Theme: Trade and Sustainable Development

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 […]

23 August 2023, Toulouse, France, ALAIN PITTON / NURPHOTO VIA AFP

IPU works to make democracy work better for the climate

With the summer of 2023 set to be the hottest on record, time is rapidly running out to keep global warming under the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Climate action has become the number one strategic priority for the IPU which is why the Organization launched a new climate campaign Parliaments for the Planet earlier this year. […]

The Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, Parliament building in Bangladesh. © Bangladesh Parliament.

Buildings fit for a parliament: The politics of parliamentary architecture

Parliament buildings are often statements revealing a country’s vision, traditions and culture. Here are the five types of plenary halls and their political significance. As former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill commented: “We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us.” Architecture has a profound impact on our behaviour. The size and shape of a […]

The Cuojia Glacier © Wen Sihai via AFP

IPU looks at how Kingdom of Bhutan is addressing climate change

The Kingdom of Bhutan is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. The landlocked mountainous country has a fragile ecosystem with around 2,700 glaciers which are beginning to melt, causing floods and landslides. The country suffers from prolonged and extreme droughts which increase the risk of biodiversity loss and forest fires. Climate change […]

© Romy Arroyo Fernandez / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP

IPU identifies three ways you can decarbonize your parliament

The planet is heating up – fast. According to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change, “keeping warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels requires deep, rapid and sustained greenhouse gas emissions reductions in all sectors. Emissions should be decreasing by now […]

© ROBERT PALOMBA

The IPCC’s 6th world warning. What does it mean for parliamentarians?

The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report is sobering reading- and should galvanize action around the world. Parliamentarians are on the frontline.  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. It gives regular updates on a sliding scale of scenarios for our global habitat, informed […]

What impact did the IPU have in 2022? Read the recent Impact Report to find out more

2022 was the first year of the implementation of the five-year IPU Strategy for 2022-2026. Through its five objectives, the Strategy has given the IPU a renewed mandate to continue strengthening and connecting parliaments for peace, democracy and sustainable development. In this newly structured Impact Report, we demonstrate how, throughout the year, the IPU has […]

At the 146th IPU Assembly in Manama, Bahrain, parliamentarians representing close to 140 countries adopted by consensus the Manama Declaration Promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies: Fighting intolerance.

146th IPU Assembly adopts historic outcomes on peaceful coexistence and cybercrimes

At the 146th IPU Assembly in Manama, Bahrain, parliamentarians representing close to 140 countries adopted by consensus the Manama Declaration Promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies: Fighting intolerance and a landmark resolution on Cybercrimes: The new risks to global security. The Manama Declaration: A message of hope The Declaration follows a debate in which a record 151 parliamentarians spoke before […]

IPU SG Martin Chungong and President Duarte Pacheco launch Parliaments for the Planet Campaign on 14 March 2023 in Manama, Bahrain at the 146th IPU Assembly

Parliaments for the Planet: IPU launches new campaign on climate action for parliaments

The IPU has launched a new campaign, Parliaments for the Planet, designed to mobilize parliaments and parliamentarians to act on the climate emergency. The campaign will encourage parliaments and those who work in them to lead by example, reduce their own carbon footprint and take concrete measures to implement the Paris Agreement on climate to limit […]