News in brief

Speakers of Parliament from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka assembled in Malé, Maldives, on 1 and 2 September 2019, for the fourth South Asian Speakers’ Summit on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As representatives of

Young parliamentarians meeting in Asunción, Paraguay, have called for the pursuit of happiness and well-being to be explicitly integrated into public policy.

On 12 August, International Youth Day, the IPU celebrates young parliamentarians and youth participation in political life.

The IPU brought together more than 140 parliamentarians from 50 parliaments to review progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the annual High-level Political Forum at the United Nations in New York.

New IPU data paints a mixed picture of the role of parliaments in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While examples of good practice have emerged, with some parliaments playing a very active role, the data also shows that implementation of the SDGs and involvement in the voluntary national review process remain primarily government-led.

IPU President Gabriela Cuevas Barron paid official visits to Cyprus and Iran in June 2019.

The Speaker of Djibouti’s National Assembly, Mohamed Ali Houmed, opened an extraordinary session of the Parliament with a speech to mark the IPU’s 130th anniversary. The Prime Minister, Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, was in the audience. The Parliament also helped raise awareness of the IPU and the anniversary by sending out the link to the video produced for the anniversary to all the MPs.

The Parliament of Bangladesh is currently displaying the IPU’s 130th anniversary exhibition. The exhibition was opened by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Speaker of Parliament Shirin Chaudhury and IPU Honorary President Saber H. Chowdhury were present at the opening, as were whips and other members of parliament.

On 30 June, International Day of Parliamentarism, the IPU celebrated its 130th anniversary in a ‘Quintet’ consisting of the Presidents of the most recent and future IPU Assemblies.

On 25 June, as part of the IPU's 130th anniversary celebrations, the Chair and Executive Committee of the British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union (BGIPU) invited members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords to attend a diplomatic reception in Speaker’s House. Members of the Diplomatic Corps, key stakeholders in the UK Parliament and a visiting delegation from the Italian Parliament were also invited (Italy was one of the nine original member countries of the IPU, along with the co-founders United Kingdom and France).

The Russian Parliament has issued a commemorative stamp for the International Day of Parliamentarism and the IPU’s 130th anniversary on 30 June.

The National Assembly of Serbia is displaying the IPU’s 130th anniversary exhibition: "1889-2019: Celebration of 130 Years of the IPU". The exhibition tells the rich story of the IPU, linking its past with its present impact.

Discover 130 years of IPU history in this 130-second video. What began in 1889 as a small group of parliamentarians, dedicated to promoting peace through parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue, has since grown into the global organization of national parliaments. By

In an area vulnerable to terrorism and violent extremism, the IPU, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnership with the National Assembly of Niger, organized a conference for parliamentarians from the region in Niamey from 12 to 14 June 2019.

The National People’s Congress of China will donate USD 1 million to the IPU for its work on countering terrorism and violent extremism. IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong and NPC Standing Committee Secretary General Yang Zhenwu signed the agreement today at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Mr. Chungong was in Beijing for an interregional conference on building parliamentary capacity and the further implementation of SDGs.

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.

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

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 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 signing took

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.