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LS Speaker Om Birla pitches for reforms in UNSC at BRICS parliamentary forum meet
Om Birla said India believes that the addition of new members to the BRICS family will strengthen BRICS as an organisation
NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Om Birla on Thursday pitched for reforms in the United Nations Security Council and emphasised that parliaments could play a key role in “advancing the agenda of progress and sustainable development.”
“BRICS member countries represent the interests of developing countries and in this context, we have collectively emphasised the need to reform international organisations such as the United Nations Security Council, World Trade Organization, and to make global governance more democratic,” Om Birla told the 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum at St. Petersburg, his first foreign visit after getting re-elected as the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha.
Birla was speaking at the forum’s first plenary session on the theme of “The BRICS Parliamentary dimension: prospects for strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation”.
Birla also welcomed the four new members -- Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- into the BRICS Parliamentary Forum, saying India believes that the addition of new members to the BRICS family will not only strengthen BRICS as an organisation but will also give impetus to our future efforts towards a better and sustainable future.
“As members of our parliaments, we can play an important role in advancing the agenda of progress and sustainable development. Under parliamentary diplomacy, we exchange ideas, innovative laws and best practices through inter-parliamentary forums such as the BRICS Parliamentary Forum, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU),” he said.
“Inter-parliamentary cooperation is vital to promote inclusive growth. Parliaments play a central role in protecting the interests and expressing the concerns of emerging markets and developing countries and the role of the BRICS Parliamentary Forum should be seen in this light. We are happy that today BRICS is striving to establish a more inclusive global governance system,” Birla added.
The speaker added that climate change, inclusive socio-economic development, food and nutrition security, and attainment of SDG goals are challenges for the present world whose immediate solution is necessary to secure the common future of humanity. “The role of our parliaments and mutual cooperation among them is very important in formulating the necessary policies and programs to achieve these and in monitoring their implementation,” he added.
