Rethinking and reframing the approach to peace processes with a view to fostering lasting peace

144th IPU Assembly
Nusa Dua, Indonesia
20-24 March 2022
E
#IPU144
Rethinking and reframing the approach to peace
processes with a view to fostering lasting peace
Resolution adopted by consensus*
by the 144th IPU Assembly
(Nusa Dua, 24 March 2022)
The 144th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,
Recalling the tenets and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United
Nations to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,
Recalling also the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the
International Covenants on Human Rights and other human rights agreements, and
affirming the importance for all member States parties to these agreements to implement
them fully in order to promote international peace and security,
Recalling further the international community’s commitment to preventing
conflict and achieving sustainable peace contained in the United Nations 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development, in particular Sustainable Development Goal 16 on
providing access to justice and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies,
Mindful of Security Council resolutions 1325 of 31 October 2000 on women,
peace and security; 1612 of 26 July 2005 on children and armed conflict; 1820 of 19 June
2008 on sexual violence in conflict; and 2250 of 9 December 2015 on youth, peace and
security; and their successor resolutions that address the inordinate impact of conflict and
war on women and children, as well as the need for a survivor/victim-centred approach in
all interventions, and highlight the crucial role that women, youth and children should and
already do play in conflict prevention and peace building,
Recalling the IPU resolutions Promoting international reconciliation, helping
to bring stability to regions of conflict, and assisting with post-conflict reconstruction
(adopted at the 110th IPU Assembly, April 2004), The role of parliament in respecting the
principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of States (adopted at the 136th IPU
Assembly, April 2017), Sustaining peace as a vehicle for achieving sustainable
development (adopted at the 138th IPU Assembly, March 2018), and Parliamentary
strategies to strengthen peace and security against threats and conflicts resulting from
climate-related disasters and their consequences (adopted at the 142nd IPU Assembly,
May 2021),
Recalling also the Declaration of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments
entitled The parliamentary vision for international cooperation at the dawn of the third
millennium (adopted on 1 September 2000), the St. Petersburg Declaration Promoting
cultural pluralism and peace through interfaith and inter-ethnic dialogue (endorsed by the
137th IPU Assembly, October 2017), and the Belgrade Declaration Strengthening
international law: Parliamentary roles and mechanisms, and the contribution of regional
cooperation (endorsed by the 141st IPU Assembly, October 2019),
* The delegation of India expressed reservations on preambular paragraphs 5 and 13, and
operative paragraph 17.
Offentligt
IPU Alm.del - Bilag 11
Dansk Interparlamentarisk Gruppes bestyrelse 2021-22
- 2 -
Mindful of the fact that nearly all armed conflicts today take place within countries; that
56 armed state-based conflicts in the world were recorded in 2020 which represented the highest
number of conflicts in the post-Second World War period; and that the majority of these conflicts
were internationalized,
Mindful also of the use of tactics below the threshold of war, such as cyberattacks,
information warfare, coercive trade and the targeting of critical infrastructure, that harm societies
politically and socio-economically for strategic gain,
Cognizant that peace is not synonymous with the absence of violent conflict, to which
no society is immune; that the root causes of conflict are a combination of inequalities,
underdevelopment, grievances, and unresolved and protracted misunderstandings within societies
as well as a society’s capacity for organized violence; and that once armed conflict begins the
costs to societies are enormous,
Recognizing that resolved conflicts have a tendency to recur and that there are fewer
ongoing peace processes than there are conflicts,
Recognizing also the current complex and multidimensional nature of peace and
security issues that need to be addressed through a holistic approach, and stressing the key role of
parliaments and parliamentarians in the whole peace continuum process, in line with the peace and
security architecture of the United Nations,
Recognizing further the importance of adherence to the Charter of the United Nations,
particularly the fundamental principles of international law, including the sovereignty, independence
and territorial integrity of States, and non-intervention in the internal affairs of States,
Deeply concerned that future risks of conflict arising from current and ongoing global
issues are expected to escalate, for example, as a consequence of climate change and pandemics,
reaffirming that there is no development without peace, no peace without development, and that
neither is possible without the promotion and protection of human rights,
Recognizing, in the light of current and future challenges, that the active promotion of
peace and conflict prevention by more actors and organizations is needed, and that contributions of
women, youth, indigenous peoples, local communities and other groups that have traditionally
been left furthest behind are essential in this regard, and stressing that effective and sustainable
solutions to conflicts can only be achieved through negotiations, based on a spirit of justice,
compromise and mutual accommodation,
Recognizing also that, as the world continues to face humanitarian crises, human
security, as an alternative paradigm for development cooperation, could be instrumental to address
multidimensional and complex global challenges,
Recognizing further the unique role of national parliaments and parliamentarians in
using parliamentary diplomacy as a vital tool in promoting meaningful inter-parliamentary dialogue
and mediation while using their legislation, oversight and financial functions to determine the fair
allocation and efficient use of resources to areas of development considered national priorities; the
need for effective and uninterrupted functioning of parliaments before, during and after conflicts;
and parliaments’ role in conflict prevention,
Stressing the capacity of national parliaments and parliamentarians to call
governments to order by challenging the use of governments’ emergency powers to wage war
which gives parliaments a key role to play in times of peace and in conflict prevention both in their
own countries and internationally,
Acknowledging the IPU’s unique role as the parliamentary counterpart to the United
Nations and as a forum for dialogue and cooperation on matters of international peace and
security; and, in particular, its role in providing support to parliaments and parliamentarians in
addressing threats to peace at the local, national, regional and international levels, and in sharing
lessons learned among its Member Parliaments and enabling vivid, mutually respectful exchanges
among members of parliaments of different delegations in seeking solutions,
- 3 -
Mindful of the IPU 2022–2026 Strategy, particularly its objectives to “build effective
and empowered parliaments”; “promote inclusive and representative parliaments”; and “catalyse
collective parliamentary action”,
Recognizing that inclusive, representative, accessible, accountable and effective
legislatures with the autonomy and capacity to act can foster conflict resilience and sustainable
peace if grievances, differences and solution alternatives are articulated and decided upon in
peaceful, transparent and respectful public debates in and outside of parliament,
Recognizing also the various tools and measures that parliaments have for dialogue
between different national stakeholders, including measures to work in a bi-partisan fashion by
establishing commissions of inquiry and to arrange hearings with representatives of
underrepresented or marginalized groups,
Reaffirming the centrality of parliamentary representation in addressing the root
causes of conflict and violence, including inequalities, exclusion, the lack of rule of law, injustice,
illegal exploitation of natural resources and discrimination, among others,
Recognizing the unique legislative role of parliaments in promoting transparency, as
well as their ability to perform checks and balances,
Concerned about the risk that corruption presents to the integrity of legislative
institutions and functions, and about its negative effect on the capacity of parliaments to effectively
contribute to peace and governance,
Recognizing parliaments’ role in the oversight of state security, public safety agencies,
intelligence structures, the legislative sector and military expenditures, in particular in ensuring that
they operate accountably, transparently and with respect for the rule of law and human rights to
meet the security needs of all parts of the population, including women, children and members of
vulnerable groups,
Reaffirming the centrality of parliament in countering any abusive and subversive use
of internal intelligence and security actors, and fighting corruption,
Acknowledging the essential role of parliaments in promoting conflict prevention
through a focus on disarmament, socioeconomic, psychosocial, climate and ecological issues, and
in post-conflict situations in preventing a relapse to large-scale violence, including through
enacting, overseeing and monitoring the implementation of agreed peace agreements
accompanied by adequate funding, investing in psychosocial health, basic healthcare service,
transitional justice, reintegration, and institutional reforms,
Emphasizing that more systematic engagement of parliaments is needed to advance
and implement the Women, Peace and Security and Youth, Peace and Security agendas and to
alleviate the impact of armed conflicts on children,
Recognizing that higher levels of financial resources are required in order to support
the implementation of commitments to prevent conflict and sustain peace,
Calling upon parliaments to strengthen legislative and legal frameworks and discuss
the various policies and mechanisms necessary to combat the phenomenon of terrorism and
extremism and dry up its sources, and emphasizing parliaments’ role in promoting the values of
tolerance and peaceful coexistence in society,
1. Urges actors engaged in peace processes to acknowledge and collaborate with
national or local institutions and actors and their respective parliaments, in the
articulation, design and implementation of transitional processes, and to participate in
activities focused on anchoring and sustaining peace efforts through national or local
ownership and leadership;
- 4 -
2. Calls upon parliaments and parliamentarians to intensify their efforts for peace and the
non-violent resolution of differences before, during and after conflict; and also calls
upon parliaments to strengthen existing national mechanisms, and upon those who
are yet to do so, to establish these mechanisms in which citizens, especially women,
can register their grievances, perpetrators are held accountable, and victims are
accorded justice;
3. Encourages parliaments, in their efforts to pursue and reframe the approach to peace
processes for a just and lasting peace, to systematically partner with the executive,
independent oversight bodies, civil society organizations, faith-based movements,
women’s groups, community organizations, peace builders, academia, media, the
private sector, and regional and international bodies, in their own countries and
internationally;
4. Calls upon parliaments to allocate time and resources to the identification and
eradication of barriers that limit the participation of citizens in parliamentary
decision-making based on their gender, age, geography, social identity group (such as
ethnicity, religion and race), and citizenship status, and to seek solutions to such
issues;
5. Also calls upon parliaments to explore and invest in mechanisms and modalities, such
as the human security approach, for continuous and systematic engagement with
citizens and residents, and that are sensitive to the needs and realities of different
population segments and contexts to be implemented through conventional and new
means ranging from MPs’ practical actions or interventions to consultations and online
engagement with conflict-affected groups;
6. Further calls upon parliamentarians to explore safe and survivor/victim-centred
mechanisms that would enable those left furthest behind and without adequate
representation to invoke their rights, express their grievances, concerns and
aspirations, and to pursue meaningful ways for their full and effective representation in
parliament;
7. Urges parliaments, their members and political parties to form partnerships to address
and reverse hate speech and disinformation, including those online, and to encourage
more diverse and inclusive political participation and representation; and also urges
parliaments to review or reform legislation, policies, and practices that perpetuate
incitement to violence and/or hatred that is based on race, ethnicity, gender and
religion;
8. Strongly encourages further efforts at ensuring women’s equal participation in
parliaments and at all levels of decision-making, and, in that regard, at acknowledging
the critical role of support by male allies, while urging UN Member States to ensure a
systematic engagement of parliaments in the implementation of the Women, Peace
and Security and Youth, Peace and Security agendas;
9. Calls upon parliaments to strengthen legal frameworks and mechanisms to prevent
and address corruption through institutional measures and to develop codes of
conduct committing members of parliament at the individual level;
10. Acknowledges the increasing role of cyberspace for international politics and peace,
and that cybersecurity presents increasing global challenges, and also affirms that in
cyberspace, international law applies, that human rights and fundamental freedoms
must be protected and respected, and that the internet must remain a free, open,
interoperable, reliable and secure space for all;
11. Recognizes that respecting, protecting and promoting human rights and fundamental
freedoms is essential to preventing violent conflict and ensuring peace and security;
- 5 -
12. Urges parliaments to promote transparency and accountability in the allocation of
financial resources, budgets, policies, practices, and appointments within the military
and security sectors through the establishment of oversight bodies, as well as to
encourage disarmament efforts to restrict and destroy weapons, mines and
unexploded ordnance, and to support the creation of disarmament, demobilization and
reintegration programmes;
13. Strongly encourages members of parliaments to ensure comprehensive funding for
peacebuilding by reducing silos between different loans allowing Official Development
Assistance funds to be used for peacebuilding activities;
14. Encourages members of parliaments to raise questions about the “value for money” of
security sectors, including military spending;
15. Urges parliaments to ensure that their oversight mechanisms and committee systems
are structured, mandated, adequately resourced and equipped to consider security on
a holistic, cross-sectoral basis, including from the point of view of human development
and ecology; and to provide citizens with the information needed to contribute
constructively to the processes used to produce legislation relating to democratization
and human development, both at home and abroad;
16. Calls upon parliaments to invest in a multidimensional process including frameworks
to protect and assist vulnerable groups, political mechanisms, and institutions to
prevent and manage conflict through peaceful means, and to institutionalize equitable
participation in political socio-economic life, the psychosocial well-being of people,
basic healthcare services and in communities to build peace and prevent the
recurrence of future cycles of violence, including through mechanisms that enable
dealing with the past, such as transitional justice forums, truth and reconciliation
investigations, and criminal prosecutions;
17. Also calls upon parliaments to request information on how the executive branch is
addressing climate-related security risks and how climate-related measures can
promote peacebuilding;
18. Encourages inter-parliamentary cooperation to inspire collective ambition, enhance
peer-to-peer learning, and to increase sharing of good practices among
parliamentarians on locally relevant pathways to sustainable peace and human
development;
19. Reiterates that parliaments and parliamentarians, as institutions and actors for
peaceful dialogue, legislation and oversight, have unique roles and capacities to
provide tailor-made responses to conflict, and acknowledges their power to invite and
convene concerned actors to take part in national peace processes;
20. Tasks the IPU to develop an inventory of tools for parliaments and parliamentarians
for engaging in dialogue, legislation, oversight and prevention in the pursuit of peace
and to present the outcome at the 147th IPU Assembly.