Preamble

The Congress welcomes the debates under the theme “Enhancing Global Trade” at one of the major trade hubs and in one of the most liberal economies of the world as expression of Liberal International’s continuous contribution to prosperity and well-being of every individual world-wide.

The Congress expresses satisfaction with the continuously growing scope of the work of the Liberal International Human Rights Committee (LI HRC). The Congress recognises the written and oral statements submitted to the UNHRC on the repression of human rights defenders and democracy activists in Cuba and the suspicious death of Cuban opposition activist Oswaldo Paya, as well as the written statements on women’s rights, increased recruitment of children in armed conflicts, the ever-deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Syria and the prevention and elimination of female genital mutilation practices around the world. The Congress expresses particular satisfaction with the efforts of the Committee to reinvigorate the network of liberal parliamentarians working on human rights. The Congress welcomes the efforts of the LI HRC to reinvigorate the network of human rights parliamentarians and to set up partnerships with other human rights organisations. The Congress invites the Committee to continue to expand its global outreach.

LI congratulates the LI LGBT working group on its accomplishments. Since the 58th congress, the struggle for equality has been fierce. LI welcomes the establishment of the ALDE Liberals4Equality network. LI deplores the recurring infringements on equality across the world. Achieving equality remains an elementary challenge.

Citizens and governments across the world were shocked about the extent of electronic surveillance. Liberal International is calling on governments and parliaments across the world to revise their laws and mechanisms of control and supervision to make sure they are up to date with today’s possibilities of electronic mass surveillance. All surveillance measures and data collection must be controlled by independent courts and be subject to effective oversight by elected members of parliament. At the same time Liberal International is calling on parliaments and governments across the world to follow up on the recently adopted UN resolution on the “Right to Privacy in the Digital Age” and start a dialogue about global standards for the protection of citizens’ rights, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.