- ImpactWe help parliaments to become greener and to implement the Paris agreement.We support democracy by strengthening parliamentsWe work to increase women’s representation in parliament and empower women MPs.We defend the human rights of parliamentarians and help them uphold the rights of all.We help parliaments fight terrorism, cyber warfare and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.We encourage youth participation in parliaments and empower young MPs.We support parliaments in implementing the SDGs with a particular focus on health and climate change.
- Parliaments
Nearly every country in the world has some form of parliament. Parliamentary systems fall into two categories: bicameral and unicameral. Out of 190 national parliaments in the world, 78 are bicameral (156 chambers) and 112 are unicameral, making a total of 268 chambers of parliament with some 44,000 members of parliament. IPU membership is made up of 180 national parliamentsFind a national parliament
The Swiss National Council © The Swiss Parliament
We help strengthen parliaments to make them more representative and effective. - Knowledge
Discover the IPU's resources
Our library of essential resources for parliamentsGlobal data for and about national parliamentsLatest data and reports about women in parliamentResolutions, declarations and outcomes adopted by IPU MembersRecent innovations in the way parliaments workThe latest climate change legislation from the London School of Economics' databaseIPU on air- Conversations about parliamentary action
World Conference of Speakers of Parliament
Every five years, the IPU, in close cooperation with the United Nations, convenes a World Conference of Speakers of Parliament. This World Conference aims to advance strong and effective multilateralism, with the UN at its core and where parliaments and MPs are called upon to play a key role: promoting accountability and democracy in international relations, carrying out parliamentary diplomacy in the service of peace and understanding, bringing the people's voice to the UN, and helping to translate international commitments into national realities.
The first World Conference of Speakers of Parliament took place in August 2000 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on the eve of the UN Millennium Summit. The meeting concluded with a Declaration entitled The Parliamentary Vision for International Cooperation at the Dawn of the Third Millennium. In turn, Heads of State and Government, through their own Millennium Declaration, committed to strengthen the UN by more systematically engaging with parliaments – through the IPU as their global organization – to promote peace and security, economic and social development, international law, human rights, democracy, and gender equality.
Subsequent World Conferences were held every five years in conjunction with the United Nations:
- Second World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (UN Headquarters in New York, 7-9 September 2005) – see outcome on Bridging the democracy gap in international relations: A stronger role for parliament
- Third World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (UN Office at Geneva, 19-21 July 2010) – see outcome on Parliaments in a world of crisis: Securing global democratic accountability for the common good
- Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (UN Headquarters in New York, 31 August – 1 September 2015) – see outcome on Placing democracy at the service of peace and sustainable development: Building the world the people want
- Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (Virtual meeting, 19 and 20 August 2020 | UN Headquarters in Vienna, 7-8 September 2021) – see outcome on Parliamentary leadership for more effective multilateralism that delivers peace and sustainable development for the people and the planet.
Preparations for the Speakers' Conference are guided by a Preparatory Committee, chaired by the IPU President, composed of parliamentary leaders, representatives of the IPU Executive Committee, the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians and the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, the Secretary General of the IPU, and the high-level representative of the UN Secretary-General.
The Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament will take place at the Palais des Nations (UN Office at Geneva) from 29 to 31 July 2025. It will be preceded on 28 July 2025 by the 15th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament – to be held at the Swiss Parliament in Bern.
The first World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, United Nations Headquarters in New York, 2000