Activities: IPU Activities & Conferences

Christophe Lacroix, Belgium MP and co-rapporteur of the IPU Standing Committee on Peace and International Security

IPU hears on peace and security, parliaments must keep AI in check

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has prompted many experts to warn about its impacts on democracy. To explore this issue further, the IPU is preparing a series of five articles on the topic. In this third piece, Belgian MP and co-rapporteur of the IPU Standing Committee on Peace and International Security, Christophe Lacroix, talks […]

As President of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, Dan Carden MP spoke at the opening of the conference.

Young MPs commit to accelerating the SDGs at close of their Hanoi conference

Close to 300 young parliamentarians from some 70 countries have committed to accelerating the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially through digital transformation and innovation. The young MPs were in Hanoi, Viet Nam, for the Ninth IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, jointly organized by the IPU and the National Assembly of Viet Nam. The theme […]

The Parliament of Vietnam will host the Ninth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians

Vietnam to host the Ninth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians

The 9th IPU Global Conference of Young MPs will kick off on 15 September in Hanoi, Vietnam.  Hundreds of Young MPs from around the world will meet to consider their roles in accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The annual IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians is a unique platform for young Members […]

A floating boat school in Bangladesh. Abir Abdullah / Climate Visuals Countdown

Preparing democracy for what’s to come: Committees of the Future

The COVID-19 pandemic. The war in Ukraine. The triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Recent events – some that could have been foreseen, others that took the world by surprise – have revealed the fragility of the world’s existing governance structures. The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence is also likely to revolutionize the […]

Young MPs meet at the 146th IPU Assembly in Bahrain 2023

11 young MPs who are helping to rejuvenate parliaments worldwide

The IPU’s Forum of Young Parliamentarians is a unique global body created 10 years ago to boost youth participation in parliaments and to allow young lawmakers to network among their peers. The Forum is all the more important as, according to the latest IPU figures, only 2.8% of MPs around the world are aged 30 or under, compared with […]

23 August 2023, Toulouse, France, ALAIN PITTON / NURPHOTO VIA AFP

IPU works to make democracy work better for the climate

With the summer of 2023 set to be the hottest on record, time is rapidly running out to keep global warming under the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Climate action has become the number one strategic priority for the IPU which is why the Organization launched a new climate campaign Parliaments for the Planet earlier this year. […]

The Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, Parliament building in Bangladesh. © Bangladesh Parliament.

Buildings fit for a parliament: The politics of parliamentary architecture

Parliament buildings are often statements revealing a country’s vision, traditions and culture. Here are the five types of plenary halls and their political significance. As former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill commented: “We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us.” Architecture has a profound impact on our behaviour. The size and shape of a […]

Voters wait in line in Freetown on 24 June 2023 JOHN WESSELS / AFP

IPU highlights record number of women MPs elected in Sierra Leone Parliament

Following recent elections, women lawmakers now account for 30.4% of the elected seats in the Sierra Leone Parliament, up from 14.5% in the previous election. The surge in women MPs is largely thanks to the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act, signed into law by President Julius Maada Bio a few months ago, which sets a 30% quota of […]

Past BGIPU Chair, Harriett Baldwin MP, accompanied by BGIPU Audit Committee Chair, Flick Drummond MP and current Chair, Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP, pays tribute to the leadership of President Pacheco at the meeting on 11 July 2023.

IPU President Pacheco invited to Palace of Westminster by BGIPU Executive Committee

As he enter his final months in office, IPU President, Duarte Pacheco of Portugal, was invited to visit to Palace of Westminster to address the BGIPU Executive Committee on the key challenges and successes of his time in office.  He noted a key highlight have been the steady and progressive rebuilding of the IPU’s scope […]