By:
• Rin Ousa

• November 24, 2024 , 7:30 PM

PHNOM PENH – More than 300 delegates representing 53 countries have taken part in the 11th Plenary Session of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace (IPTP11) held in Phnom Penh.

Hosted by Cambodia’s National Assembly from Nov. 23 through 26, the session has been held on the theme of “A Quest for Peace, Reconciliation and Tolerance.” The focus of this session has been to draft and issue landmark documents including the Phnom Penh Declaration and the Peace Charter for Humanity and the Planet.

The Phnom Penh Declaration and the Peace Charter aim to focus on five primary areas including conflict prevention; peace-building process; transitional justice; post-conflict reconstruction and humanitarian and disaster response; food security and sustainable development in response to climate change.

Senate President Hun Sen, who has presided over the IPTP11 that officially started on Nov. 24, delivered remarks on the peace-building efforts in Cambodia by emphasizing the successful implementation of the Cambodian government’s win-win policy.

“The peace Cambodia enjoys today is the longest period in nearly 500 years, spanning almost 27 years,” he said. “The preservation of peace is of the highest priority for Cambodia.

“Since nothing can be achieved without peace, no other issues can take precedence,” Hun Sen said. “Cambodia has already suffered immensely and does not need to experience the devastation of another war.”

The IPTP serves as the legislative body of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace (GCTP), an international organization founded in 2017 to facilitate discussion and cooperation among national parliament members on issues of contemporary world peace.

The GCTP has members from more than 100 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America. Cambodia's National Assembly joined the network in 2021.

In addition to the main theme, the event centers on two sub-themes, which are “Advancing the Global Architecture of Peace, Peacebuilding, Reconciliation, and Tolerance: Synergy of Governments, Parliaments, and Civil Society,” and “Solidifying Multilateralism, Cooperation and Partnership for Coexistence and Inclusive Connectivity.”

On the sideline of the plenary session, five IPTP committee meetings were convened, focusing on peace and reconciliation; international cooperation; food-energy-water and environmental security; science, technology, and innovation; and law and justice.

On Nov. 25, the reports of the five IPTP committees are to be presented, followed by the formal reading of the 11th IPTP Phnom Penh Declaration and the Universal Peace Charter: For People and the Planet.

Khuon Sudary, president of the National Assembly will deliver the closing remarks.