On 19th April, the Open Diplomacy Institute welcomed the 2021 Parliamentarians for Peace. The P4P are high-level MPs committed to craft sustainable peace stemming from 15 different Nations and various political families. Curated by the Paris-based think-tank « Open Diplomacy », this program is powered by the Normandy Region.
“The Institute brings together the P4P as front-running advocates for long-lasting political solutions to prevent conflicts and foster mediation in all realms of today’s geopolitics: the digital revolution, the environmental disruptions, the challenges of social inclusion, etc.” explains Thomas Friang, CEO of the Open Diplomacy Institute and Co-chair of the P4P.
The second promotion of the Parliamentarians for Peace kicked off its work with a hearing of Ambassador Bernard Miyet, former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Peacekeeping Operations. “The greatest challenge to sustain peace with the right governance mechanism is to involve civil societies in the global discussion along with States” highlighted Ambassador Miyet, pointing out the principle of inclusion at the heart of the 1945 United Nations Charter.
“The pandemic has emphasized how interdependent we are; it shows us to what extent we need one other to address today’s crises” commented French Senator Catherine Morin Desailly, co-chair of the P4P.
Throughout the next weeks, the Parliamentarians for Peace will work on the 2021 Peace Policy Platform. Therefore, they will hold high-level hearings to identify policy solutions emerging from multilateral organizations and civil society organizations they can support to enhance international cooperation. The Peace Policy Platform 2021 will be presented at the fourth Normandy World Peace Forum.
The 2021 P4P are:
- Argentina - Mr Fernando Iglesias, Member of Parliament, Chair of the MERCOSUR Committee;
- Brazil - Mr Rodrigo Agostinho, Member of Parliament;
- Costa Rica - Ms Nielsen Pérez Pérez, Member of Parliament, Chair of the Women’s Rights Committee and of the Human Rights Committee;
- Finland - Mr Johannes Koskinen (Finland), Member of Parliament, Chair of the Finance Committee, Vice-Chair of the Finnish Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, former Minister;
- France - Ms Catherine Morin-Desailly, Senator, Vice-chair of the Senatorial Delegation for Strategic Foresight, Co-chair of the P4P;
- Iceland - Ms Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, Member of Parliament;
- India - Mr Manish Tewari, Member of the House, former Minister;
- Ireland - Ms Alice Mary Higgins, Senator, Leader of the Civil Engagement Group;
- Italy - Mr Brando Benifei, Member of the European Parliament, Head of Italian Socialist & Democrat Delegation, Rapporteur for the Single Market Program;
- Jordan - Dr Alia Hatough-Bouran, Senator, former Minister;
- Kenya - Dr Swarup Ranjan Mishra, Member of Parliament, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Members Services and Facilities;
- Malaysia - Ms Maria Chin Abdullah (Malaysia), Member of Parliament;
- Nigeria - Mr Mohammed Bago, Member of the House of Representatives, Chair of the Committee for Cooperation and Integration in Africa;
- Spain - Ms Marta Gonzales Vasquez, Member of Parliament and Deputy Chair of the Spanish Delegation to the Council of Europe;
- Togo - Mr Gerry Taama, Member of Parliament, Chair of the NET.
“The Normandy Region, which powers this program at the heart of the Normandy World Peace Forum, is proud to host such a distinguished team of political leaders committed to sustaining international cooperation for the sake of peace in times when global tensions keep raising”, concluded François-Xavier Priollaud, Vice-president of the Normandy Region for international affairs.