The 20th conference of the speakers and presiding officers of Commonwealth states began in New Delhi with a call by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh for sustained international cooperation for effectively dealing with the growth of extremist ideologies across the globe. Dr. Singh asserted that this menace is threatening the civilized existence. He strongly advocated for devising ways and means by which proponents of such ideologies by resorting to intimidation, terror and other manifestations of intolerance are challenging the vary basis of democratic traditions. <br/>In his inaugural address to the conference, Dr. Singh stressed the need that the parliament should respond to the everyday concerns of the common man and it should be the forum to articulate and address issues of his concern. Dr. Singh noted that with rise of growing number of regional and sub-regional parties; they find greater resonance within the political structure and this has brought the role of speaker into sharp focus. He said the rise of this phenomenon is not only a challenge for the governance but also for the conduct of Parliamentary democracy. He said, it is the duty of the presiding officers to ensure that due representation is given to voices of all sections of society in the Parliament. Dr Manmohan Singh said that democracy has strengthened Indian polity and institutions and more than one million women representatives have been elected to the local bodies across the country. He said, they are deepening the democracy and enriching the development process. He made it clear that if India is able to banish poverty in a generation, it will answer all the queries of whether democracy can sustain rapid development and growth.<br/>Prime Minister urged the international community that crucial issue of climate change can be addressed only when a collective and cooperative approach based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility is adopted by the world community. He called for greater sense of fairness and justice in global approaches to dealing with the problem of global warming. He referred to the meeting of the heads of the government of Commonwealth at Port of Spain. He asserted that the leaders agreed to implement the Commonwealth Climate Change Action Plan by contributing to the efforts of the member-states in transforming their economies. <br/>In her welcome address, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha Mrs. Miera Kumar said that the conference has emerged as an effective forum for understanding Parliamentary democracy and the challenges to the presiding officers in running and instilling the faith in these institutions. AIR correspondent covering the conference reports that more than 50 speakers and the presiding officers are participating in the conference. A commemorative stamp was released on the occasion. Earlier, an exhibition showcasing the growth of Indian Parliamentary democracy was thrown by the Speaker Mrs. Miera Kumar.