Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Highlights Multilateralism and Intercultural Dialogue at Global Parliamentary Conference in Geneva
Baku, The Gulf Observer: Speaker of the Milli Majlis (National Assembly) of Azerbaijan, Sahiba Gafarova, addressed the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva on July 29, as part of her working visit to Switzerland. Her speech emphasized the critical need for renewed international solidarity, inclusive multilateralism, and the promotion of intercultural dialogue to address current global challenges.
In her remarks, Speaker Gafarova praised the conference as an effective and dynamic platform for dialogue among parliamentary leaders, contributing meaningfully to shaping the future agenda of inter-parliamentary cooperation.
Reflecting on the global situation since the last conference, she expressed deep concern over the deterioration of international solidarity. While the previous gathering centered around the COVID-19 pandemic, the global landscape has since become increasingly fragmented, with escalating tensions and slowed progress. “This troubling reality,” she noted, “stems from the erosion of effective international cooperation and solidarity, which are the foundation of multilateralism.” She warned that the global community is drifting away from the essential principle that shared threats must be met through collective responsibility and coordinated action.
Addressing the issue of United Nations reform, Gafarova stressed the importance of a robust, inclusive, and effective multilateral system with the UN at its core. She emphasized that reform efforts must ensure that the voices of all countries and peoples are equally heard, without double standards, and that decisions made under international law are fully implemented. Only through such principles, she said, can the goals of peace, justice, and prosperity be truly achieved.
Speaker Gafarova underscored the growing role of parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening multilateral cooperation. She welcomed the strong partnership between the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations, and their efforts to ensure that parliamentary voices are included in global governance. However, she also called for enhanced efforts to empower national parliaments as key participants in the multilateral system.
“Parliamentarians, as elected representatives, must take a direct role in renewing multilateralism to make the system more democratic and responsive,” she said, suggesting the initiation of an inter-parliamentary dialogue focused on reforms aligned with the needs and interests of global citizens.
The Speaker further emphasized that ensuring peace, justice, and prosperity is not merely a matter of institutions or treaties but requires the cultivation of trust, confidence, and mutual understanding among societies. “Diversity should not be seen as a dividing line, but rather as a unifying factor,” she affirmed.
In this context, she highlighted the “Baku Process,” initiated in 2008 by President Ilham Aliyev, which promotes intercultural dialogue as a tool for global peace and cooperation. Gafarova noted that the initiative, particularly through the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, has gained recognition by the United Nations as a major global platform for fostering dialogue between cultures.
She also mentioned the Inter-Parliamentary Conference organized by the Milli Majlis during the 5th session of the Forum in May last year, which ensured that the parliamentary perspective was integrated into discussions on intercultural dialogue.
Concluding her address, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova proposed that the theme of intercultural dialogue be formally included in the future agenda and activities of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, underlining its significance for fostering global understanding and cooperation.
