President of the FDRE called up on African countries to work jointly to protect environmental Pollution.

The president, his Excellency Girma Wolde Giorghis made the call in a speech he delivered at the inaugural session of the 30th conference of the African Parliamentary Union here in Addis Ababa on 28th of November 2007.

In his speech, President Girma said that Africa is not a significant contributor to global green house gas emission, but it is Africa bearing the full danger the environmental degradation caused by the increase in green house as a victim.

In order to protect the danger of global gas emission all nations of Africa should work jointly, he stressed and underscored the need to further strengthen the efforts launched with respect to the trade regime with a view to speeding up the process of integration.

In the same opening session, speaker of the House of People’s Representatives, hon. Ambassador Teshome Toga has addressed the gathering and noted that the African Parliamentary Union should work vigorously to place the continent in the righteous in the international position and enable it determine its own prospects.

In his speech, hon. speaker said that Africa has been exerting efforts to solve encountering problems on its own, among which the New Partnership for Africa’s Development /NEPAD/ and Peer Evaluation Strategy Forum can be mentioned as notable manifestations of the tasks.

In this regard, the African Parliamentary Union has to work relentlessly for sustainablitiy of the efforts that would contribute much to heighten the continent to the convenient position in the international affairs, he stressed.

Meantime, hon. Ambassador Teshome recalled that the Union had dealt extensively with matters of poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS protection, gender equity, good governance, protection of human rights, democratization, economic and social development as well as parliamentary democracy in its previous endeavors.

He mentioned, the progress registered by the House of Peoples’ Representatives of the FDRE with regard to legislative and oversight activities as part of the out comes of the Union’s efforts.

According to the speaker, the Union should build its capacity that would let it broaden its horizon of activities and work towards resolving the overall problems of the continent.

President of the African Parliamentary Union, hon. Dr. Pie Ntavohandyoma on his part expressed the need to work vigorously in the legislative matters of the continent so as to realize sustainable development, accelerated economic growth and protect Africa from being victim of environmental pollution.

In its working session, the conference would discuss on the environmental protection, the measures to be taken with regard to environmental pollution, development issues and the trade regime of the continent.

The opening session of the conference has brought together speakers, deputy speakers and representative parliamentarians from national parliaments of Africa, AU officials members of diplomatic corps and invited guests.