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.
2024 IPU Parliamentary Forum at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
Jul162024
NY,
United States
The IPU Parliamentary Forum at the HLPF is designed to engage parliamentarians in assessing progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level.
Democracy is not an easy concept to measure, but when the IPU and partners produced the Indicators for Democratic Parliaments, several parliaments tested out this self-assessment toolkit, including Pakistan’s upper house, the Senate. Since independence in 1947, Pakistan’s democratic credentials
When Benin requested support with the management of its chemicals and related waste, the IPU connected the west African Parliament with experts at the United Nations and organized a training course for parliamentarians. Less than a year later, the National
The IPU is greatly saddened to hear of the death of former IPU President Ahmed Fathi Sorour on 6 April 2024. Dr. Sorour was IPU President from 1994 to 1997, a critical period for the IPU when many new democratically
Helen Clark, PMNCH Board Chair; Joy Phumaphi and Githinji Gitahi, Co-Chairs, PMNCH Advocacy and Partner Engagement Committee; Flavia Bustreo, Chair, PMNCH Governance and Ethics Committee; Martin Chungong, Secretary General, Inter-Parliamentary Union. As the world’s leading alliance committed to the health
Hundreds of parliamentarians from over 140 countries, gathered at the 148th IPU Assembly from 23-27 March 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland, have reconfirmed their commitment to parliamentary diplomacy to support peace efforts, and to reinvigorate multilateralism through parliamentary action. In their
IPU Leadership Statement at the 148th IPU Assembly. In view of the worsening situation in Gaza, we call for urgent action to alleviate the suffering of the people in the region, including women, children and the elderly, who have been
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the World Health Organization (WHO) today signed a new memorandum of understanding, reaffirming the critical role that parliamentarians play in enabling good health to foster stable and equitable societies. The new five-year memorandum was signed
The IPU grew in 2023 with the accession of the parliaments of Liberia and the Bahamas, its 179th and 180th Members respectively, as well as many observers and partners signing up to join or rejoin our global parliamentary community. Read more highlights of the year in the Impact Report 2023