According to the IPU’s yearly analysis, the share of women in national parliaments increased by nearly one percentage point last year, from 23.4 per cent in 2017 to 24.3 per cent in 2018. This 0.9 percentage point increase confirms the continuing rise of women in parliament, at a slightly faster rate of change compared to previous years. Countries with well-designed gender quotas elected significantly more women to parliament than those without, respectively, 7 points more in single or lower chambers, and 17 points more in upper chambers.

IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong speaks about the challenges faced by the current architecture of multilateralism and the importance of making it relevant again. He was at the IPU-UN Parliamentary Hearing, held from 21-22 February 2019. Watch the other videos

Philippe Gosselin, parliamentarian from France, speaks about the challenges faced by the multilateral system and explains how parliaments can reinforce the public's confidence in international organizations. He was at the IPU-UN Parliamentary Hearing, held from 21-22 February 2019. (Video in

Safa Alhashem, parliamentarian from Kuwait, speaks about the challenges faced by the multilateral system and explains how parliaments can reinforce the public's confidence in international organizations. She was at the IPU-UN Parliamentary Hearing, held from 21-22 February 2019. Watch the

Kool Sonny Bayone, MP from the Central African Republic, speaks about the challenges faced by the multilateral system and how parliaments can reinforce the public's confidence in international organizations. He was at the IPU-UN Parliamentary Hearing, held from 21-22 February

Cecilia Widegren, parliamentarian from Sweden, speaks about the challenges faced by the multilateral system and explains how parliaments can reinforce the public's confidence in international organizations. She was at the IPU-UN Parliamentary Hearing, held from 21-22 February 2019. Watch the

Parliamentarians from 16 countries in the Middle East and North Africa are meeting in Egypt this week at a high-level regional conference to discuss the role of parliaments in combatting terrorism and violent extremism. The high-level regional conference will focus

As part of its work to help parliaments strengthen themselves, the IPU facilitated a six-day self-assessment with the National Assembly of Zambia. The exercise, which took place in Lusaka from 20 to 25 February 2019, used two of the IPU’s

On 21 and 22 February, the IPU and the United Nations, represented by the President of the General Assembly, brought together more than 200 parliamentarians from over 60 countries, as well as ambassadors, representatives from UN organizations, and experts for

The IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians has released its latest decisions after considering the cases of 417 MPs from 37 countries at a meeting in Geneva last week. The Committee, the only international body with a special remit to defend persecuted MPs, took decisions on 126 MPs, most of which concern opposition MPs in Venezuela.