JAKARTA - The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, held a bilateral meeting with the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), Abdulla Shahid. The meeting discussed a number of global issues, including the protection of women.
The meeting between Puan and Abdulla Shahid was held on the sidelines of The 7th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) 2022 event which took place at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC), Bali, Thursday 26 May.
At the beginning of the meeting, Puan welcomed Abdulla Shahid to Indonesia which was appointed as the host of the 7th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
“This shows His Majesty's high commitment to the issue of disaster risk reduction. I support the leadership of Mr. Abdulla Shahid at the UN General Assembly which carries the vision of the Presidency of Hope, which wants to bring hope and optimism to the world out of the crisis," said Puan in a written statement, Thursday, May 26.
The first woman who served as Chair of the DPR also expressed her hope that the UN General Assembly under the leadership of Abdulla Shahid could answer various challenges in the world that are facing multidimensional crises. Puan detailed, starting from the crisis related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the economy and inflation, climate change, food, energy, and geopolitical tensions.
“I am of the view that the current global crisis requires a global response. We must increase our commitment to international cooperation, multilateralism to build a global response," he said.
Puan then mentioned about parliament which has an important role to provide political support for foreign policy and various international agreements. Domestic political support, he said, would strengthen the legitimacy of international commitments.
"Parliament also plays a role in the implementation of international agreements at home through the ratification and support of constituents in various international agreements," said Puan.
He added that the DPR itself is committed to playing an active role in responding to various global challenges. At the multilateral level, the DPR contributed to discussions at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) where Puan was actively involved in several agendas, including becoming the 144th President of the IPU Assembly in Nusa Dua, Bali, last March.
“The meeting adopted the Nusa Dua Declaration on parliament's commitment to advancing climate change management. This includes reducing disaster risk caused by climate change," he explained.
According to Puan, the parliament's perspective in responding to various global challenges is very much needed. Moreover, at this time the world is always hit by various crises so that a new approach is needed to achieve order and prosperity in the world.
“Parliament is a representation of the people who are directly affected by various global issues. In this case, greater involvement of the parliament as well as the IPU is needed in discussing various global issues at the United Nations and its specialized agencies,” he explained.
“The voice of parliament should be heard more in international forums. This can be done by inviting Parliamentary Speakers to the UN General Assembly in September every year or at other major UN events,” continued the former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture.
Puan emphasized that greater synergy between the UN and parliament would increase political support, assist in the implementation and dissemination of various UN programs. In addition, it is said that the UN will get input from parliament for the improvement of future UN programs.
At the meeting, Puan also talked about Indonesia, which this year holds the G20 Presidency. In line with the forum, the DPR will also host The Eighth G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) at the DPR Building in Jakarta on 6-7 October 2022.
"The implementation of the P20 is expected to provide input for the G20 and provide a parliamentary perspective in discussing the G20 agenda. I look forward to the UN's support and input for the implementation of the P20 in 2022," said Puan to Abdulla Shahid.
On the occasion, the issue of women's empowerment and gender equality was also discussed. Puan emphasized that Indonesia has a strong commitment to women's issues where as is well known, Indonesia already has a female President and Chair of the DPR, as well as many ministers, regional heads, and council members who come from women.
Puan then mentioned how Indonesia's struggle to make various policies and legal products to support women. One of them is the ratification of the Act on the Crime of Sexual Violence (TPKS) as a support for the protection of women who are victims of sexual violence.
"The DPR RI has just passed a law against gender-based violence, namely the Act on the Crime of Sexual Violence. This is an important breakthrough in setting up a comprehensive procedural law as well as recognizing and guaranteeing victims' rights," he said. Puan hopes that Indonesia's commitment to the protection of women will receive international support. “I know that the Presidency of Hope from the current President of the United Nations General Assembly also contains the strengthening of gender equality. Therefore, I am ready to work with Your Excellency to advance the discussion of gender issues in various international forums, including the P20 discussion," said Puan.
The meeting between Puan and Abdulla Shahid also discussed the implementation of the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR). It is certain that Indonesia is ready to cooperate, including through the role of parliament in strengthening preparedness related to health security preparedness to anticipate future pandemics.
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