Theme: Human Rights

Delegation with members of the Senate of Uzbekistan

UK delegation to Uzbekistan highlights possibilities for future collaboration

From 25 to 29 September, I had the privilege to lead BGIPU’s first ever bilateral delegation to Uzbekistan.   I was joined by BGIPU Vice Chair Alex Sobel, Catherine West, Anna McMorrin, BGIPU Executive Committee member Lord Cromwell and Lord Hussain, and assisting us from the Secretariat were Dominique Rees and Henry Collison. Despite arriving in […]

Christophe Lacroix, Belgium MP and co-rapporteur of the IPU Standing Committee on Peace and International Security

IPU hears on peace and security, parliaments must keep AI in check

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has prompted many experts to warn about its impacts on democracy. To explore this issue further, the IPU is preparing a series of five articles on the topic. In this third piece, Belgian MP and co-rapporteur of the IPU Standing Committee on Peace and International Security, Christophe Lacroix, talks […]

As President of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, Dan Carden MP spoke at the opening of the conference.

Young MPs commit to accelerating the SDGs at close of their Hanoi conference

Close to 300 young parliamentarians from some 70 countries have committed to accelerating the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially through digital transformation and innovation. The young MPs were in Hanoi, Viet Nam, for the Ninth IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, jointly organized by the IPU and the National Assembly of Viet Nam. The theme […]

A floating boat school in Bangladesh. Abir Abdullah / Climate Visuals Countdown

Preparing democracy for what’s to come: Committees of the Future

The COVID-19 pandemic. The war in Ukraine. The triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Recent events – some that could have been foreseen, others that took the world by surprise – have revealed the fragility of the world’s existing governance structures. The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence is also likely to revolutionize the […]

© STR/NurPhoto/NurPhoto via AFP

New handbook: Mobilizing parliaments to eliminate discrimination against women

Twenty years after the first edition, the IPU and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have published a new version of a handbook for parliamentarians on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol. What is the CEDAW Convention? More than four […]

Mr Tankoano, Rabbi HaCohen and Imam Barakat ©IPU

World MPs commit to stronger ties with religious leaders to promote peaceful coexistence

The first global Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue: Working together for our common future is expected to conclude with a declaration that encourages interfaith dialogue and calls for all religions and beliefs to be treated equally. The Marrakesh Communiqué calls on parliamentarians to ensure that “all religions, beliefs and faith-based organizations are treated equally and without discrimination under the […]

Religious leaders were invited to the New Zealand Parliament after the Christchurch mosque attacks in 2019. © VNP/Daniela Maoate-Cox

New IPU report explores the place of religion and belief in parliament

For the first time, the IPU has published a report which examines how parliaments around the world engage with issues of religion and belief. The IPU Parliamentary report on religion and belief explores how religion and belief are institutionalized in parliaments; for example, through legislation, representation, parliamentary committees and mechanisms for consultation with faith-based organizations or the […]