Theme: Political Empowerment

A polling station in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on June 28, 2024. © Hector RETAMAL / AFP

IPU observes that super election year sees few gains for women MPs so far

The first eight months of 2024 have seen limited progress in women’s representation in parliaments worldwide according to the IPU’s mid-year provisional analysis. With roughly half the world’s population going to the polls in 2024, the year started with high hopes that women’s representation would increase in the lead-up to thirtieth anniversary next year of the Beijing Declaration and […]

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 […]

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 […]

An anti-FGM protester holds a placard outside the National Assembly in Banjul © MUHAMADOU BITTAYE / AFP

IPU welcomes Gambia’s decision to uphold female genital mutilation (FGM) ban

The Inter-Parliamentary Union welcomes the Parliament of Gambia’s recent vote to uphold a 2015 ban on female genital mutilation (FGM), rejecting a controversial bill seeking to reverse the law. On July 15 parliamentarians voted down the proposed law following months of public debate and advocacy efforts. IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong, who had been vocal in his […]