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.
The IPU has published the Parline database on national parliaments since 1996. The database provides reference information on the structure and working methods of all national parliaments in the world. Parline currently comprises some 450 data points for each country
In this video, IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong comments on the past five years at the IPU and explains how the organization empowers parliaments and parliamentarians for peace, democracy and sustainable development. Discover also five years of impact from the
Hosted by the Indonesian Parliament, the 144th Assembly of the IPU brought together some 110 national parliaments on the theme ‘Getting to zero: Mobilizing parliaments to act on climate change’. The Assembly concluded with the adoption of the Nusa Dua
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, we discover Dyah, Roro Esti, MP from Indonesia.
IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong welcomed European Commission Vice President Ms. Vera Jourova to the House of Parliaments on 25 April. Ms Jourova leads the Commission’s work on values and transparency and upholding the rule of law. Vice President Jourova
On the occasion of 24 April, International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (APF) and the IPU joined forces to reaffirm their common commitment to multilateralism through parliamentary diplomacy. In these particularly difficult