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 unfolding tragedy of the COVID-19 pandemic also offers parliaments a unique chance to address climate change while rebuilding and reimagining national economies. A new IPU policy note, Green approaches to COVID-19 recovery: Policy note for parliamentarians, published in partnership
Background The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments. It was founded 130 years ago as the first multilateral political organization in the world, encouraging cooperation and dialogue between all nations. Today, the IPU comprises 179 national
The IPU and the parliamentary community strongly condemn the violence and the assault on the US Capitol on Wednesday 6 January. The integrity of this bastion of democracy and of the representatives of the people of the United States must
2020 has been a year unlike any other. The coronavirus pandemic has thrown the world into turmoil, with the resulting lockdowns, quarantines and border closures bringing economies to a standstill. It has been endless; as societies sacrifice freedoms to subdue
Description The IPU is coordinating a multi-partner project to create a set of parliamentary indicators based on SDG targets 16.6 and 16.7. The indicators are intended to help parliaments to measure their capacity and performance, as a tool for learning
Context In October 2017, the 137th IPU Assembly concluded its General Debate entitled Promoting cultural pluralism and peace through inter-faith and inter-ethnic dialogue with the adoption of the St. Petersburg Declaration. The Declaration recognizes that inter-religious dialogue is essential to
Organizational setting and reporting relationships The Consultant will work under the supervision of the Director of the MPER Division and directly with the Conference Services Officer as well as with other Secretariat members in the organization of virtual events and