Kathmandu: Speaker of House of Representatives (HoR) Devraj Ghimire has said parliamentary diplomacy is an important complement to traditional diplomacy and involvement of parliamentarians in diplomacy is indispensable to ensure that the voices and aspirations of the citizens are reflected in decision making in the matters of international affairs.
Addressing the General Debate “Parliamentary Diplomacy: Building Bridges for Peace and Understanding” in the 148th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Geneva on Sunday, Speaker Ghimire said the parliament in itself is the outcome of democracy and public mandate and thus parliamentary diplomacy adds a democratic dimension as well as legitimacy to international relations.
“It builds trust and goodwill at people’s level. Because the diplomatic actions of parliamentarians who are consistently in close contact with the people will be aimed towards the benefit of the public and supported by the public, it produces sustainable as opposed to temporary results,” he said
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Saying that Nepal has always remained a proponent of peace and coexistence, he added ‘we have witnessed the consequences of larger and powerful nations not tolerating the existence of smaller and less powerful nations’ at different times in history.
A founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, Nepal is adamant in its belief that every nation must respect each other’s existence, he said.
Speaker Ghimire described that many of the tensions taking place in various parts of the world are the result of action taken by the authorities of the state without taking into consideration the intent of the people and the parliament.
“The scope of diplomacy is not limited to preventing wars and ending ongoing wars. The cooperation and a consolidated effort of the nations with similar interests is necessary to face the burning challenges of the world,” the Speaker said.
Speaker Ghimire shared that Nepal is facing a disproportionately immense impacts of climate change despite Nepal emits a very low amount of carbon.
“As the snow in Nepal’s mountains are melting rapidly, the ecosystems below it are in grave danger. This has also put many nations close to the sea level, mainly the island nations, at risk. The nations impacted by this serious threat must raise a united voice in international forums,” he said, adding that the nations that contribute most to global warming must fulfil their commitments to the nations that are most affected by it.
Inter-Parliamentary Union has been practicing parliamentary diplomacy for world peace since the last 135 years and is providing a forum for discussion, brainstorming and cooperation to parliamentarians on the issues of peace, international security, democracy, human rights and sustainable development.
Source: National News Agency Nepal