New York, 17 November 2009: Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar attended the second meeting of the Preparatory Committee of Speakers of Parliaments organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union at the United Nations in New York yesterday.

Intervening in the discussion on priorities for the United Nations and status of UN reform, Hon’ble Speaker called for a comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council including expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent membership categories of the Council. The Speaker also called for early revitalization of the General Assembly, and welcomed the efforts of the United Nations for a composite entity for women’s empowerment. She stressed the need for concerted efforts to ensure a global partnership for development, and underscored the useful role that the IPU could play towards these ends.

During the session on global economic and financial crisis and democratic accountability, Hon’ble Speaker highlighted the need for reform in the Bretton Woods institutions for greater voice and participation of developing countries.