Condemned Russian violence

This year there was no doubt about which issue should be raised as an emergency item on the agenda of the 144^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). The war in Ukraine was tabled by several delegations. The debate revolved around how strong the condemnation of Russia’s actions should be. Opinions here were divided, but the motion from New Zealand, which Norway and other likeminded nations backed, gained majority support. Among other things, the resolution condemns:

“(…) the ongoing Russian use of force against Ukraine as a violation of Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations, including the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity recognized by all UN Member States”.

Read the resolution in full (pdf)

China, Iran, Syria and Vietnam expressed a reservation to the entire text of the Resolution. Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe expressed reservations to certain paragraphs. Belarus and South Africa expressed their opposition to the Resolution. Russia and Ukraine were not present in Indonesia.

Climate a topic for the general debate

Birgit Oline Kjerstad (Socialist Left Party) made the Norwegian delegation’s main speech in the general debate. Here she underlined the enormous impact that healthy seas have on the climate by producing over 50% of the world’s oxygen and absorbing huge volumes of carbon dioxide. Ms Kjerstad also highlighted the agreement on a global deal against plastic pollution, recently signed in Nairobi, as a positive step towards solving this serious marine environmental problem.

Silje Hjemdal (Progress Party) was one of several young parliamentarians who were allotted speaking time. She also raised the issue of plastic pollution, giving as an example the whale beached on the west coast of Norway whose stomach was filled with about 30 plastic bags. Ms Hjemdal went on to point out that the road towards sustainability will still need energy from hydrocarbons, and drew the contrast between Norway as a reliable and stable supplier and aggressive dictatorships.

Also see the IPU's pages from the 144th Assembly in Nusa Dua, Indonesia.

Bilateral meetings

The IPU Assembly gives MPs the chance to conduct bilateral meetings with colleagues from all over the world. The Norwegian delegation places special emphasis on this unique opportunity. While in Indonesia, the delegation had good meetings with the UK, Indonesia and Afghanistan’s parliament in exile.

The Norwegian delegation consisted of Tellef Inge Mørland (Labour Party, head of delegation), Ingunn Foss (Conservative Party, deputy head of delegation), Silje Hjemdal (Progress Party) and Birgit Oline Kjerstad (Socialist Left Party)

Meeting with Afghanistan’s parliament. From left to right: Tellef Inge Mørland, Ingunn Foss, Mir Rahman Rahmani, Speaker of Afghanistan's parliament, and Mir Haidar Alfazy MP. Photo: Storting.