On 30 June the world celebrates the International Day of Parliamentarism
The International Day of Parliamentarism is celebrated every year on 30 June, the date in 1889 on which the IPU was founded. The Day was established in 2018 through a United Nations General Assembly Resolution.
Instituting an international day for parliaments is particularly important at this critical time for parliamentary democracy, when people are losing trust in political institutions and democracy itself is facing challenges from populist and nationalist movements. If democracy is to thrive, then parliaments, as the cornerstone of functioning democracies, need to be strong, transparent, accountable and representative.
The International Day of Parliamentarism is a time to review the progress that parliaments have made in achieving some key goals to be more representative and move with the times, including carrying out self-assessments, working to include more women and young MPs, and adapting to new technologies.
We encourage our Members to celebrate the International Day of Parliamentarism with events and celebrations.
In 2019, the Day also marked the IPU’s 130th anniversary, which was celebrated around the world.
In 2021, the IPU and its Member Parliaments marked the day with a number of events focusing on youth empowerment following the recent launch of the IPU campaign I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament!
In 2022, the IPU and its Member Parliaments will mark the day under the theme of public engagement following the recent launch of the Global Parliamentary Report on Public engagement in the work of parliament.
The International Day of Parliamentarism is celebrated every year on 30 June, the date in 1889 on which the IPU was founded. UK Parliament shares with with its French counterpart the honour of being a founding member of the IPU.
