bilateral meetings with delegations from PAM member parliaments attending the Quito Meeting. The economic crisis and the democratic processes in the region will be discussed in view of PAM’s commitment towards the achievement and the consolidation of stability in the Mediterranean.