The 118th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Cognizant of the numerous unresolved conflicts across the world that are characterized by ongoing killing, the reported rape of women, the shelling and bombing of civilians, the internal displacement of people, forced migration and their massive impact on environmental degradation,

Recognizing and reaffirming the principles of sovereignty, sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, peaceful co-existence, interdependence and non-aggression,

Reaffirming the responsibility of parliamentarians and the IPU to promote international peace and security,

Convinced that peace and security are critical factors in creating an environment that is conducive to international cooperation and development,

Deeply concerned about the rapidly escalating violence and grievous harm to life and limb in areas affected by conflicts,

Cognizant of the evidence provided throughout history that the only means of ensuring a lasting and peaceful resolution of conflicts is peaceful dialogue,

Welcoming and expressing support for the missions of good offices and other initiatives undertaken by a number of countries in the quest for peace,

Noting that, due to the growing need to relocate people and communities, many countries are urging the United Nations Security Council to address climate change and environmental migration as an issue with serious implications for international peace and security,

Also cognizant of the efforts deployed by the United Nations - through its various initiatives, resolutions and conventions - to address these problems in the countries concerned,

Welcoming the efforts deployed within ongoing peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine, the resolutions adopted by the United Nations Security Council on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and the resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council on 6 March 2008 calling for the immediate cessation of Israeli military attacks on the Gaza Strip and the immediate cessation of missile-launching by Palestinian activists on southern Israel,

Recalling the resolutions on the situation in the Middle East adopted by the 97th Inter-Parliamentary Conference (Seoul, 1997), the 104th Inter-Parliamentary Conference (Jakarta, 2000) and the 109th IPU Assembly (Geneva, 2003), which addressed inter alia the tensions and violence in the region,

Mindful of the relationship between the IPU and the United Nations and the mechanisms that have been developed to strengthen these relations in order to deal effectively with global concerns,

1. Expresses its solidaritywith all those who are suffering as a result of conflicts across the world, especially the marginalized and vulnerable and including the elderly, women and children;

2. Calls for immediate action by the United Nations to prevent the humanitarian and environmental situation in the areas concerned from deteriorating further;

3. Urges the United Nations to protect the rights of the people in affected areas, as stipulated in relevant international instruments;

4. Demands that the United Nations assure the safety of fleeing civilians, prevent human rights abuses, establish and protect refugee camps, and take all necessary steps to prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in conflict areas;

5. Calls on the United Nations to facilitate the restoration of peace and take the necessary steps to uphold the right to self-determination in the countries concerned, especially with regard to Palestine;

6. Requests that the blockade imposed on the occupied Palestinian territories be immediately lifted, especially in the Gaza Strip, in order to facilitate the provision of food, medical and fuel supplies and thus to help alleviate the humanitarian tragedy experienced by the population;

7. Calls on countries, governments, parliaments and non-governmental organizations to scale up their political, moral and financial assistance to those suffering acutely as a result of conflict, particularly Palestinians in the occupied territories; appeals to IPU Member Parliaments to exert pressure on their respective governments to maintain their mechanisms for providing humanitarian assistance to those affected by conflicts, especially the Palestinian people;

8. Calls on all the parties concerned to accelerate the creation of a Palestinian State through a viable peace process;

9. Urges the IPU Member Parliaments to ensure that they and their respective governments contribute to the resolution of current conflicts, while providing assistance for both mitigation of and adaptation to climate change;

10. Calls on the IPU to work with the United Nations to resolve these conflicts by all available means and to report on activities at the next IPU Assembly.

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Note: you can download a complete electronic version of the brochure "Results of the 118th Assembly and related meetings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union" in PDF format (file size approximately 547K). This version requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download free of charge.

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