head of delegation Lorenzo Bugli talks about the role of San Marino in the course of the Interparliamentary Assembly in Madrid
In these days, the head of the delegation of San Marino Lorenzo Bugli took part in the work of the 143rd assembly of the Interparliamentary Union (UIP), which is taking place in Madrid until 30 November. San Marino, as, also participated in the meeting of the Geopolitical Group 12+, which traditionally is the course of two annual assemblies. Two main themes were at the center of the debate on the days of 25 and 26 November: on the one hand, the value of democracy, which in various parts of the world and Europe is being really put to the test in this historical moment, by the fight against all discrimination and gender-based violence is another. “For the first time I had the honor of taking part in the assembly as head of delegation and I do not deny that I felt a very strong emotion – says Bugli -. The representative of Germany was the first to speak in the first assembly held on 25 November, and wanted to focus on what has been happening in recent weeks in Belarus, where a crisis involving thousands of people is in full swing. migrants, many of them children. It is not possible, said Germany, to accept that people left to die at the borders for purely instrumental reasons, which led a nation to a humanitarian emergency for political reasons.
This is why Germany has requested an immediate stance from the interparliamentary union, also raising not a few doubts about a country, like Belarus, which in recent years seems to have faced a dictatorial drift. As a representative of San Marino, I reiterated Titan’s full support for the motion that will be presented by Germany, stressing the need to intervene with a firm hand, also through the instrument of sanctions, but also pointing the finger at the humanitarian aspect of what is actually taking place at the gates of Europe. President Duarte Pacheco also reported to the assembly about his period of stay, as an international observer, in Venezuela, another country where democracy is endangered, and where we witness episodes every day that cannot be tolerated by those who care about the values of freedom. This summarizes the role of a body such as the Inteparliamentary Union but also that of parties and youth movements, such as our Young Christian Democrats, which have the duty to continue to promote the founding values of democracy, especially where the exercise of it is hindered or more difficult “.
During the assembly on November 26, the focus shifted to the issue of equality and women’s rights. “All the countries that took part in the debate – adds Bugli – shared the need to do more to reduce the differences between men and women through the recognition of equal rights but also through the leveling of wages, job opportunities and access to services, as well as of course to fight firmly any kind of discrimination and violence. As a representative of San Marino, I gave a testimony relating to our country, among the first to adopt legislation that in various fields today appears to be among the most equal, even if there is still a long way to go, as also underlined by the group of work of the trade unions, for which there is no shortage of initiatives to be put in place, such as in the recent past the introduction of a law on Revenge Porn. Without forgetting that the main weapon against this phenomenon remains the culture of the people “. The discussion held in the Chamber on 25 and 26 November suggested to Bugli a reflection on the sidelines. “These two days of international debate are the demonstration of how important it is San Marino to be able to measure itself in contest in the presence of the leaders of the great nations of the world. At the same time, however, we have understood that our small country, with all its micronation limits, must never underestimate the value of its own experience, the fruit of a centuries-old democratic tradition and one of the most modern legislation in existence; this is why a reduced reality like ours can, in an international chessboard, become an example for those far more powerful and noble ”.