Theme: Human Rights

Meeting with Francisco Coy, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs

Cross-Party delegation explores Peace, Human Rights and Climate in Colombia

From 27 – 31 May 2024, a BGIPU delegation of UK Members of Parliament visited Colombia to strengthen bilateral Parliamentary links. The delegation included Tim Loughton MP, Baroness Blower, Patrick Grady MP and Baroness Northover, and was supported by Holly Sloan from the BGIPU Secretariat. The visit started days after the General Election was called, […]

The 6th Intercultural Dialogue Forum took place in Baku, Azerbaijan in May 2024. © ANADOLU / Anadolu via AFP

Interfaith and intercultural dialogue: Parliaments are joining the conversation

With religious tensions and interfaith violence posing significant threats to peace and security today, parliaments as state institutions and parliamentarians as representatives of their communities are beginning to engage more with religions and beliefs. With this in mind, in its 2022-2026 strategy, the IPU decided to pioneer a new approach which encourages parliaments to interact more with the ecosystems […]

The IPU will celebrate its 135th anniversary on 30 June as the world's oldest multilateral political body.

IPU Anniversary on 30 June: Watch 135 years of the IPU in 135 seconds

On 30 June 1889, visionary parliamentarians Frédéric Passy of France and William Randall Cremer of the United Kingdom brought together MPs from Belgium, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, Liberia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the USA in the first inter-parliamentary meeting in Paris, France. The Inter-Parliamentary Conference, later to become the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) was born. […]

© korkeng/Shutterstock

IPU highlights the AI-powered parliament: Exploring Risks and Opportunities

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has released a new Issue brief, Using generative AI in parliaments, which explores the potential opportunities and risks associated with the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in parliamentary settings. GenAI is a new form of AI that can generate entirely new content, such as texts or images, based on large volumes […]

Anti FGM protesters outside the National Assembly in Banjul on 18 March 2024 © MUHAMADOU BITTAYE / AFP

Statement on Repeal of law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia

Helen Clark, PMNCH Board Chair; Joy Phumaphi and Githinji Gitahi, Co-Chairs, PMNCH Advocacy and Partner Engagement Committee; Flavia Bustreo, Chair, PMNCH Governance and Ethics Committee; Martin Chungong, Secretary General, Inter-Parliamentary Union. As the world’s leading alliance committed to the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents, including the most vulnerable, the Partnership for Maternal, […]

The two youngest MPs at the 148th IPU Assembly - Emma Muteka from Namibia and Akara Tongjaisod from Thailand reading the final Assembly declaration.

The 148th IPU Assembly concludes meeting in Geneva with a pledge for peace

Hundreds of parliamentarians from over 140 countries, gathered at the 148th IPU Assembly from 23-27 March 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland, have reconfirmed their commitment to parliamentary diplomacy to support peace efforts, and to reinvigorate multilateralism through parliamentary action. In their final declaration, Parliamentary diplomacy: Building bridges for peace and understanding, the lawmakers recognize the importance of “inter‑parliamentary dialogue and cooperation, and the […]

Samuelu Teo, former Speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu and winner of the 2023 Cremer-Passy prize

IPU announces call for geopolitical groups to nominate for the 2024 Cremer-Passy Prize

The Cremer-Passy Prize, named after the IPU’s founders, William Randall Cremer and Frédéric Passy, is awarded every year to sitting parliamentarians who make an outstanding contribution to the defence and promotion of the IPU’s objectives, as well as those ”who contribute to a more united, peaceful, sustainable and equitable world.” In 2022, the inaugural prize was […]

©IPU

Statement of the IPU President in Celebration of International Women’s Day 2024

As we celebrate International Women’s Day this year, we must not only address the current and future challenges societies face globally, but also recognize the perspectives, talents and contributions of half of our population to the causes of human rights and gender equality. The progress made with women’s representation in parliaments in 2023 could have been faster […]