The Hungarian Parliament was the first IPU member to celebrate the IPU’s 130th anniversary at a special event in the National Assembly in Budapest on 5 June 2019. At the event, the Hungarian Post Office released two commemoration stamps designed by artist Eszter Domé, showing the Hungarian National Assembly and the IPU’s headquarters in Geneva.
News in brief
Eighteen parliaments from the Asia-Pacific region met in Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia, from 27 to 28 May 2019, to assess their country’s progress in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to data from the United Nations, the region is lagging behind others in implementing the SDGs, with no country on track to achieve SDG targets by 2030
At a technical briefing organized by the IPU and the World Health Organization (WHO) on 23 May during the World Health Assembly, parliamentarians discussed how to move forward on providing universal health coverage (UHC). IPU Members are expected to adopt the first global parliamentary resolution on UHC at the 141st IPU Assembly in Serbia in October. The resolution, “Achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030: the role of parliaments in ensuring the right to health,” will set out concrete steps for parliaments to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 on health.
The IPU is concerned about the arrest on 8 May of the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Edgar Zambrano. His arrest follows the decision of the Constituent Assembly to strip him of his parliamentary immunity as well as that of six other members of the National Assembly, and with the likelihood of three more to come.
The IPU, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cement their cooperation in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
The IPU was founded on the importance of parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue.
The IPU stands for the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war. The IPU was founded 130 years ago on the values of peace and non-use of force in international relations.
The IPU welcomes its 179th member, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, bringing the IPU one step closer to universal membership. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines joined the IPU at its 140th Assembly in Doha, Qatar, represented by the Speaker of the Parliament, Mr Thomas Sanga.
The IPU and UN Women held a joint parliamentary event at the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) on 13 March 2019 in New York. Participants at the event discussed ways of making social protection programmes more gender responsive.
The President and the Secretary General of the IPU have been informed that Venezuelan MPs have been prevented from leaving the country to attend the 140th IPU Assembly in Doha, Qatar this week.