Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Sunday called on developed and developing countries to boost partnerships to push forward the internationalism in the 21st century.
Yudhoyono made the call when opening the 116th Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Sunday evening in Indonesia's resort island of Bali.
He recalled the long history of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), saying that in the 21st century, a quantum leap can be made into an era of internationalism in which all nations are much more strongly connected with one another.
"However, the internationalism can only work if it is supported by a comprehensive network of partnerships," he added.
He said the countries of the developed world can do more to open up their markets to the products of the developing world, especially agricultural products.
The developed world can help developing countries that are strangled by chronic debt through innovative debt relief programs and developed countries can increase financial flows, especially foreign direct investments, to the developing world, he stressed.
They can also share their technology and know-how with developing countries in ways that strike a balance between social responsibility and respect for intellectual property rights, he said.
On the other hand, the president pointed out that the developing countries must also do their homework, such as practicing good governance, enhancing human capital, providing a climate hospitable to foreign investments and ensuring the sustainability of their environment.
Yudhoyono said that as the world community tries to build a new international order, the world civilizations, religions and cultures not only can co-exist but also can connect harmoniously. Pockets of extremism in many nations, symptoms of tension between the world of Islam and the West as well as many other problems should be solved through dialogue, he added.
"We have to promote more inter-faith and inter-civilizational dialogues as an essential element of world peace," He said.
On the global warming issue, Yudhoyono said the impact of global warming will be fundamental, severe and very costly. It will change not only geography but also the distribution of human population. So, "We have to develop an international regime that will help control and ultimately reverse the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," he added.
He called for faithfully implementing the Kyoto Protocol, saying developed countries must do their utmost to reduce greenhouse emissions from their industries, cars, buildings and homes.
More than 1,300 MPs from 126 countries are attending the six-day meeting, during which they will discuss a number of important issues such as climate change, the Middle East issue and the strengthening of democracy.
The IPU will also discuss political, economic and social situation in the world; poverty and unemployment; the importance of interfaith harmony in the globalization era; human rights as well as women's representation and violence against children.
A Chinese delegation led by Lu Congmin, vice chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Chinese National People's Congress and member of IPU executive committee, also attended the meeting.
Established in 1889 and with its headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral political organization, currently has148 affiliated national parliaments and seven associated regional assemblies. The world organization of parliaments also has an office in New York, which acts as its permanent observer with the United Nations.
