Anda Filip became the 10th Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on 1 July 2026, the first woman and the first Eastern European to hold the post in the Organization’s 137-year history. She succeeded Martin Chungong of Cameroon, whose third and final term ended on 30 June 2026 – the anniversary of the IPU’s […]
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) was born on 30 June 1889 thanks to the vision of British parliamentarian William Randall Cremer and French parliamentarian Frédéric Passy. 137 years later, we ask British parliamentarian Dame Karen Bradley and French parliamentarian Xavier Iacovelli, both members of the IPU Executive Committee, to tell the origin story of […]
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has published new guidance urging lawmakers to act faster and more decisively against non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including sexualized deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence (AI), a phenomenon that disproportionately targets women and girls. Combating non-consensual intimate imagery: A parliamentary action guide warns that generative AI has made it easier, cheaper and faster […]
Who is the youngest member of your Parliament? And who is the oldest? How many women sit in your Parliament? When is your country’s next parliamentary election? All these answers, and many more, are on IPU Parline, the IPU’s database on national parliaments, which turns 30 years old in 2026. IPU Parline brings together over […]
As Martin Chungong comes to the end of his 12 years as IPU Secretary General, he reflects on the iconic images that illustrate some of the defining moments of his tenure. Interview conducted by Thomas Fitzsimons, IPU Director of Communications. See also: 12 years at the helm: Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary General 2014-2026 – […]
Parliamentarians from the IPU’s Twelve Plus Group met in Warsaw last week to examine the risks and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence (AI) and social media for young people and human rights. The regional seminar Human Rights in the Digital Era. AI and Social Media: Opportunity or Threat for Youth? took place in Warsaw, Poland from 8 […]
Marquis de Pandolfi, Italy, 1891 Pandolfi was the first IPU Secretary General, appointed in 1891 at the third IPU Parliamentary Conference in Rome, Italy. However, he was only Secretary General for a few months and has often been omitted from the history books. Albert Gobat, Switzerland, 1892–1909 A leading lawyer and educationalist, Gobat played a […]
As the FIFA World Cup begins, football’s power to inspire reaches far beyond the pitch. Some of the game’s greatest names have gone on to shape public life and lead their nations. Discover four footballers who became parliamentarians: George Weah rose from FIFA World Player of the Year to become President of Liberia. Oleg Blokhin, […]
Human Rights. Democratic freedoms. These are not abstract ideals – they are the foundations of everything parliaments exist to protect. Yet around the world, they are being pushed into the shadows. Parliamentarians are being silenced. Hard-won protections are being rolled back. The IPU’s new campaign Bring human rights into focus is a call to bring these […]
Following the success of the first IPU Global Conference of Women Parliamentarians in Mexico 2025, the Serbian Parliament hosted the second conference from 2-4 June this year. The theme of the conference was “Advancing parity: Breaking the barriers of gender stereotypes and negative social norms”. The conference brought together 193 parliamentarians (155 women MPs and […]
