Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, RT. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has called on governments across the world to be grateful to Parliamentarians for their role in maintaining peace and understanding.
According to the Speaker, African Parliamentarians have been playing a significant role in contributing to peacekeeping missions that are deployed by regional organizations such as the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to address conflicts and stabilize fragile states.
RT. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin made these comments when he delivered a speech at the 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Under the theme; Parliamentary Diplomacy: Building Bridges for peace and Understanding, the Speaker noted that in recent years, parliamentary diplomacy has become a valuable tool for building relationships and promoting cooperation between national parliaments and parliamentary institutions.
As a result, many parliaments now encourage their members to participate in inter-parliamentary organizations, bilateral exchanges, and other parliamentary diplomacy initiatives.
Through these efforts, Parliamentarians can represent their countries’ interests, foster dialogue and cooperation with counterparts from other nations, and work towards building consensus on international issues.
“Parliamentarians perform their traditional roles and contribute significantly to global affairs. In this regard, Parliamentarians oversee international negotiations, ratify and enforce international agreements, facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues on international issues, disseminate information on international issues and organizations to citizens, and participate in inter-governmental negotiations and peace-building processes”, Alban Bagbin emphasized.
He further noted that Parliamentarians play a critical role in positively shaping global affairs adding that treaties and agreements that are executed by the Executive are required to be ratified by Parliament hence providing platforms for dialogue, collaboration, and conflict resolution, parliamentarians can bridge divides, promote mutual understanding, and advocate for peaceful resolutions to conflicts.
“As we look toward the future, we must express our deepest gratitude to parliamentarians around the world for their tireless efforts in promoting peace and understanding. Despite the challenges we face, there is hope for a future where nations come together in cooperation and solidarity. We must reaffirm our commitment to diplomatic engagement, prioritize peace-building efforts, and foster collaboration among nations, so we can build a more peaceful and prosperous world for generations to come”, he added.
