The IPU facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development around the world.
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 parliaments
Throughout the year, the IPU and its Members organize many events for parliamentarians to exchange good practices, acquire the latest information and identify avenues for action.
The IPU has been collecting data on parliaments since its inception in 1889, including information on women’s participation in politics since 1945. In this section, discover the IPU's knowledge bank for and about parliaments.
The year 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the 25th anniversary of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences. It is also time to take stock of national-level implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in view of the 25-year review in 2020. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides much-needed impetus to translate the CEDAW Convention and the Beijing Platform for Action into reality for women and girls and for the good of all.
This side event on the occasion of the the 41st session of the Human Rights Council will bring together members of parliament from across the globe, as well as representatives from governments, international organizations and civil society, and take stock of progress made and what remains to be done towards legislating for gender equality.