Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) is an international network of elected legislators from over 100 countries that promotes peace, democracy, human rights, sustainable development and population issues.

Sadik stresses that women’s empowerment is the measure of democracy

On 4th and 5th December 2006, the 28th PGA Annual Parliamentary Forum on Human Security and IV Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians for the ICC and the Rule of Law was held in Tokyo. Around 220 legislators, including 50 from Japan, from nearly 60 countries attended.

The forum was supported by various European governments and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and JOICFP assisted as secretariat.

PGA and ICPD

PGA was a leading force behind the parliamentary consensus for the 1992 Rio Summit and the 1994 ICPD, which stressed reproductive health and women's rights rather than demographic goals. Since 1995, PGA has worked to implement the ICPD PoA in West Africa, and in response to the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic, PGA initiated a regional series in South Asia with UNFPA, UNDP, WHO and UNAIDS.

Democracy award

During the forum, Nafis Sadik, former Executive Director, UNFPA, and Yukika Sohma, who established Japan's first international NGO, received the PGA 11th Annual Defender of Democracy Award.

In her acceptance speech, Sadik stressed that the importance of women's empowerment was that it was the litmus test by which to measure democracy throughout the world.