The 124th IPU Assembly was inaugurated on 15 April 2011 at a ceremony held at the ATLAPA Convention Centre in Panama City, Panama, in the presence of H.E. Mr. Ricardo Martinelli, President of the Republic of Panama. Inaugural addresses were delivered by Mr. José Muñoz Molina, Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Joseph Deiss, President of the United Nations General Assembly, and Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, IPU President. The ceremony concluded with a statement by the President of Panama, who declared the 124th Assembly officially open.
2. Election of the President and keynote addresses
The 124th Assembly opened at the ATLAPA Convention Centre on the morning of Saturday, 16 April, with the election by acclamation of Mr. José Muñoz Molina, Speaker of the National Assembly of Panama, as President of the Assembly.
The President said that it was a great honour for him to have been elected to preside over the Assembly’s work. After opening the general debate on the overall theme of Parliamentary accountability: Living up to people’s expectations, he invited Ms. Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, to deliver a keynote address.
Ms. Bachelet said she was very glad to take part in the IPU Assembly and have the opportunity to present the new UN entity for women, UN Women, to the IPU membership. Respect for women’s rights and the achievement of gender equality were core tenets of progress not only for women, but for society as a whole. Parliaments and their members – men and women – had an important role to play in the promotion of gender equality as legislators, overseers of government action, representatives of the people and opinion leaders.
UN Women was currently developing its three-year strategic plan. It had identified five thematic priorities for its operational activities: (1) enhancing women’s economic empowerment; (2) expanding women’s voice, leadership and political participation; (3) ending violence against women; (4) strengthening implementation of the women’s peace and security agenda; and (5) making gender-equality priorities central to national, local and sectoral planning and budgeting.
Ms. Bachelet described the situation of women in politics, highlighting recent progress in some regions and countries as well as interesting initiatives taken to secure a minimum number of women in decision-making positions, including through the adoption of positive action measures. Much more needed to be done and new challenges had to be considered and researched, such as the role of political parties, the often short career of women in politics, and women’s reluctance to enter politics.
Parliaments and the IPU were natural and important partners in the achievement of gender equality and the goals set by UN Women. Areas of cooperation with the IPU included: facilitating women’s access to parliament, including through legislative and constitutional reform; providing capacity-building support for women in parliament; helping parliaments ensure respect for women’s rights; carrying out cutting-edge research in new fields; and working together to combat violence against women.