Nigeria’s Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu,PhD, CFR, has joined the 55th Session of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization (WTO) at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
This significant participation comes on the heels of Kalu’s membership of the WTO Steering Committee, alongside fellow members from 8 other countries, including the European Parliament.
Kalu is essentially participating in the Steering Committee meeting to strengthen parliamentary engagement and interaction with the work of the WTO led by its Director-General, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria.
The Deputy Speaker’s involvement aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aiming to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity for all.
Kalu will also reinforce Nigeria’s position on multilateralism and advance fair and inclusive trade expected to have a positive impact on Nigeria’s economy as well as its position in global trade.
It will be recalled that the Deputy Speaker who led Nigeria’s delegation to the high profile meeting of IPU in New York, United States (US) in February this year, advocated for a review of the current funding structure of the United Nations (UN), citing the need for a more balanced and truly multilateral system.
Submitting Nigeria’s contributions to IPU’s draft resolution at the meeting, Kalu noted that the prevailing dependency on a few major donor countries allows them to dictate priorities, undermining the principles of multilateralism.
Specifically, the Deputy Speaker proposed a reform aims to reduce the undue influence of major donors and promote more equitable decision-making, stressing that it will in turn facilitate greater cooperation and collective action in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Nigeria calls for a review of the current funding structure of the United Nations. The prevailing dependency on a few major donor countries allows these nations to dictate priorities—embodied in the adage “he who pays the piper dictates the tune.” To ensure a balanced and truly multilateral system, the funding participation scope should be expanded to include a broader range of nations, thereby reducing undue influence and fostering equitable decision-making”, he had said at the New York meeting.
Arriving Switzerland on Tuesday for the ongoing 55th Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO at IPU Headquarters in Geneva, Kalu reaffirmed his commitment to reinforcing multilateralism and advancing fair and inclusive trade systems.
He said: “I am honored to join Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the WTO, alongside fellow Steering Committee Members from 8 other countries, including the European Parliament, on this global assignment to strengthen parliamentary engagement and interaction with the work of the WTO.
“I remain committed to ensuring that Africa’s voice, and Nigeria’s voice in particular, resonates strongly in shaping the future of global trade governance.
“Our mission is to reinforce multilateralism, advance fair and inclusive trade, and guarantee that no nation is left behind in the evolving global economy”.
