Parliamentary Forum
9 December 2024, Gaborone, Botswana
Parliaments bolster effectiveness, transparency, and accountability in the formulation, execution, and assessment of policies and programmes in Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), transit countries and development partners and are instrumental in ensuring that commitments are fulfilled and that the priorities of the new Programme of Action (PoA) for the LLDCs are implemented.
Parliaments are responsible for drafting laws through legislation and policy frameworks that determine the legal framework within which the objectives of the new Programme of Action, including trade facilitation, infrastructure development, and regional cooperation, will be implemented at the national level.
Additionally, Parliaments in LLDCs, but also through development cooperation programs by development patterns, have the power to allocate resources and funding to key areas to ensure that LLDCs have the necessary infrastructure, both hard and soft, to facilitate trade, regional integration and socioeconomic development. Monitoring and accountability are vital aspects of the new Programme of Action for the LLDCs. Parliament's oversight function monitors the implementation of policies, assessing progress, and holding the government accountable for achieving targets. Complementarily, Parliaments can facilitate dialogue and collaboration between government, private sector, and civil society stakeholders.
Furthermore, Parliaments can play a role in raising awareness about the unique challenges faced by LLDCs and advocating for international support and cooperation. This can lead to stronger partnerships and more targeted assistance by supporting the development of international agreements and partnerships that are crucial for LLDCs' access to global markets.
Against this background, UN-OHRLLS is jointly organizing with the Parliament of Botswana a one-day Forum for Parliamentarians at the third United Nations Conference on the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) in Gaborone, Botswana. The LLDC3 Parliamentary Forum will engage with all relevant stakeholders, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
The Parliamentary Forum will focus on the role of Parliaments in the implementation of the new Programme of Action for LLDCs. After reflecting on the main challenges as well as the opportunities faced by the LLDCs today, four critical issues will be discussed: unresolved changes and lessons learned from the Vienna Programme of Action, the multilateral trading system, good governance and accountability, and partnerships.
This event will cater to the members of parliament attending the LLDC3 as part of their national delegations. The forum will consist of a high-level opening segment followed by interactive panel discussions featuring members of parliament, United Nations officials, academics and representatives from other international organizations and civil society.
Objectives
The forum will consist of high-level plenary and interactive dialogues on the priority areas of the next Programme of Action for the LLDCs and the role of parliamentarians in supporting its implementation and, more specifically, it will aim to:
- Provide parliamentarians and parliamentary staff with key policy insights from the implementation of the VPoA, along with the main developmental challenges and opportunities for parliaments to effectively contribute to implementation of the new PoA.
- Promote discussion and exchange of experiences among parliamentarians to accelerate the achievement of the new PoA through their political work and functions at the local, national and regional levels.
- Identify and share recommendations on concrete actions that LLDC parliaments can put in place to comprehensively mainstream the priority areas of the new PoA into their core functions (law-making, oversight, budget, representation), stimulate broader political commitment and support for such actions, and ensure the effective and coherent implementation more broadly.
Format and Related Events (TBC)
17 June (afternoon and evening)
- High-Level Opening
- High-Level Parliamentary Roundtable 1: Navigating the Pathways: Steps towards Implementing the Programme of Action for LLDCs.
- High-Level Parliamentary Roundtable 2: Bridging Boundaries: Strengthening Partnerships, Dialogues and Cooperation.
- Closing: Adoption of the Parliamentary Declaration.
Concurrent
- MP to MP meetings: Meetings of MPs with their peers and other relevant stakeholders.
Further Information:
Qin Xuqian (UN-OHRLLS) tepe@un.org
Tomas Gonzalez (UN-OHRLLS) gonzalezt@un.org