Participants of the Global Parliamentary Congress the Future of the World call on international organisations for change: adherence to legal provisions must be ensured and practical steps need to be taken

Press release, 12 May 2023 

 

At the Global Parliamentary Congress the Future of the World, hosted by the Seimas, the participants of the Plenary Session 1 titled Geostrategic Reconstruction of the World discussed, in the light of the geopolitical context, the importance of Ukraine’s victory for democracy in the world, the need to establish an international tribunal, and changes within the international organisations.

Photo by Ilona Šilenkova, Office of the Seimas

 

In her keynote speech, Margareta Cederfelt, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Swedish Riksdag and President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), stressed the importance of unity among democracies. ‘Unity in the face of Russia’s war is crucial. Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine continues to cause great human suffering and represents a threat to peace and stability in every corner of the world. Support in terms of arms, military equipment and training for Ukrainian troops is essential, otherwise they will not be able to defend either Ukraine or the rest of the world. I also see the importance of humanitarian aid. Discussions need to start now on how to support Ukraine in its reconstruction efforts.’

 

According to Ms Cederfelt, EU and US sanctions against Russia are very important. ‘They serve as a demonstration that the world stands against the war and that we want to limit Russia’s financial resources and trade markets. The EU needs to forge closer economic ties with Central Asian countries, India and the Middle East, reducing their dependence on sanctioned Russian products and weakening their ties with Russia.’

 

Duarte Pacheco, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, called for addressing other global issues, such as climate change and migration crises, or global hotspots, rather than Ukraine alone and for changes to be made within international organisations. ‘Yes, I believe in democracy, yes, we have to defend our colleagues in Ukraine, but we face other global problems as well and we must address them all, otherwise this war will lose its support as people from other continents feel that we are disregarding their problems. Therefore, in my opinion, the international institutions need to change. The United Nations is not taking steps it is supposed to take. The UN reform is essential, since we need a strong international organisation that can manage all these conflicts. Or take the UN Security Council. In general, how can we have such a Security Council that was established by the World War II-winning countries and that has a veto system, where a veto right is held by an aggressor country as a permanent member? This needs to change; otherwise people will lose their trust in international organisations and multilateralism.’

Photo by Ilona Šilenkova, Office of the Seimas

 

Jovita Neliupšienė, Lithuanian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and appointed Head of the European Union’s mission to the United States, believes that humanity needs to experience a major shock to realise the importance of values and of the international order. This shock, however, must also be a catalyst for change. ‘The international order has been violated on multiple occasions. At the moment, as we speak, crimes are being committed, including war crimes and crimes against humanity. The list is endless. The world will never be the same again. It is shocking. It will be unforgivable if we miss the opportunity to change the narrative and improve the established order. We need to assess the truth. We need to evaluate and condemn the perpetrators and bring to justice those who ordered the murders. We need to set up a special international tribunal with the support of the whole world.’

 

According to Ms Neliupšienė, we need to change the global balance, help Ukraine with weapons, and get rid of our dependence on Russia and China in the strategic sectors and in the global security architecture. In the area of food security, resilience and security of supply must be built.

 

The appointed Head of the European Union’s mission to the United States stressed the importance of having the will to break away from autocrats and the readiness to defend ourselves, which will deter the enemies much faster.

 

The importance of Ukraine’s victory was also highlighted by Bernard Jenkin, Chair of the Liaison Committee of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He described the war in Ukraine as the greatest defeat of democracies with the global impact of its outcome. ‘The developments in Ukraine will affect the whole world. Any ceasefire or peace, which in any way recognises the gains made by the Russian aggression, including the continual occupation of Crimea, would be used by Putin to claim victory. For the West, any kind of Russian victory would be a strategic defeat upsetting the delicate balance upon which the current international order rests. Should the West result in faltering Ukraine, China will be emboldened and now will be able to attack Taiwan with little, in terms of, repercussions from the West.’

 

Jenkin believes that this is a linchpin moment for the West. ‘Only if Russia is decisively defeated, the West will then be able to demonstrate that democracy, freedom and the rule of law will prevail and that force cannot be used to get your way. Only this would send a resounding message to all authoritarian governments of the world, in particular to China.’

 

According to the British MP, in the event of Ukraine losing the war due to the faltering Western support, other countries would question whether the West is genuinely concerned with the rules based order, fair and open international system of international law or they are only interested in profiting from it.

Photo by Ilona Šilenkova, Office of the Seimas

 

Another panellist at the Plenary Session, Andrius Kubilius, Member of the European Parliament, proposed two different strategies for the geopolitical reconstruction of the world. The first being spontaneous, and the second one implemented by the Western powers. ‘The geopolitical reconstruction of the eastern part of Europe very much depends on us. This is the only way to achieve sustainable peace in Europe. We need to understand how to help Russia change so that it can return to a democratic path. We need to help the Russian society to get rid of the post-imperial dream. And for that, Ukraine must win the war with the help of our military systems. We also need to set up an international tribunal to investigate Russia’s crimes and thus show the Russian people where their dream has taken them. Another important factor is Ukraine in NATO. This is not only an important security guarantee, but also a message to the Russian society,’ said Mr Kubilius.

 

Zeid Al Hussein, President of the International Peace Institute, noted that not all Western countries had the same attitude towards Ukraine as they should and that Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were well aware of what would be in store for them if Russia won. ‘International organisations have to play their part in making sure that countries respect the rule of law. The UN should have reacted to every argument that Putin made and not waited for the invasion to start. Today we see the magnitude of the global problems, but we continue to hope that international institutions will continue to operate effectively. However, things could change drastically already beyond 2030. We need to take practical action to cope with the colossal change.’

 

Mr Hussein agreed with the need for an international tribunal to investigate Russia’s crimes and stressed the importance of a witness protection programme.

 

The photos of the event are published on the Flickr account of the Seimas and are free for use provided they bear the indication of the source.

Live webcasting and video recordings are available on the Seimas YouTube channel Atviras Seimas (Open Seimas). For additional information and video recordings, please contact the Press Office by e-mail at [email protected].

Find out more on the Congress here.

 

Press Office, Information and Communication Department, Office of the Seimas, e-mail: [email protected]