The IPU facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development around the world.
We help parliaments build peaceful and inclusive societies, fight terrorism and violent extremism and curb the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Nearly every country in the world has some form of parliament. Parliamentary systems fall into two categories: bicameral and unicameral. Out of 188 national parliaments in the world, 81 are bicameral (162 chambers) and 107 are unicameral, making a total of 269 chambers of parliament with some 44,000 members of parliament. IPU membership is made up of 183 national parliaments
Throughout the year, the IPU and its Members organize many events for parliamentarians to exchange good practices, acquire the latest information and identify avenues for action.
The IPU has been collecting data on parliaments since its inception in 1889, including information on women’s participation in politics since 1945. In this section, discover the IPU's knowledge bank for and about parliaments.
As part of the IPU series 'A conversation with...', we interview parliamentarians from all over the world to find out who they represent and what motivates them. In this edition, we discover Lanein Blanchette, Speaker of the National Assembly of
The Inter-Parliamentary Union and its partners are seeking to develop a new online presence for the rollout and uptake of the Indicators for Democratic Parliaments. This multi-lingual website will be used to promote the Indicators, incorporate a tool to help
The Project Support Officer will work in the International Development Programme of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Working under the supervision of the Programme Manager for International Development, the Project Support Officer will undertake a range of implementation, administrative, reporting and
In this edition of 'A conversation with...', we interview Gillian Triggs, Assistant Secretary-General and Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She describes the challenges faced by refugees and what role
For the second year running, the IPU is joining the Geneva Coalition on Anticipatory Science and Diplomacy in organizing Science Diplomacy Week from 8-12 May. Initiated in 2022 by the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator Foundation (GESDA), in partnership with
As part of the IPU series called 'A conversation with...', we interview parliamentarians from all over the world to find out who they represent and what motivates them. In this edition, Dr. Win Myat Aye describes the current situation in