Duarte Pacheco, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,
Dear Speakers,

Parliamentarians, Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you for joining this annual Parliamentary Hearing under the theme: “Building political support and inclusive responses to sustainable recovery”.

My sincere appreciation to President Pacheco for joining and co-hosting this hearing.

My dear friends, I served in the People’s Majlis – the Maldivian Parliament for 25 years. I served as the Speaker for 5 years. During my time at the Parliament, I also served in the regional parliamentary bodies and attended many of the IPU meetings. So, the Parliament is something very close to my heart. And I welcome every opportunity to discuss matters of parliament, and to interact with legislatures from around the world.

The parliament is home, where my heart is.

I was honored to address the 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, in Vienna in September, and I was glad to send a pre-recorded message to the 143rd Assembly of the IPU, which was held in Madrid, Spain in November last year.

I applaud the IPU’s incredible work and fully commit to further strengthening the strategic partnership between the IPU and the UN.

My dear friends, colleagues, through my experiences in the Maldives’ Parliament and in the General Assembly, I have developed a strong appreciation of the synergies between the UN and parliaments around the world.

It is extremely important that parliamentary perspectives from across the world are reflected in UN decisions and parliaments actively engage in meeting international commitments.

Parliaments are the platform through which UN resolutions can be turned into national legislation. And national parliaments can be the mechanism through which local concerns can be conveyed to the UN and deliberated by the international community.

This synergy is always important, but especially so during a global crisis, such as where we are today: the COVID-19 pandemic, or as we face global challenges such as eradicating poverty or confronting climate change.

At times like these, we need a steady flow of information across all levels, and all platforms. We need concerted and calibrated action across many countries and regions. This is where parliaments and the UN must be in lockstep.

As we look to the challenges we currently face: vaccine equity for COVID-19; a sustainable recovery that builds on the 2030 Agenda; climate change and environmental concerns; inequality in all its forms, we see a world in need of leadership and collaboration. Our dialogue today acknowledges those needs.

Dear colleagues, you know that I have based my presidency on the message of hope. This is very much borne of my islander upbringing, which instilled in me the value of hope in enduring and overcoming adversity, in overcoming challenges.

Throughout a long and diverse career, I have seen the wisdom of this simple lesson time and time again.

During my travels and exchanges I have seen what human effort and ingenuity can achieve.

From renewable energy to the development of vaccines, the results speak for themselves. There is no lack of solutions to the international community’s challenges. What is sometimes in short supply is political will.

This year’s hearing focuses on addressing that shortage. It is about building political support and inclusive responses to ensure a sustainable recovery.

You will recall, dear colleagues, that when the pandemic was at its peak we spoke of a ‘new normal’ and the ‘great reset’. We saw a chance to change how we did things; how we lived and worked and existed on this planet.

We now need our actions to match the ambition of our words. We need to implement polices backed with sufficient resources, to demonstrate our sincerity and meet our goals.

In this, multilateralism and global cooperation are vital. Only together can we deliver for the people of the world. Only together can we overcome these challenges and realize the aspirations that we all speak of, and our hearts long for.

Having entered this office at a time when the world is facing multiple global crises, and with the knowledge that the global citizenry is tired, frustrated, and anxious, my Presidency of Hope is about reminding people that we can persevere, that we will achieve greater things, together.

I urge each and every one of you to provide the billions of people struggling all over the world the possibility of hope, and the assurance that a better future truly exists.

My dear colleagues, I look forward to hearing from you on how we can take this forward.

I thank you.