- 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
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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
News in brief
23/02/2022
On the 130th Anniversary of the International Peace Bureau (IPB), the IPB and the IPU co-hosted a virtual gathering to celebrate 130 years of action to promote peace. Achieving peace is a core commitment of both the IPU and the
Statements
22/02/2022
We strongly condemn the Russian President’s decision to recognise the independence of the separatist regions Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. This is a violation of internationally recognized borders and constitutes a breach in the territorial sovereignty of Ukraine, a
Press releases
17/02/2022
The United Nations is co-hosting its largest in-person gathering since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with hundreds of parliamentarians from around the world attending the 2022 Parliamentary Hearing, a joint initiative of the IPU and the President of the
News in brief
17/02/2022
2022 is set to be a dynamic year for voting worldwide. Several elections could reshape the parliamentary makeup in many countries. According to Parline, the IPU’s open data platform on parliaments, in 2022 there will be 31 elections for the
Press releases
11/02/2022
The 2022-2026 IPU strategy was unanimously approved by Member Parliaments at the 143rd IPU Assembly in November 2021, in Madrid, Spain. The new Strategy lays out the IPU’s roadmap for the next five years with a renewed mandate to continue
Press releases
04/02/2022
Geneva/New York/Vienna The IPU, together with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism/United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNOCT-UNCCT) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched today the Model Legislative Provisions to support and protect the rights and needs