- ImpactWe help parliaments to become greener and to implement the Paris agreement.We support democracy by strengthening parliamentsWe work to increase women’s representation in parliament and empower women MPs.We defend the human rights of parliamentarians and help them uphold the rights of all.We help parliaments fight terrorism, cyber warfare and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.We encourage youth participation in parliaments and empower young MPs.We support parliaments in implementing the SDGs with a particular focus on health and climate change.
- Parliaments
Nearly every country in the world has some form of parliament. Parliamentary systems fall into two categories: bicameral and unicameral. Out of 190 national parliaments in the world, 78 are bicameral (156 chambers) and 112 are unicameral, making a total of 268 chambers of parliament with some 44,000 members of parliament. IPU membership is made up of 180 national parliamentsFind a national parliament
The Swiss National Council © The Swiss Parliament
We help strengthen parliaments to make them more representative and effective.. - Knowledge
Discover the IPU's resources
Our library of essential resources for parliamentsGlobal data for and about national parliamentsLatest data and reports about women in parliamentResolutions, declarations and outcomes adopted by IPU MembersRecent innovations in the way parliaments workThe latest climate change legislation from the London School of Economics' database
The Parliamentary Mandate
A global comparative study based on the analysis of information supplied by over 130 parliamentary chambers and supplemented with information contained in the IPU's Parline database and collection of basic documentation on parliaments. Focuses on the nature, duration and exercise of the parliamentary mandate, offering a comparative analysis of world-wide practice in this field. Also addresses the issue of the legal and material resources available or that should be made available to the parliamentarians in the performance of their mandate. The author concludes that the special rights to which parliamentarians are entitled are not meant to place them above the law but rather to ensure that they perform this mandate, entrusted to them by the people, in an independent an unhindered fashion. Written by Mr. Marc Van der Hulst, Chief of the Legal Service of the Belgian Chamber of Deputies.
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