To meet the challenge of more effective parliamentary support for sustainable development, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) have drawn up the Capacity-building Initiative on Sustainable Development, the aim of which is to allow parliamentarians to perfect their knowledge of sustainable development and to become acquainted with international negotiation processes and institutions in this field. The inaugural conference of this initiative took place at the French Senate in Paris on 22 and 23 April 2005. The discussions centered on three key problems of sustainable development: water, climate change and energy, and trade for sustainable development.