Monday, April 28, 2008
Agung Laksono Urges Advanced Countries to Allocate 0.7 of Their GDP Each Year
Source: Antara News

Jakarta - House Speaker Agung Laksono urged advanced countries to allocate 0.7 percent of their Gross Domestic Product.

Agung made the appeal in a meeting of the World Inter-Parliamentary Union on the occasion of its 118th anniversary which opened on April 13, 2008 in Cape Town, South Africa, an e-mail message of the House of Representatives (DPR) said on Sunday.

"Poverty is a global phenomenon caused by a mistake of civilization," he said.

The general session was also marked with preparations for the election of Inter-Parliament Union (IPU) for 2008-2011 period, replacing Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini.

The election in the governing council of the 119th IPU Assembly Meeting was scheduled for October 13-15, 2008.

Agung, as speaker of the Indonesian parliament was one of the strong candidates for that position.

He gained support from the group ASEAN+3, PUIC and Asia Pacific group. In the meantime, Latin America and the Caribbean as well as Twelve Plus have yet to decide in their support to any of the candidates.

Agung Laksono was a world class legislator who became popular since his success in leading the 117th general assembly of IPU in Bali, Indonesia, last October.