Lusaka/Geneva, March 2016
 
 Having strongly condemned the terror attacks in Brussels as a brutal  assault on democracy and core human values, the Inter-Parliamentary
 Union (IPU) has today called for a wide range of actions to counter  the growing global threat of terrorism.
 
 In a resolution on peace and international security adopted at the  conclusion of the 134th Assembly in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, IPU
 Members proposed a multi-faceted approach to dismantling terrorist  networks, combatting hatred, and counteracting terrorist propaganda.
 
 The resolution stressed the ³absolute need² for international  anti-terror cooperation to be stepped up.  Among the nearly 30 action
 points identified, it urged parliaments to legislate to combat  pro-terror websites and to criminalize acts such as travelling abroad
 to commit terror, recruiting and training terrorists or funding terrorism.
 
 IPU Members also called for action to cut the risk of extremism taking  root ­ by tackling poverty, discrimination and unemployment while
 increasing dialogue, education and youth empowerment measures.
 
 In a statement in reaction to the attacks in Brussels, IPU President  Saber Chowdhury pledged the Organization would do its utmost to engage
 all groups in social and political processes. Members would work to  make parliaments more representative institutions to provide a space
 and mechanism for political differences to be resolved through discussion  and negotiation.
 
 Underscoring the relevance and tragic timeliness of the resolution on  terrorism, he called on all Members to follow up on the commitments
 made at the Assembly.
 
 Among these were ways to rejuvenate democracy and restore public  confidence in political institutions and politicians, whose images
 have been undermined by a growing disconnect with the people, lack of  transparency and corruption.
 
 In a document outlining how parliaments and parliamentarians could  help rejuvenate democracy and give the world¹s young people a voice in
 political decision-making, IPU Members stressed that responses to  rising extremism must be based on more democracy, not less. Ensuring
 young people had opportunities and a viable future would help defeat  radicalism.
 
 It is time for action to bring about a democratic renaissance, said  President Chowdhury. ³Political institutions have too often failed to
 open up to young people. Our institutions have not kept up with the  fast-changing and increasingly interconnected world into which young
 people have been born.
 
 The Assembly¹s main theme of rejuvenating democracy was prompted by  statistics showing declining youth voting trends at a time when the
 world¹s youth population is at its highest-ever level.
 
 IPU Members committed to adapting and modernizing their parliaments so  they become inclusive, open institutions capable of delivering a
 better future for youth. Quotas to raise the number of young people in  parliament, using modern technology to increase political engagement
 and transparency, and boosting political empowerment through the  inclusion of civic education on school curricula were some of the proposed
 solutions.
 
 A separate and comprehensive IPU resolution addressed the threats  posed by armed conflict and terrorism to the world¹s cultural
 heritage, including the destruction of historic sites and the looting  of artefacts to fund extremism. The tragic destruction of Palmyra in
 Syria, one of the most important ancient sites in the world, was the  latest example of the need to find effective ways to protect cultural
 heritage. The resolution recommended that intentional destruction should  be defined as a war crime.
 
 It urged States to become party to the 1954 Hague Convention and its  protocols, dealing with the protection of cultural property in armed
 conflict, and all other relevant UN Conventions.  Parliaments were  also urged to take all action in their power, including ensuring laws
 were in place to prosecute perpetrators.
 
 Parliamentary measures to protect cultural heritage from the impact of  mass tourism, climate change and urbanization were also identified.
 
 Nearly 640 MPs from 126 countries, including 79 Speakers and Deputy  Speakers attended the IPU Assembly in Lusaka, jointly organized with
 the Zambian Parliament.