Final Activities Report of the IPU 2017-2020 Presidency

Gabriela Cuevas Barron |
DIPUTADA FEDERAL
|
Mexico City, 21 December 2020
Dear Speakers of Parliament,
Dear parliamentary colleagues,
Dear friends from the United Nations,
Dear friends with whom I shared these years as President of the
Inter-Parliamentary Union,
It is my hope that this letter finds you well and in good health.
In the spirit of transparency and accountability, I would like to inform you that the final report of my
term as President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, titled “Overall Activities Report of the Presidency,
2017-2020: Three years working together for a more inclusive and democratic IPU”, is now available
for download in English and French by going to this link in the IPU’s website.
During these last three years, I have sought to modernize the IPU and making it more relevant to our
members; advance democracy and respect for human rights; advocated for the inclusion of women
and young people in politics; fostered transparency and inclusiveness in our Organization; promoted
austerity and efficiency in the use of the budget allocated to the Presidency; made the Organization
closer to the views and needs of its members; and, last but not least, strengthened the IPU’s relationship
with the United Nations, reflected in two historical Resolutions on the Interaction between the United
Nations, national parliaments, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 2018 and 2020. The report that
is now available highlights the valuable results that have been achieved.
Throughout my tenure, I sought to increase the prominence and prestige of the IPU as the global
institution for parliamentarians. In terms of the work undertaken during the Presidency, I am pleased
to say that over 29 working meetings with heads of state and heads of government were held, as well
as having more than 30 participations at UN high-level meetings and conferences. I also had the
opportunity to visit 48 countries, attended 20 plus Parliamentary Conferences, presided in excess of
20 meetings of the Executive Committee, and had more than 90 bilateral meetings with Speakers of
Parliament.
Moreover, consensus-building remains essential, particularly while presiding an Organization with par-
liaments representing people from nations all over the world. An example of this was shown precisely
by adopting the Declaration of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (available
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here). The Declaration reaffirms the parliamentary nature of the Organization: “We underscore that
the IPU is a parliamentary political organization which must be endowed with stronger parliamentary
leadership, direction and control”. This document constitutes a resolute message of support to multilat-
eralism, and states a firm commitment on behalf of the parliamentary community to build back better.
Considerable efforts were also undertaken to foster innovation in the IPU. As such, more workshops
were included in the agenda of the IPU Assemblies. To commemorate 130 years of the IPU, an Anni-
versary Book with contributions prepared by national parliaments was launched this year. The Execu-
tive Education Parliamentary Leadership Seminar provided the means to assist parliamentarians in
developing the skills to address both national and global issues. The Advisory Group on Health, the
High-level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism and the Preparatory Com-
mittee for the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament were democratized and were rep-
resentative in both gender-equality and geopolitical terms. Furthermore, an agenda was promoted to
advance principles of transparency and accountability within the Organization.
Throughout all of my efforts, I was motivated by my core belief that only an active Presidency can
successfully inspire and mobilize political action by the world’s parliamentary community. 46,552 par-
liamentarians can definitely build a better world, and it is up to the IPU to provide much-needed space
for lively deliberation so that we can truly get to work by translating international agreements into
national and local realities for the people that we represent.
All in all, the report provides more details on the activities that I undertook over these years and
provides a detailed record of the achievements attained. As mentioned before, I am sharing this doc-
ument to be consistent with the principles of transparency and accountability that I have also worked
to strengthen within the IPU. But I also do so in the expectation that these efforts inspire even more
action to progress and address the most pressing challenges currently faced by our world.
That being said, I wish to reaffirm my gratitude to all the Speakers of Parliament, parliamentary
colleagues, the secretariats of the national parliaments and the IPU, partners at the United Nations,
and everyone who made this Presidency and its results possible. It has been a privilege to be the
youngest person and the second woman to preside the IPU in its 130 years. I truly appreciate the trust
that you have placed in me to lead our efforts to build a world that is more inclusive, fair, and human.
I will always carry the lessons that I have learned through our shared experiences during my term.
Even though unprecedented and difficult challenges have made this a particularly tough year for
everyone, I would like to take the opportunity to wish you and your loved ones well, in the hopes that
2021 brings much joy and good fortune, as well as success in all of your endeavors. While I bid
farewell to the IPU and cherish the extraordinary honor of receiving your trust to preside it over the
last three years, please know that I also look forward to keep working for democracy and human
rights. In that regard, you can always reach me at gabrielacuevasbarron@hotmail.com and my cell-
phone number, +52 55 2270 8667.
With the deepest sincerity and esteem,
Gabriela Cuevas Barron
Honorary President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Federal Deputy
Chamber of Deputies of the Mexican Congress
Av. Congreso de la Unión 66, Col. El Parque, alcaldía Venustiano Carranza, C.P. 15960 Ciudad de México, edificio B,
nivel 1, tel. 5036-0000 exts.61300 y 61301
gabriela.cuevas@diputados.gob.mx