News in brief

In light of the significance of the recent report, Sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in Africa, the IPU commissioned a talented artist to help visually portray the extent of this scourge in legislatures across the continent. Annick

The financial strains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic risk derailing progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. To help mitigate this risk, the IPU has published a new tool for parliamentarians: Guidelines for parliamentarians on budgeting for

As the new German Bundestag sits for the first time on 26 October, IPU data shows that it has more women MPs and that the number of young MPs has significantly increased compared with the previous legislature elected in 2017

A new toolkit from the IPU and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), released in time for the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, explains the importance of DRR and how to implement it.

At the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, Ms. Xiye Bastida, an 18-year-old climate activist from Mexico, had a message for the parliamentarians present: “The climate crisis is generational injustice. And you have the power to develop smart, just and holistic legislation.” This was a call for all parliamentarians to act, and to act now, to maximize their legislative power in reducing the risks of climate change.

Seven concrete ways parliamentarians can make a difference to mitigate the effects of climate change and reduce carbon emissions.

Some 70 parliaments, representing all the regions of the world attended the First Global Parliamentary Meeting on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Turning the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic into opportunities for parliaments to achieve the SDGs this week

The first major international in-person event held by the IPU in 18 months, the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, took place in early September in Vienna, Austria. The event’s success in bringing 900 people safely together from all

The IPU has a long and storied history spanning over 130 years, and perhaps no one influenced the Organization more than Norway’s Christian Lange, the first paid professional Secretary General. In 1921, for his lasting contributions to the cause of

The International Day of Democracy is celebrated around the world on 15 September each year. It was established at the IPU’s request through a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly in 2007.

The office of Speaker is an ancient one, with its beginnings going back to the origins of the British Parliament. The Speaker role is an essential feature of the parliamentary system, and of all the Westminster parliamentary traditions, the Speakership has proved to be one of the most durable.

An IPU delegation, led by IPU President Duarte Pacheco and comprising parliamentarians from around the world, is in Venezuela this week. The delegation will hold consultations with a range of stakeholders in a bid to assess the general political situation

The recently published sixth report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a wake-up call for parliamentarians the world over. Eight years in the making, and drawing on the work of hundreds of experts and scientific studies, the report confirms that humans are unequivocally the cause of climate change, and worse, it is occurring faster than previously assumed.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, held each year since 1947 at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, brings together 50,000 local citizens, visitors, and dignitaries from all over the world. They gather to commemorate the 140,000 people instantly killed by an atomic bomb at 8.15 on the morning of 6 August 1945. They also come to pray for lasting world peace. To that end, the IPU continues to diligently support parliamentarians around the globe to do more to abolish nuclear weapons.

On this occasion of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the IPU honours MPs who were once Olympic athletes. Judging from the number of Olympians serving in the world’s parliaments, it could be argued that the drive and commitment required to become a world-class athlete are the same qualities necessary for excellence in parliamentary work. There are hundreds of such exceptional MPs scattered across every region of the world, both retired and currently serving. Their character and dedication are exemplified by the following individuals:

“Get Government Back”! That was the message from the IPU’s Parliamentary Forum coinciding with the United Nations High-level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF), held in New York from 6-15 July.

In preparation for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in November 2021 in Glasgow, the IPU hosted a virtual inter-parliamentary meeting on COP26 on 24 June, in collaboration with the British Group of the IPU and the Italian Chamber of Deputies. COP26 will bring together parties from around the world to advance action on climate change to meet the goals and objectives of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

What would a truly equal generation look like? Convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of France and Mexico, this is the question panellists debated at last week’s Generation Equality Forum in Paris.

The IPU will receive an additional two million Canadian dollars in funding to support its gender equality work in parliament. The three-year project, Gender Equality in Politics, is designed to support the IPU’s work in increasing women’s political empowerment. The funding will also help strengthen the capacity of parliaments to support gender equality at a national level.

The IPU and the Shura Council of Qatar reinforced their cooperation this week with the signature of a new Memorandum of Understanding between Mr. Ahmed Bin Abdulla Bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, Speaker of the Shura Council, and Mr. Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary General.