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Common Principles for Support to Parliaments

The Common Principles for Support to Parliaments set out the fundamental principles for planning and implementing programmes to strengthen parliaments. They were first developed in 2014 by a group of parliaments and partners convened by the IPU and have been widely endorsed around the world.

Parliamentary support should:

  • Be guided by the needs of parliaments
  • Take account of the social, economic and political contexts of individual parliaments
  • Aim for sustainable outcomes
  • Include all political tendencies
  • Be grounded in international standards
  • Address the needs and potential of women and men equally
  • Use local and regional expertise
  • Use effective coordination and communication
  • Guarantee ethical and responsible conduct by partners
Endorsements of the Common Principles
There are 178 endorsements of the Common Principles: 147 national parliaments, 10 parliamentary assemblies and 21 partner organizations.