Region: Asia-Pacific

IPU President, Dr. Tulia Ackson, Speaker of the Parliament of Naoero, Marcus Stephen and IPU Secretary General, Anda Filip. ©IPU

Parliament of Naoero becomes IPU’s 184th Member

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) today welcomed the Parliament of Naoero as its 184th Member Parliament, represented by Speaker Marcus Stephen at the 153rd IPU Assembly in Arusha, Tanzania. The Pacific island is one of the smallest countries in the world, with a population of 12,000 people, who are represented by 19 directly elected Members of […]

© Parliament of Uzbekistan

At global IPU conference, Young MPs call for action to reclaim human rights

Lawmakers aged under 40 from around the world gathered this week in Samarkand for the 12th IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians. Co-hosted by the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan on 4 and 5 September 2026, the Conference was held under the theme Reclaiming human rights, justice and dignity for all […]

© Parliament of Bangladesh

IPU mission to Bangladesh to support parliamentary reform

An IPU delegation, led by Secretary General Anda Filip, has concluded a visit to Bangladesh at the invitation of the Jatiya Sangsad, the country’s Parliament. The mission comes at a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, with parliamentary elections held on 12 February 2026, and an interim Government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus having been in […]

Anda Filip, IPU Secretary General, and Liu Qi, Secretary General of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China (NPC) sign the donation agreement. © NPC

Chinese Parliament and the IPU sign new agreement on sustainable development

The IPU and the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China today signed a donation agreement to further strengthen their partnership in promoting parliamentary action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The funds will support some of the IPU’s SDG programmes and events for parliamentarians with a focus on capacity-building in developing countries. The framework agreement […]

Parliament of Tonga

IPU congratulates Tonga on landmark humanitarian disarmament milestones

The IPU warmly congratulates the Kingdom of Tonga on its accession to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), both formalized on 7 July 2026 at the United Nations in New York. With this ratification, approved by its Parliament, Tonga becomes the 179th state […]

The IPU encourages parliaments to approve ratification of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. © Fariq Faraj Mahmood/Anadolu/AFP

Comoros, Tonga and Mongolia: Three countries trying to make the world safer

The IPU encourages and supports parliaments in their work to approve and implement existing treaties and conventions designed to limit the threat from chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. In 2025, after a high-level seminar organized by the IPU and United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) on the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), Comoros formally presented […]

An IPU workshop on gender equality in the Parliament of Mongolia.© Parliament of Mongolia

Gender equality in Mongolia: Spotlight on the State Great Hural

“Gender equality isn’t just a women’s issue, it requires everyone’s leadership,” said Nomin Chinbat, an MP in Mongolia’s State Great Hural (Parliament). “By working together, we are increasing the number of women in leadership and decision-making roles, building a more balanced and equitable future for all.” Nomin was just one of the new cohort of […]

© IPU

152nd IPU Assembly in Türkiye calls for peace amid Middle East conflict

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) successfully concluded its 152nd Assembly, hosted by the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye in Istanbul from 15-19 April 2026. The “parliament of parliaments” drew over 1,500 delegates, including more than 720 parliamentarians from 126 countries. Women comprised 37% of lawmakers present. Some 13% of the parliamentarians attending were under 40. The high-level […]