As part of the IPU series called 'A conversation with...', we interview parliamentarians from all over the world to find out who they represent and what motivates them. In this edition, we discover Neema Lugangira, a parliamentarian from Tanzania and co-rapporteur of the IPU's future resolution on " The impact of artificial intelligence on democracy, human rights and the rule of law". The views and opinions expressed by the parliamentarians are their own and do not necessarily reflect the IPU’s position.

Democracy is not an easy concept to measure, but when the IPU and partners produced the Indicators for Democratic Parliaments, several parliaments tested out this self-assessment toolkit, including Pakistan’s upper house, the Senate. Since independence in 1947, Pakistan’s democratic credentials have often been under pressure. Despite multiple efforts to establish democratic systems, the consolidation of democratic norms and practices has been a challenge. By assessing its own strengths and weaknesses, the Pakistani Senate generated 14 recommendations for itself to become more effective. Development of the self-assessment toolkit began in 2019, with the IPU partnering with a host of parliamentary organisations

When Benin requested support with the management of its chemicals and related waste, the IPU connected the west African Parliament with experts at the United Nations and organized a training course for parliamentarians. Less than a year later, the National Assembly passed Law 2022-36 on the management of chemical products and their waste, helping to protect the health of Benin’s 13 million people as well as the wider region. From fertilizers to the pesticides sprayed on cotton crops, chemicals are widely used in Benin but they are often applied with little knowledge or understanding of the risks. In one harvest

The IPU is greatly saddened to hear of the death of former IPU President Ahmed Fathi Sorour on 6 April 2024. Dr. Sorour was IPU President from 1994 to 1997, a critical period for the IPU when many new democratically elected parliaments joined the Organization after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Born on 9 July 1932, Dr. Sorour studied law in Egypt and the United States. He had a distinguished legal and academic career in Egypt, rising up the ranks from public prosecutor to assistant Attorney General and becoming Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of

Helen Clark, PMNCH Board Chair; Joy Phumaphi and Githinji Gitahi, Co-Chairs, PMNCH Advocacy and Partner Engagement Committee; Flavia Bustreo, Chair, PMNCH Governance and Ethics Committee; Martin Chungong, Secretary General, Inter-Parliamentary Union. As the world’s leading alliance committed to the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents, including the most vulnerable, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) expresses profound concern over the proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation (FGM) in The Gambia. This concern is echoed by the IPU, the global organization of national parliaments, striving for a world where democracy and parliaments are

Hundreds of parliamentarians from over 140 countries, gathered at the 148th IPU Assembly from 23-27 March 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland, have reconfirmed their commitment to parliamentary diplomacy to support peace efforts, and to reinvigorate multilateralism through parliamentary action. In their final declaration, Parliamentary diplomacy: Building bridges for peace and understanding, the lawmakers recognize the importance of “inter‑parliamentary dialogue and cooperation, and the IPU’s unique role as the parliamentary counterpart to the United Nations”. The declaration emphasizes that parliamentarians have an active role to play in accompanying and complementing traditional diplomacy, “ensuring that efforts to negotiate peace processes, treaties and other