Parliamentary leaders and representatives of the world's 20 major economies pledged Friday to work together to fight terrorism, pursue balanced growth and enhance nuclear safety as they wrapped up two days of discussions on major global issues.

   "Stronger cooperation among G-20 countries is imperative in order to adequately respond to challenges to social and economic development, global safety and our common prosperity," said a joint communique adopted at the end of the G-20 Speakers' Consultation meeting in Seoul.

   "There is a need to establish a collective system of disaster prevention and relief efforts," it said.

The participants condemned "all forms of terrorism, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever purposes" while encouraging "international coordination efforts against terrorism and new threats to security, including piracy, based on a global consensus on the principles and mechanisms of the United Nations," the declaration said.

   Learning lessons from Japan's nuclear crisis caused by an earthquake and tsunami, they also called on the international community to reexamine existing nuclear safety standards.

   "Parliaments of G-20 countries should make efforts to focus on issues of nuclear safety regulations with a view to achieving the highest standards possible and strengthen cooperation on nuclear safety, information, capacity building and emergency systems," it said.

   They also urged the parliaments of their respective nations to create preventive mechanisms against future contingencies to move toward a "shared growth for humanity," according to the declaration.

   South Korea hosted the conference following November's summit of G-20 leaders. Attending this week's conference were speakers and their representatives from 26 nations and groups, including five non-G-20 members and Inter-Parliamentary Union members.

   On the first day of the meeting, the participants shared opinions on strategies to fight against global terrorism amid a heightened security alert following the death of Osama bin Laden and ongoing political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.

   In the last two sessions Friday, parliamentarians discussed ways to collaborate to reduce trade imbalances and pursue sustainable growth by supporting developing nations in various fields in the post-financial crisis era.

   The participants agreed to hold the next conference in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

   The first meeting was held in Canada in September last year, as an extension of the G-20 summit to discuss global issues at the parliamentary level.

Source Text: Yonhap News (May 20, 2011)