By IANS,
New Delhi : Indian parliamentarians led by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar will be interacting with MPs from across the world at the 125th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Bern to discuss issues ranging from global governance to climate change and non-proliferation.
The three-day assembly of the IPU opened in Bern, the capital of Switzerland, Monday with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urging states to restore the trust of their citizens in governments and institutions.
“It is a deficit of trust,” Ban told the assembly, which is also being attended by Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey. “People are losing trust in governments and institutions to do the right things.”
Ban also called for the world’s leading economies to join a binding climate treaty to halve planetary emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.
Around 1,400 delegates, including legislators and speakers of parliament from 140 countries, are participating in the IPU assembly, hosted by the Swiss parliament.
Parliamentarians will be debating a host of global issues, including nuclear disarmament, recent events in the Middle East and North Africa, global governance, access to health care for women and children, and the green economy.
With the developed world still reeling from the blowback of the global recession, a panel discussion on “reform of the financial market” will also be held.
Headed by Meira Kumar, the Indian delegation comprises, among others, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha K. Rahman Khan and MPs Uday Singh, Francisco Sardinha, Umashanker Singh and Jose K. Mani.