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Nearly every country in the world has some form of parliament. Parliamentary systems fall into two categories: bicameral and unicameral. Out of 190 national parliaments in the world, 78 are bicameral (156 chambers) and 112 are unicameral, making a total of 268 chambers of parliament with some 44,000 members of parliament. IPU membership is made up of 180 national parliamentsFind a national parliament
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News and case studies
Discover the latest news, case studies, press releases, statements, speeches and photos from the IPU here
Case studies
Case studies
13/11/2023
In a world grappling with the pressing need to address climate change, the German Bundestag offers an interesting case study in how to reduce energy consumption and minimize environmental impact. The measures implemented by the Bundestag since July 2022 encompass
Case studies
22/10/2023
As part of the IPU’s climate campaign Parliaments for the Planet, we are focusing on good climate practices by parliaments around the world which can be replicated elsewhere. The Federal National Council (FNC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is
Case studies
20/10/2023
This case study on parliamentary public engagement was written based on information provided by the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China. How does a parliament engage with its constituents in such a vast and populous country as China? How does
Press releases
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Press releases
07/12/2023
A few days before Human Rights Day on 10 December, the IPU has released its annual map of the number of reported cases of human rights violations suffered by parliamentarians around the world. Although the numbers continue to rise, there
Press releases
06/12/2023
Parliaments were in the spotlight on 6 December 2023 in Dubai at COP28, the UN Climate Change Conference, at a day of parliamentary meetings organized by the IPU and the Federal National Council (FNC), the Parliament of the United Arab
Press releases
20/11/2023
The IPU and Adaptation at Altitude, a programme of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, have published a new Issues Brief for parliamentarians: Responding to climate change in the mountains: Opportunities for parliamentarians to act. The Brief is designed
Press releases
16/11/2023
The IPU and partner organizations have published a new tool called the Indicators for Democratic Parliaments, which offers a new approach to measuring parliamentary capacity, resilience and performance. Using a framework of 25 indicators, parliaments can evaluate their own strengths
Press releases
News in brief
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News in brief
24/11/2023
As part of her three-day visit to IPU Headquarters, newly elected IPU President Tulia Ackson spoke at a webinar on violence against women in African parliaments, organized by the IPU in partnership with the African Parliamentary Union (APU). The webinar
News in brief
24/10/2023
The IPU has taken one step closer to universal membership with the addition of its newest Member, the Parliament of the Bahamas, at the 147th IPU Assembly in Luanda, Angola. Minister and parliamentarian, Ms. Pia Glover-Rolle, said: “We share many
News in brief
14/10/2023
The Parliament of India, in cooperation with the IPU, brought together parliamentary leaders from the world’s 20 major economies at the Ninth G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit and Parliamentary Forum, the so-called P20, on 13-14 October in New Delhi, India. The
News in brief
06/09/2023
The Second World Summit of the Committees of the Future, organized jointly by the Parliament of Uruguay and the IPU, will bring together parliamentarians from around the world to explore how to integrate tomorrow’s challenges into today’s decision-making.
News in brief
Statements
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Statements
24/11/2023
We applaud the humanitarian pause to the fighting in Gaza and the deal to release Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. We hope the pause will alleviate the immense suffering of the people of Gaza and allow essential food, medicine and
Statements
04/11/2023
We are deeply concerned by the escalation in fighting in Gaza. We are increasingly worried by the rising death toll in the West Bank We are horrified by the unprecedented extent of casualties on both sides and the immense human
Statements
12/10/2023
The IPU is increasingly alarmed by the unfolding catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. We reiterate our utter condemnation of any violence against civilians. The acts of terror committed by Hamas have done nothing to help the Palestinian people
Statements
09/10/2023
The IPU is following with great concern the fighting in Israel and the Gaza Strip. We strongly condemn the attacks by Hamas against Israeli towns and are concerned by reports that citizens have been taken hostage. We offer our deepest
Statements
Voices
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Voices
30/11/2023
The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has prompted many experts to warn about its impacts on democracy. To explore this issue further, the IPU is preparing a series of articles on the topic. In this fourth piece, British MP
Voices
16/11/2023
What did COP27, the UN Climate Conference which took place in Egypt in 2022, achieve from a parliamentary perspective? And what were the lessons learnt to pass on to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who are hosting COP28 in just
Voices
15/11/2023
As part of the IPU series called 'A conversation with...', we interview parliamentarians from all over the world to find out who they represent and what motivates them. In this edition, we discover Ibrahim Mohammed, the youngest federal parliamentarian from
Voices
08/11/2023
In the lead-up to COP28, the UN climate conference, discover how to use the global database of over 5000 laws and policies on climate change in this 2-minute video. The database is managed by the London School of Economics Grantham
Voices
Photos
Videos
Latest speeches from IPU Leadership
Speech