Region: Middle East

The 148th IPU Assembly will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from 23-27 March 2024. This is the first time in almost six years that the IPU’s biannual Assembly will be held in Geneva.

IPU Assembly to focus on pathways to peace through parliamentary diplomacy

The 148th IPU Assembly will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from 23-27 March 2024. This is the first time in almost six years that the IPU’s biannual Assembly will be held in Geneva. Hundreds of parliamentarians from around the world are expected to attend the Assembly to address the theme Parliamentary diplomacy: Building bridges for peace and […]

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director General, addresses the Conference

IPU Legislators call for stronger role in global trade at MC13 WTO meeting

Over two hundred parliamentarians from around the world have restated the importance of including a parliamentary dimension in the future of multilateral cooperation on trade, considering the essential role that trade plays in development, the global economy and people’s livelihoods worldwide. In their outcome document, the legislators emphasized the importance of the World Trade Organization (WTO) […]

The IPU Committee on Middle East Questions was founded in 1987 as a space for dialogue between parliamentarians in the region

Meeting of the IPU Committee on Middle East Questions addresses conflict in Gaza

The IPU Committee on Middle East Questions held an extraordinary virtual meeting on 5 February 2024, against the backdrop of the protracted conflict in Gaza. The meeting, chaired by the President of the Committee, Mr. Hubert Julien-Laferrière of France, brought together parliamentarians from the Middle East and around the world, including representatives from the Israeli Knesset and […]

IPU 2023

Human Rights of MPs: Some success stories from IPU efforts despite uptick in abuse

A few days before Human Rights Day on 10 December, the IPU has released its annual map of the number of reported cases of human rights violations suffered by parliamentarians around the world. Although the numbers continue to rise, there have been positive developments in some countries, partly due to actions by the Committee on the Human Rights […]

Xiye Bastida, indigenous climate activist, addresses the IPU global parliamentary community at COP28. ©IPU/ Parliament of the United Arab Emirates

COP28: Parliaments take centre stage to accelerate climate action

Parliaments were in the spotlight on 6 December 2023 in Dubai at COP28, the UN Climate Change Conference, at a day of parliamentary meetings organized by the IPU and the Federal National Council (FNC), the Parliament of the United Arab Emirates. The meeting was attended by over 500 parliamentarians, including dozens of Speakers, from some 60 countries, […]

Rafah crossing point where humanitarian aid to enter Gaza as pause starts. Abed Rahim Khatib / Anadolu via AFP.

IPU leadership statement applauding the humanitarian pause to the fighting in Gaza

We applaud the humanitarian pause to the fighting in Gaza and the deal to release Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. We hope the pause will alleviate the immense suffering of the people of Gaza and allow essential food, medicine and other supplies to enter the Gaza Strip. We urge all parties to use this opportunity […]

The event aims to create an inclusive platform for parliamentary dialogue, elevating parliamentary voices, and supporting urgent climate efforts both nationally and internationally, translating COP commitments into actionable realities.

IPU in cooperation with UAE’s FNC to host Parliamentary Meeting at COP28

The Parliamentary Meeting, scheduled in conjunction with the 28th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), is a collaborative effort between the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the UAE’s Federal National Council. Taking place on December 6th, 2023, in Dubai, UAE, this gathering will convene global parliaments to facilitate […]

Market day in El Alto, Mt Huayna Potosi and Mt Chacaltaya, La Paz, Bolivia. ©James Brunker / Alamy Stock Photo

IPU is helping parliaments reach new heights in mountain adaptation

The IPU and Adaptation at Altitude, a programme of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, have published a new Issues Brief for parliamentarians: Responding to climate change in the mountains: Opportunities for parliamentarians to act. The Brief is designed to help parliamentarians identify policies and actions to adapt to the consequences of climate change in […]

A truck carrying humanitarian aid enters the southern Gaza Strip from Egypt on 2 November 2023. MOHAMMED ABED / AFP

IPU leadership statement on the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza

We are deeply concerned by the escalation in fighting in Gaza. We are increasingly worried by the rising death toll in the West Bank We are horrified by the unprecedented extent of casualties on both sides and the immense human suffering that this conflict is causing to innocent civilians, including women, children and the elderly. […]