Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the IPU, has been honoured with the Ambassador of Friendship Award in recognition of his “outstanding contributions to the friendship between the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China and the IPU”.
Under Mr. Chungong’s tenure, cooperation between the IPU and China’s Parliament has grown markedly in recent years. The NPC has actively participated in the IPU’s governing bodies and its specialized committees on counter-terrorism, and science and technology.
In July, at the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, the NPC announced a renewed, five-year, US$1.5 million voluntary contribution to the IPU. This funding will bolster the IPU’s work in sustainable development, climate action and counter-terrorism.
The Ambassador of Friendship Award was presented during the 7th Interregional Seminar on the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Parliaments of Developing Countries, held in Beijing from 28 August to 6 September 2025. Jointly organized by the NPC and the IPU, the Seminar gathered nearly 40 parliamentarians from nine developing countries to discuss “stronger inter-parliamentary exchanges for better achievement of the SDGs”.
Martin Chungong, originally from Cameroon, became the first African and non-European to be elected Secretary General of the IPU in 2014. With more than four decades of experience and knowledge of parliaments, he has dedicated his professional life to strengthening parliamentary functions, dialogue and diplomacy worldwide.
