Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan, delivered a speech at the first meeting of the Organizing Committee of the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, hosted at the headquarters of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva, Switzerland.

Gafarova highlighted the notable growth in parliamentary diplomacy and cooperation, noting substantial advancements compared to earlier years. She emphasized that parliaments are now engaging in bilateral and international cooperation, creating new mechanisms to enhance collaboration. The Speaker underscored the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) as a crucial and unifying platform for parliamentary interaction.

Furthermore, Gafarova stressed the importance of cooperation between the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations (UN), citing this collaboration as a clear indication of the increasing significance of parliamentary cooperation.

Stressing the importance of implementing reforms in the UN, Gafarova said: "Considering the challenges our world is facing, multilateral mechanisms play an important role in promoting joint efforts and solutions. But we all agree that these mechanisms, as well as the multilateral system, need to be stronger, more effective, and more inclusive. Unfortunately, the situation does not fully meet these requirements."

The Speaker of the Parliament stated that there is a general consensus that reforms should be made to increase the effectiveness of the UN, including the Security Council, which is the basis of the multilateral system. “It goes without saying that there is a lot of debate concerning the nature of these reforms, but practical answers are still lacking.”