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Wednesday, Sep 26, 2007
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Pratibha Patil calls for collective action by developing countries

Special Correspondent

CPC a storehouse of experience and knowledge, says Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

—Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

President Pratibha Devisingh Patil with some of the Pakistani delegates at a reception hosted for personnel attending the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, in New Delhi on Tuesday. Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee is to her right.

NEW DELHI: President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Tuesday said developing countries should have a greater role in the decision-making processes of international financial institutions so that the issues of development were addressed better at the global level.

Ms. Patil, who was delivering the inaugural address at the 53rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) here, underlined the importance of collective action, stating “sustainable development cannot be achieved by individual nations.”

Poverty a threat

The President said poverty anywhere was a threat to prosperity everywhere. “Many development issues that confront the world — poverty, hunger, disease and ignorance — require collective action.”

Referring to terrorism, the President urged countries participating in the CPC to take a firm and unequivocal stand against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Reiterating India’s commitment to battle terror, she said: “Terrorism has no justification whatsoever and no cause can be served by shedding the blood of innocent people.”

On gender issue, she said that while women had made inroads in various areas, they continued to come up against the “glass ceiling.”

According to the President, participation of women in elected bodies was fundamental for the effective functioning of a democracy as they constituted nearly half of the world population.

Vice-President Hamid Ansari made out a case for strengthening and deepening the norms of participation and accountability to make parliamentary institutions relevant in the era of globalisation.

In his message, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the Commonwealth as a “storehouse of experience and knowledge” that should be put to good use to banish mass poverty.

Reaffirming India’s “abiding commitment” to the ideals of the Commonwealth, the Prime Minister said: “Of all the principles that have defined and motivated the Commonwealth, none is more important than our shared commitment to democracy, to an open society, to an open economy, to the rule of law, and to fundamental human rights.”

Somnath’s call

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said there was no better alternative to democracy for promoting good governance and emancipating people.

The Speaker also stressed the need to ensure that legislators remained accountable to people and conformed to the highest ethical standards.

With development being high on this CPC’s agenda, Mr. Somnath Chatterjee noted that lack of comprehensive development was posing a grave threat to several democratic countries, including many in the Commonwealth.

“As the Commonwealth represents a third of the world’s population, it is imperative that the elected representatives of the member-countries pool their experiences to find ways for sustainable development,” the Speaker said.

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