The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will elect its ninth Secretary General at the 152nd IPU Assembly, which will be held in Istanbul, Türkiye from 15 to 19 April 2026. The Secretary General serves as the Chief Executive of the Organization, overseeing the management of the Secretariat and reporting directly to the IPU Governing Council. Together with the President, the […]
Women constitute about 52% of Bhutan’s population, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in its Parliament. While Bhutan’s Constitution is grounded in the principle of equity, and progress has been made in women’s participation in local government and public services, their representation in Parliament has declined in recent years. The IPU report Women in parliament: 1995-2025, highlighted […]
In the lead-up to Human Rights Day, the IPU has published its latest data on human rights violations against parliamentarians. The data is compiled by the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, a unique international complaints mechanism with the specific mandate to defend the human rights of MPs. In 2025, the Committee reviewed a record 1,027 individual […]
MPs from around the world have expressed deep concern about the unchecked evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) and the absence of adequate safeguards to prevent irresponsible and potentially dangerous use of the rapidly evolving technology. Some 200 MPs, parliamentary staff and experts convened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 28 to 30 November 2025 for the […]
The IPU hosted another round of high-level parliamentary talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan this week during the 151st IPU Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. On 21 October 2025, IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong welcomed the Speaker of the Azgayin Zhoghov (National Assembly of Armenia), Mr. Alen Simonyan, and the Speaker of the Milli Mejlis (National Assembly […]
Opinion piece by Ms. Deborah O’Neill, member of the Senate of Australia It was a late night at a committee hearing in the Australian Senate on 15 February 2023 when a shocking truth came to light. In response to my question, the CEO of the Tax Practitioners Board revealed that a tax partner within the […]
Parliament House is not only the heart of Australia’s parliamentary democracy, it is also the most high-profile workplace in the country. So when accounts of sexual assault, harassment and bullying in the Parliament emerged in 2020, there was no doubt that changes needed to be made. The accounts led to a national conversation about workplace […]
The IPU is following with concern the unrest in Nepal, especially the attacks on Parliament. The IPU and the wider global parliamentary community call for calm and urge an immediate end to the violence, which has led to a tragic loss of lives. Attacks on public institutions and private property, including the recent targeting of […]
The IPU strongly condemns the apparent murder of Mr. Aung Soe Min, an elected Myanmar parliamentarian, who is reported to have died earlier this year after being tortured while in detention. According to the Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), a group of exiled legislators from the last Myanmar Parliament elected in 2020, Mr. Aung […]
On the sidelines of the 15th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament and the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament held last week in Geneva, the Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Martin Chungong, signed a series of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Parliaments of Zambia, Chad and Mongolia, reinforcing the IPU’s […]
