New Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) – UN Women data shows women remain far from having equal political power, holding just 22.4% of cabinet posts and 27.5% of parliamentary seats worldwide. Across the world, women remain vastly under-represented in political leadership, with the most powerful decisions still overwhelmingly made by men. In 2026, only 28 countries are led by […]
As of 1 January 2026, women hold 27.5% of national parliamentary seats worldwide, up modestly from 27.2% in 2025, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) report Women in parliament 2025. This 0.3 percentage point increase matches 2024’s rate, marking the slowest growth since 2017 for the second consecutive year. The report is based on IPU data […]
Opinion piece by Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary General The India AI Impact Summit, held this week in New Delhi, is the first global summit on artificial intelligence (AI) of this scale hosted in the Global South. This signals that the debate about AI – how it is developed, who benefits from it and who governs it – […]
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) released today a new global report which reveals that members of parliament (MPs) are facing a worrying rise in intimidation and harassment from the public. When the public turns hostile: Political violence against parliamentarians draws on a broad survey of 519 MPs globally and case studies focused on five countries: Argentina, Benin, […]
On 19 January 2026, the IPU joined a dozen UN bodies and international organizations in signing a Joint Statement on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Rights of the Child. The Statement reflects a shared commitment to ensure that the design, development and deployment of AI are firmly grounded in the rights, safety and well-being of children, in […]
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 Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has concluded its 151st IPU Assembly, with nearly 1,150 delegates, including over 600 members of parliament, from 132 countries in attendance. Notably, women MPs comprised nearly 37% of the parliamentarians at the Assembly. Meeting under the theme of parliamentary support for humanitarian action, the five-day Assembly took place in Geneva, the birthplace of […]
Against the backdrop of the climate crisis, unsustainable debt burdens and growing inequality, parliamentary leaders from the world’s largest economies agreed today on bold actions to accelerate climate resilience, ensure fairer energy transitions and unlock sustainable development. Meeting in Cape Town under the leadership of the Parliament of South Africa and with the support of […]
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will convene its 151st Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland from 19-23 October 2025 under the theme: Upholding humanitarian norms and supporting humanitarian action in times of crisis. Against a backdrop of 120 ongoing conflicts and 310 million people in need of humanitarian assistance around the world – as documented by the International Committee […]
