The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, delivered a speech at the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, delivered a speech at the opening of the 150th anniversary assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on April 7.

More than 2,000 delegates from nearly 140 countries around the world are participating in the summit.

This assembly, which unites 181 national parliaments and 15 regional organizations, is being held for the first time in the Central Asian region.

At the beginning of his speech, the President of Uzbekistan particularly highlighted that in recent years, conflicts, environmental and technological disasters, economic crises, "trade wars," and threats of terrorism and extremism have been intensifying in various regions of the world.

In such an extremely complicated environment, the times themselves require parliaments to intensify their participation in preserving peace, ensuring social development, and promoting justice in the world, the President emphasized.

It is noteworthy that at Uzbekistan's initiative, this year's assembly is held under the slogan "Parliamentary movement for social progress and justice."

According to international organizations, over the past 30 years, the global GDP has increased 4.5 times. However, the incomes of the poorest segments of the population have virtually not changed. If this trend continues, by 2030, 575 million people in the world will live in poverty, and 84 million children will be deprived of access to education.

It was emphasized that further expansion of multifaceted cooperation between representative bodies in this direction will make a valuable contribution to overall development.

As highlighted by the President, in the "Uzbekistan – 2030" strategy, the development of the parliamentary institution is identified as a key task. Over the past few years, more than 20 laws have been adopted aimed at enhancing the role of the legislative branch in the life of society and the state.

The powers of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis were increased from 5 to 12, and those of the Senate from 14 to 18. A number of powers have been transferred from the President to the legislative branch.

Today, the share of women in Uzbekistan's parliament has reached 38 percent. In 2021, youth parliaments were launched for the first time under the chambers of the Oliy Majlis.

Uzbekistan is advancing a number of global initiatives in the parliamentary sphere. In particular, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on "Strengthening the role of parliaments in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals."

Uzbek representatives actively participate in the work of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, the Central Asia Inter-Parliamentary Forum, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, and other multilateral platforms.

The President of our country outlined the priorities for inter-parliamentary interaction.

It was noted that conflicts in various regions present a serious threat to global and regional peace and security. It was emphasized that Uzbekistan is a strong supporter of resolving any conflicts solely through diplomacy and peaceful negotiations.

In these matters, it is advisable to be guided by universally recognized norms of international law, the Charter, and resolutions of the United Nations.

In this context, Uzbekistan considers the UN as the only universal and unparalleled international organization.

The President of Uzbekistan emphasized that the issues of climate change must remain at the center of close attention. The importance of fully fulfilling commitments under the Paris Agreement and achieving carbon neutrality goals was noted.

One of the main conditions for the development of society is the firm consolidation of women's rights. Today, their share in the parliaments of the world has increased from 11.3 percent in 1995 to 27.2 percent this year.

In recent years, our country has successfully held the Asian Women's Forum and the Summit of Women Parliamentarians with the UN and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Hope was expressed for the support of the UN General Assembly resolution "On Expanding the Socio-Economic, Political-Legal, and Cultural-Humanitarian Activities of Women in Asia," promoted at the initiative of Uzbekistan.

The leader of Uzbekistan particularly noted the relevance of expanding the rights and opportunities for the full participation of youth in all spheres of society. In this context, the importance of actively involving youth in the activities of national parliaments and the Union was emphasized.

It was proposed to create a Global Platform for Youth Parliaments within the framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and hold its founding forum in Uzbekistan.

Another priority direction is cooperation in ensuring the rights of every person to social protection and providing quality services based on international standards.

The President of Uzbekistan invited the forum participants to actively participate in the International Conference on Poverty Reduction, which will be held in our country in September this year.

The head of our state noted that the realities of today require strengthening systemic cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence. In this regard, it was proposed to consider the development of a legal framework on ethics for its use to effectively regulate this field.

In conclusion, it was emphasized that all the proposals and initiatives mentioned fully align with the goals of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Strategy.

The President of Uzbekistan wished all participants of the anniversary assembly successful work at the summit and fruitful meetings.