Theme: Human Rights

IPU SG Chungong speaks at the opening of the 149th IPU Assembly

Global parliamentary community recommits to multilateralism for peace, justice & sustainability

Hundreds of parliamentarians, from some 130 countries, gathered at the 149th IPU Assembly in Geneva, have adopted a resolution reaffirming unwavering support for multilateralism through the United Nations system and other global institutions. Against a backdrop of escalating conflicts around the world, the consequences of climate change and the risk of pandemics, resulting in a multiplication of humanitarian […]

The 148th Assembly in March 2024, Geneva. ©IPU

149th IPU Assembly to focus on Artificial Intelligence, science and technology

Hundreds of parliamentarians from around the world will gather in Geneva for the 149th IPU Assembly, taking place from 13-17 October 2024. Under the overarching theme: Harnessing science, technology, and innovation for a more peaceful and sustainable future, legislators will consider parliamentary action to maximize the benefits, but also mitigate the risks, of new technologies, with a particular focus […]

UN Photo/Loey Felipe

IPU welcomes enhanced role for parliaments in UN Pact for the Future

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) welcomes the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Pact for the Future, a landmark initiative to reboot multilateralism and address 21st-century challenges. The IPU particularly welcomes Action 55 of the Pact, which recognizes the importance of “United Nations engagement with national parliaments in United Nations intergovernmental bodies and processes, in accordance with […]

IPU making preparations for the 149th IPU Assembly in Geneva in mid-October

The 149th Assembly of the IPU will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, on 13-17 October 2024. All IPU statutory bodies, including the Governing Council, Standing Committees, Committees on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians and on Middle East Questions, as well as the Forum of Women Parliamentarians and the Forum of Young MPs, will meet on […]

A Taliban security personnel gestures as women stand in a queue outside the passport office in Herat. Mohsen KARIMI / AFP

Statement by IPU on Taliban’s repressive new law against women in Afghanistan

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), on behalf of the global parliamentary community, vehemently condemns the new “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” law issued by the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan on 21 August 2024. The law adds to the litany of unacceptable limitations to women’s rights and freedoms in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover three […]

Stanley Mutale, a student at Kafue College of Nursing, poses for a portrait at the Shikoswe Health Centre in Kafue, Zambia © Michael Candelori / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP

IPU responds to the health needs of vulnerable and marginalized populations

In a collaborative effort, the IPU and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) have conducted a study aimed at enhancing the capacities of national parliaments to address the health needs of vulnerable and marginalized women, children and adolescents. This study underscores the importance of evidence-based approaches and the necessity for continuous monitoring […]

The President of the Board of Young Parliamentarians of the IPU is currently Dan Carden MP of the House of Commons

IPU looks at who are the youngest (and oldest) parliamentarians in world?

As elections unfold throughout this super election year, much of the discussion has revolved around the advanced age of some candidates running for office. However, what about the younger voices that are adding fresh perspectives and energy to the political arena? The IPU has been meticulously tracking the average age of parliamentarians at national, regional […]

©IPU

Artificial intelligence: Draft IPU resolution and “use cases” for AI in parliaments published

When ChatGPT was launched in 2022, the world crossed a new frontier in technological advancement. With the development and deployment of large language models, a new chapter opened in the development of artificial intelligence (AI). This presented an opportunity for parliaments to explore ways to close the gap between technological advancements and the pace of […]