Castries, St. Lucia—The national inauguration of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) took place at the House of Assembly of the Parliament of St. Lucia. The event, whose theme was “The Role of Parliamentarians in Creating a Culture of Sustainable Peace,” was held on October 3, 2017. Among the participants were eight parliamentarians, more than 60 civil society leaders and Ambassadors for Peace.
The opening prayer was given by Dr. Rosemarie Husbands-Mathurin, parliamentary commissioner and former speaker of the House of the Assembly.
After the singing of the national anthem, the emcee, Hon. Herod Stanislas, a member of parliament (MP)for Soufriere, gave the welcoming remarks.“Today, I firmly believe that we, in the interest of security and peace, must take a firm stand: one that is neither safe nor political, nor popular, but we must take it because our conscience tells us it is right and proper if we are to impact our nation, our region and our world towards a culture and a pathway to achieve lasting peace,” he said.
UPF-St. Lucia secretary general, Mr. Remy Taupier, compared the two political parties to two brothers who are often at loggerheads with each other. If the two brothers would feel how their fighting is causing their parents pain, they would try to resolve their differences in a peaceful way.
In the same manner, if parliamentarians, who love their country, come together to put the interest of their nation first, they can resolve their differences in a constructive and peaceful way.
UPF-Latin America regional chair, Dr. Sang Suek Kim, welcomed the participants and gave a brief overview of the history of the IAPP.
Former minister of education of St. Lucia and former MP, Dr. Robert Lewis, gave an insightful presentation on the topic, “The Role of Parliamentarians to Achieve Lasting and Sustainable Peace.” He shared some of the experiences he had during the 10 years he was a member of parliament, and encouraged current and future parliamentarians to be agents of peace.
UPF-Central America and the Caribbean president, Dr. Charles S. Yang, reported on the development of the IAPP around the world. In his slide presentation, he shared that the IAPP has already been established in more than 80 nations worldwide.
Dr. Yang stated: “Good governance is secured not only by the policies and laws of the political system. It is also necessary that those who hold positions of power be people of good character, guided by their conscience and universal moral principles. Good governance also depends upon a well-educated and morally responsible citizenry.”
Five distinguished participants were appointed as Ambassadors for Peace in recognition of their work in their community or with youth.
More than 50,000 diplomats, clergy, civil society leaders and current and former heads of state throughout the world have been designated as Ambassadors for Peace.
Parliamentarians, as representatives of the people, have a very significant role to play in contributing to peace and human development.
Through this inauguration event, the IAPP in St. Lucia joins an international network of parliamentarians for peace who actively support one another and share best practices beyond their differences in ethnicity, race, religion and culture.
As highlighted in the song that the young vocalist Sam Eudovicque,sang during the program, “We are one family under God.”
Two television news channels in St. Lucia, MBC Television and HTS News 4orce, covered the event.To view MBC Television’s coverage, visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ppq-ZOv_rI, and to view HTS News 4orce’s coverage, visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ8CySXNUik.
