Azerbaijan’s parliament chief calls for stronger UN-IPU cooperation PHOTO

Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova has called for closer cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), saying stronger links between international decision-making and national parliaments can help turn international agreements into tangible results for people.

Gafarova made the remarks during a meeting with the permanent representatives of member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the United Nations headquarters in New York as part of her working visit to the United States, as per an Azerbaijani state media report.

She said Azerbaijan is an active member of the OIC and that the Milli Majlis currently chairs the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States.

The OIC brings together 57 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Gafarova noted that the organization’s geographical area has a predominantly young population, historical centres of education, major trade routes, significant natural resources and deep traditions of community and solidarity.

At the same time, she said many OIC member states face conflicts and forced displacement, while poverty, food and water insecurity, and climate change are placing additional pressure on societies. Terrorism, extremism and Islamophobia, she added, contribute to fear and mistrust.

Gafarova said parliamentary diplomacy could provide important support in addressing these challenges by linking international negotiations with national parliaments.

She stressed the need for closer cooperation between the UN and the IPU, saying such cooperation would connect international decision-making with the work of national legislatures and help translate international agreements into tangible outcomes for people.

Gafarova also noted that parliamentarians can maintain contacts, reduce misunderstandings and preserve opportunities for dialogue when official relations become strained.

She said the IPU should work more closely with regional parliamentary organizations, including the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States. Such cooperation, she said, would help bring OIC priorities into global discussions and strengthen efforts to counter Islamophobia, racism and religious hatred.

The meeting also addressed opportunities for joint cooperation within international parliamentary organisations, and the participants exchanged views on the activities of international parliamentary institutions.

By Tamilla Hasanova