Theme: Political Empowerment

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), in partnership with the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP), has published a Guide to digital transformation in parliaments.

New IPU/ASGP guide will empower parliaments to embrace digital transformation

Digital tools have never been more important for the effective functioning of parliaments. A new IPU guide to digital transformation provides a blueprint for parliaments to effectively scale up their use of digital tools, including artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), in partnership with the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments […]

More than 200 MPs attended the Summit. © Parliament of Uruguay

IPU & Uruguay lead parliamentarians in exploring how best to look into the future

The Second World Summit of the Committees of the Future took place from 25-27 September 2023 in Montevideo, Uruguay, with the theme of Bringing the future into the present: The democracy of the future, artificial intelligence and parliaments. The Summit brought together more than 200 parliamentarians from some 70 countries to focus on strategies to integrate a future-oriented […]

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 […]

The Parliament of Vietnam will host the Ninth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians

Vietnam to host the Ninth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians

The 9th IPU Global Conference of Young MPs will kick off on 15 September in Hanoi, Vietnam.  Hundreds of Young MPs from around the world will meet to consider their roles in accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The annual IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians is a unique platform for young Members […]

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 […]

Young MPs meet at the 146th IPU Assembly in Bahrain 2023

11 young MPs who are helping to rejuvenate parliaments worldwide

The IPU’s Forum of Young Parliamentarians is a unique global body created 10 years ago to boost youth participation in parliaments and to allow young lawmakers to network among their peers. The Forum is all the more important as, according to the latest IPU figures, only 2.8% of MPs around the world are aged 30 or under, compared with […]

Voters wait in line in Freetown on 24 June 2023 JOHN WESSELS / AFP

IPU highlights record number of women MPs elected in Sierra Leone Parliament

Following recent elections, women lawmakers now account for 30.4% of the elected seats in the Sierra Leone Parliament, up from 14.5% in the previous election. The surge in women MPs is largely thanks to the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act, signed into law by President Julius Maada Bio a few months ago, which sets a 30% quota of […]