News in brief

The IPU congratulates the United Nations on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations signed on 26 June 1945 in San Francisco, USA. The Charter of the United Nations was born at end of

On 26 June, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the IPU calls on parliaments to use all their powers to help eradicate state-sponsored physical and psychological abuse and all other forms of serious ill-treatment. The day also

On 30 June 2020, the IPU and the parliamentary community will celebrate the third edition of International Day of Parliamentarism and the anniversary of the foundation of the IPU. The IPU was founded 131 years ago on 30 June 1889

This year’s IPU information seminar has gone online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since participants cannot travel to Geneva, the IPU is holding a week of webinars for parliamentary staff in French. Every year, the IPU holds an information seminar

The Parliament of Myanmar (Hluttaw) recently held its first virtual session to discuss a COVID-19 economic relief plan with technical support from the IPU and the UN Development Programme. Some 40 MPs registered for the session joining from all over

The IPU welcomes the latest actions by the Uzbek Parliament to implement international human rights standards at the national level. Following an IPU recommendation, Uzbek parliamentarians recently participated in a video meeting involving multiple international and Uzbek organizations to review

Watch this 2-minute video to discover how parliaments and parliamentarians have responded to the pandemic. See also Parliaments in a time of pandemic.

Some 500 parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from over 80 countries participated in the first of a series of webinars co-organized by the IPU, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The webinar

The IPU continues to be concerned about the fate of opposition MPs in detention in Venezuela particularly in Iight of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Health Organization, people in prison and other confined places of detention, are more

Parliaments are currently subject to the same public health and social distancing measures as schools, places of worship or businesses. Yet, in a time of crisis, the role of parliament is more vital than ever to pass emergency laws, allocate

During the COVID-19 global health emergency, Parliaments have a vital role to play in supporting national efforts to stem the pandemic and in mobilizing the resources to implement the health measures recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). They are

Watch the second in our short video series for parliamentarians on UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 to celebrate Women’s History Month. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security

Watch the first in a series of short videos on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The first video on SDG 5 "Gender Equality" looks at how you can take concrete actions to ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal

A strong and representative parliament can make all the difference in building peace and fostering reconciliation in post-conflict situations. As part of its long-standing work in strengthening the Myanmar Parliament (the Hluttaw), the IPU and the parliament organized a three-day

The IPU has just published Putting parliamentary self-development into practice: A Guide to the Common Principles for Support to Parliaments. As the global organization of national parliaments, one of the IPU’s core functions is to strengthen parliaments. The Common Principles

On 17 and 18 February, the IPU and the United Nations, represented by the President of the General Assembly, will bring together close to 200 parliamentarians from over 60 countries, as well as diplomats, representatives from civil society, and experts

The Serbian Parliament has announced an amendment to its electoral laws with a new minimum quota of 40 per cent of candidates on electoral lists for parliamentary and local elections from the less-represented gender. The Parliament adopted amendments to two

IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong has become the Chair of the Global Board of the International Gender Champions (IGC), a leadership network that works to break down gender barriers in international organizations, governments, civil society and the private sector. Mr

In a recent survey of IPU Member Parliaments, 31 per cent of respondents confirmed that new legislation had been put in place as a direct result of IPU assemblies, programmes, initiatives and resolutions. Of the sample, 75 per cent also

Elections in Djibouti in 2018 brought an infusion of young MPs into the National Assembly with 32 per cent of the new house under 45, above the global average of 28 per cent. To help these young parliamentarians, as well