Inter-Parliamentary Union
Founded1889
FounderFrédéric Passy,
William Randal Cremer
Legal statusInternational organization
HeadquartersGeneva, Switzerland
Membership
180 Members
14 Associate Members
Tulia Ackson[1]
Martin Chungong[2]
Websitewww.ipu.org

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; French: Union Interparlementaire, UIP) is an international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members; other initiatives include advancing gender parity among legislatures, empowering youth participation in politics, and sustainable development.

The organization was established in 1889 as the Inter-Parliamentary Congress. Its founders were statesmen Frédéric Passy of France and William Randal Cremer of the United Kingdom, who sought to create the first permanent forum for political multilateral negotiations. Initially, IPU membership was reserved for individual parliamentarians, but has since transformed to include the legislatures of sovereign states. As of 2020, the national parliaments of 180 countries are members of the IPU, while 13 regional parliamentary assemblies are associate members.[3][4]

The IPU facilitates the development of international law and institutions, strengthening the foundations and enhancing the vision for peace and the common good, including the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the League of Nations, and the United Nations. It also sponsors and takes part in international conferences and forums, and has permanent observer status at the United Nations General Assembly. Consequently, eight individuals associated with the organization are Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

History

The organisation's initial objective was the arbitration of conflicts. The IPU played an important part in setting up the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Over time, its mission has evolved towards the promotion of democracy and inter-parliamentary dialogue. The IPU has worked for establishment of institutions at the inter-governmental level, including the United Nations, an organization with which it cooperates and with which it has permanent observer status.

The headquarters of the union have been moved several times since its inception. Locations:

  • 1892–1911: Bern (Switzerland)
  • 1911–1914: Brussels (Belgium)
  • 1914–1920: Oslo (Norway)
  • 1921–present: Geneva (Switzerland)

Eight leading personalities of the IPU have received Nobel Peace Prizes:

Members and organization

Members

Map of IPU member states
  • Regional parliamentary assemblies may be admitted by the Governing Council as Associate Members
  • Every Parliament constituted in conformity with the laws of a sovereign State whose population it represents and on whose territory it functions may request affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The decision to admit or readmit a Parliament shall be taken by the Governing Council.

It is the duty of the Members of the IPU to submit the resolutions of the IPU within their respective Parliament, in the most appropriate form; to communicate them to the Government; to stimulate their implementation and to inform the IPU Secretariat, as often and fully as possible, particularly in its annual reports, as to the steps taken and the results obtained.

As it can be seen on the map, mostly all the countries in the world have a parliament member of IPU, with the notable exception of the United States, although the 12th (1904), the 23rd (1925) and the 42nd (1953) conferences were hosted in the US.

Associate Members

The participating parliamentary assemblies other than national parliaments are the following:[3]

Name Related organization
Andean Parliament CAN
Arab Parliament
Central American Parliament (PARLCEN) SICA
East African Legislative Assembly EAC
European Parliament EU
CIS Interparliamentary Assembly CIS
Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy
Inter-Parliamentary Committee of the West African Economic and Monetary Union UEMOA
Latin American Parliament PARLATINO
Pan-African Parliament AU
Parliament of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community CEMAC
Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS
Parliamentary Assembly of La Fracophonie OIF
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe CoE
Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation BSEC

Organs

Headquarters of the IPU in Geneva (2010)

The organs of the Inter-Parliamentary Union are:

  • Assembly. Meeting biannually, the Assembly is composed of parliamentarians designated as delegates by the Members. The Assembly is assisted in its work by Standing Committees, whose number and terms of reference are determined by the Governing Council; Standing Committees shall normally prepare reports and draft resolutions for the Assembly. No one delegate may record more than ten votes.
  • Governing Council. The Governing Council normally holds two sessions a year. The Governing Council is composed of three representatives from each Member. The term of office of a member of the Governing Council lasts from one Assembly to the next and all the members of the Governing Council must be sitting members of Parliament. The Governing Council elects the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union for a period of three years. It also elects the members of the executive committee and appoints the Secretary General of the Union.
  • Executive Committee. The executive committee is composed of the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, 15 members belonging to different Parliaments (elected by the Governing Council; not less than 12 are elected from among the members of the Governing Council) and the President of the Coordinating Committee of the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians. The fifteen elected seats are assigned to the geopolitical groups. Only parliamentarians from States where women have both the right to vote and the right to stand for election are eligible to the executive committee. The executive committee is the administrative organ of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The current President is Portuguese MP Mr. Duarte Pacheco, who was elected in November 2020.[5]
  • Secretariat. The Secretariat constitutes the totality of the staff of the organisation under the direction of the Secretary General, currently Martin Chungong of Cameroon.[6]

The Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments is a consultative body of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Assemblies

Art Nouveau plaque-medallion for the 15th Inter-Parliamentary Conference 1908 in Berlin

The Assembly is the IPU's main political body through which the IPU's Member Parliaments adopt parliamentary resolutions on global issues. It plays a pivotal role in addressing the issues which threaten peace, democracy and sustainable development, including through its four thematic standing committees. IPU Assemblies are held twice a year either in Geneva or hosted by Member Parliaments.

#Host CityHost CountryYear
147th Luanda  Angola 2023
146th Manama  Bahrain 2023
145th Kigali  Rwanda 2022
144th Nusa Dua  Indonesia 2022
143rd Madrid  Spain 2021
142nd Virtual Virtual 2021
141stBelgrade Serbia2019
140thDoha Qatar2019
139thGeneva  Switzerland2018
138thGeneva  Switzerland2018
137thSt. Petersburg Russia2017
136thDhaka Bangladesh2017
135thGeneva  Switzerland2016
134thLusaka Zambia2016
133rdGeneva  Switzerland2015
132ndHanoi Vietnam2015
131stGeneva  Switzerland [7]2014
130thGeneva  Switzerland2014
129thGeneva  Switzerland2013
128thQuito Ecuador2013
127thQuebec City Canada2012
126thKampala Uganda2012
125thBern  Switzerland2011
124thPanama city Panama2011
123rdGeneva  Switzerland2010
122ndBangkok Thailand2010
121stGeneva  Switzerland2009
120thAddis Ababa Ethiopia2009
119thGeneva  Switzerland2008
118thCape Town South Africa2008
117thGeneva  Switzerland2007
116thNusa Dua, Bali Indonesia2007
115thGeneva  Switzerland2006
114thNairobi Kenya2006
113thGeneva  Switzerland2005
112thManila Philippines2005
111thGeneva  Switzerland2004
110thMexico Mexico2004
109thGeneva  Switzerland2003
108thSantiago Chile2003
107thMarrakesh Morocco2002
106thOuagadougou Burkina Faso2001
105thHavana Cuba2001
104thJakarta Indonesia2000
103rdAmman Jordan2000
102ndBerlin Germany1999
101stBrussels Belgium1999
100thMoscow Russia1998
99thWindhoek Namibia1998
98thCairo Egypt1997
97thSeoul South Korea1997
96thBeijing China1996
95thIstanbul Turkey1996
94thBucharest Romania1995
93rdMadrid Spain1995
92ndCopenhagen Denmark1994
91stParis France1994
90thCanberra Australia1993
89thNew Delhi India1993
88thStockholm Sweden1992
87thYaoundé Cameroon1992
86thSantiago Chile1991
85thPyongyang North Korea1991
84thPunta del Este Uruguay1990
83rdNicosia Cyprus1990
82ndLondon United Kingdom1989
81stBudapest Hungary1989
80thSofia Bulgaria1988
79thGuatemala City Guatemala1988
78thBangkok Thailand1987
77thManagua Nicaragua1987
76thBuenos Aires Argentina1986
75thMexico City Mexico1986
74thOttawa Canada1985
73rdLomé Togo1985
72ndGeneva  Switzerland1984
71stGeneva  Switzerland1984
70thSeoul South Korea1983
69thRome Italy1982
68thHavana Cuba1981
67thBerlin East Germany1980
66thCaracas Venezuela1979
65thBonn Germany1978
64thSofia Bulgaria1977
63rdMadrid Spain1976
62ndLondon United Kingdom1975
61stTokyo Japan1974
60thRome Italy1972
59thParis France1971
58thThe Hague Netherlands1970
57thNew Delhi India1969
56thLima Peru1968
55thTehran Iran1966
54thOttawa Canada1965
53rdCopenhagen Denmark1964
52ndBelgrade Yugoslavia1963
51stBrasilia Brazil1962
50thBrussels Belgium1961
49thTokyo Japan1960
48thWarsaw Poland1959
47thRio de Janeiro Brazil1958
46thLondon United Kingdom1957
45thBangkok Thailand1956
44thHelsinki Finland1955
43rdVienna Austria1954
42ndWashington, D.C. United States1953
41stBern  Switzerland1952
40thIstanbul Turkey1951
39thDublin Ireland1950
38thStockholm Sweden1949
37thRome Italy1948
36thCairo Egypt1947
35thOslo Norway1939
34thThe Hague Netherlands1938
33rdParis France1937
32ndBudapest Hungary1936
31stBrussels Belgium1935
30thIstanbul Turkey1934
29thMadrid Spain1933
28thGeneva  Switzerland1932
27thBucharest Romania1931
26thLondon United Kingdom1930
25thBerlin Germany1928
24thParis France1927
23rd Washington, D.C.  United States 1925
Ottawa  Canada
22ndBern  Switzerland1924
21stCopenhagen Denmark1923
20thVienna Austria1922
19thStockholm Sweden1921
18thThe Hague Netherlands1913
17thGeneva  Switzerland1912
16thBrussels Belgium1910
15thBerlin Germany1908
14thLondon United Kingdom1906
13thBrussels Belgium1905
12thSt. Louis United States1904
11thVienna Austria-Hungary1903
10thParis France1900
9thChristiania Denmark1899
8thBrussels Belgium1897
7thBudapest Austria-Hungary1896
6thBrussels Belgium1895
5thThe Hague Netherlands1894
4thBern  Switzerland1892
3rdRome Italy1891
2ndLondon United Kingdom1890
1stParis France1889

Presidents

President Years Country
August Beernaert 1909–1912  Belgium
Philip Stanhope 1912–1922  United Kingdom
Theodor Adelsward 1922–1928  Sweden
Fernand Bouisson 1928–1934  France
Henri Carton de Wiart 1934–1947  Belgium
William Wedgwood Benn 1947–1957  United Kingdom
Giuseppe Codacci-Pisanelli 1957–1962  Italy
Ranieri Mazzilli 1962–1967  Brazil
Abderrahman Abdennebi 1967–1968  Tunisia
André Chandernagor 1968–1973  France
Gurdial Singh Dhillon 1973–1976  India
Thomas Williams 1976–1979  United Kingdom
Rafael Caldera 1979–1982  Venezuela
Johannes Virolainen 1982–1983  Finland
Emile Cuvelier 1983  Belgium
Izz El Din El Sayed 1983–1985  Sudan
John Page 1985  United Kingdom
Hans Stercken 1985–1988  West Germany
Dauda Sow 1988–1991  Senegal
Michael Marshall 1991–1994  United Kingdom
Ahmed Fathi Sorour 1994–1997  Egypt
Miguel Angel Martinez 1997–1999  Spain
Najma Heptulla 1999–2002  India
Sergio Paes Verdugo 2002–2005  Chile
Pier Ferdinando Casini 2005–2008  Italy
Theo-Ben Gurirab 2008–2011  Namibia
Abdelwahad Radi 2011–2014  Morocco
Saber Hossain Chowdhury 2014–2017  Bangladesh
Gabriela Cuevas Barron 2017–2020  Mexico
Duarte Pacheco 2020–2023  Portugal
Tulia Ackson 2023–  Tanzania

Amendments to the Statutes

Any proposal to amend the Statutes shall be submitted in writing to the Secretariat of the Union at least three months before the meeting of the Assembly. The Secretariat will immediately communicate all such proposals to the Members of the Union. The consideration of such proposed amendments shall be automatically placed on the agenda of the Assembly.

Any sub-amendments shall be submitted in writing to the Secretariat of the Union at least six weeks before the meeting of the Assembly. The Secretariat will immediately communicate all such sub-amendments to the Members of the Union.

After hearing the opinion of the Governing Council, expressed through a simple majority vote, the Assembly shall decide on such proposals by a two-thirds majority vote.

The IPU and the United Nations

The IPU marked the 50th anniversary of the United Nations, in 1995, by holding a special session in the General Assembly Hall before the start of the session,[8] where they planned for closer cooperation with the United Nations. The General Assembly Resolution passed during that session requested the Secretary-General to put this into action.[9] An agreement was signed between the IPU and the Secretary-General on 24 July 1996 and subsequently ratified by a General Assembly Resolution, where the United Nations recognizes IPU as the world organization of parliaments.[10][11] Pursuant to this resolution, the Secretary-General submitted a report[12] which was noted with appreciation by the General Assembly, who requested further strengthening of cooperation and another report.[13] This report detailed the measures that had been taken, including opening a liaison office in New York, and cooperation on issues such land-mines and the promotion of representative democracy.[14] Following an entire morning of debate[15] the General Assembly passed a resolution which simply stated that it "looks forward to continued close cooperation".[16]

The following year (1999) the Secretary-General reported on an increased number of areas of cooperation,[17] the issue was debated for an entire afternoon[18] (interrupted by a minute of silence held for tribute to Vazgen Sargsyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia who had just at that time been killed by gunmen),[19] and passed a resolution requesting the IPU be allowed to address the Millennium General Assembly directly.[20]

Following another report,[21] and another half-day debate,[22] the General Assembly welcomed the IPU declaration entitled "The Parliamentary vision for international cooperation at the dawn of the third millennium" and called for the Secretary-General to explore new and further ways in which the relationship could be strengthened.[23]

On 19 November 2002 the IPU was granted observer status to the General Assembly.[24]

In the Resolution 59/19, Cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the UN General Assembly takes note of the recommendations in regard to engaging parliamentarians more systematically in the work of the United Nations.[25]

The final declaration of the Second World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, hosted at United Nations headquarters, took place in September 2005, was entitled Bridging the democracy gap in international relations: A stronger role for parliament.[26]

In the Resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly, 61/6, Cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, on 27 November 2006, it calls for the further development of the annual parliamentary hearing at the United Nations and other specialized parliamentary meetings in the context of major United Nations meetings as joint United Nations-Inter-Parliamentary Union events.[27]

Every year during the fall session of the General Assembly the IPU organises a Parliamentary Hearing.[28] A resolution on cooperation between the United Nations and the IPU allowed for circulation of official IPU documents in the General Assembly.

UN and the IPU cooperate closely in various fields, in particular peace and security, economic and social development, international law, human rights, and democracy and gender issues, but IPU has not obtained the status of UN General Assembly subsidiary organ.

Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament

The fourth world conference on UN 70th anniversary marked by Ban Ki-Moon as "UN70" was organised in September 2015 where Speakers of all IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union) member parliaments and of non-member parliaments were invited from across the world. The theme was on peace, democracy, and development.[29]

United Nations reports, resolutions, and agreements

  • Resolution of the United Nations: Cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, 27 November 2006.[27]
  • Report of the United Nations Secretary-General: Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations, 16 August 2006.[30]
  • Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly: Cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, 8 November 2004.[25]
  • Report of the United Nations Secretary-General: Cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (see Part 5 of the Annex), 1 September 2004.[31]
  • Resolution adopted by the General Assembly: Cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, 21 November 2002.[32]
  • Resolution adopted by the General Assembly: Observer status for the Inter-Parliamentary Union in the General Assembly, 19 November 2002.[33]
  • Report of the United Nations Secretary-General: Cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, 3 September 2002.[34]
  • Cooperation Agreement between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union of 1996.[35]

See also

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ "President". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
    2. ↑ "Secretary General". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
    3. 1 2 "Members". Inter-Parliamentary Union. 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
    4. ↑ "Матвиенко избрана председателем ассамблеи Межпарламентского союза". ТАСС (in Russian). Retrieved 2017-10-17.
    5. ↑ "Election of the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union" (PDF).
    6. ↑ "Secretary General". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
    7. ↑ "Cameroon: Ipu Urges Members to Stem Indefensible Terrorism and to Protect Human Rights". allAfrica.com - PR Newswire. Retrieved 2014-10-21.
    8. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 50 Document 561. A/50/561 page 2. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    9. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 50 Resolution 15. A/RES/50/15 22 November 1995. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    10. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 51 Document 402. A/51/402 25 September 1995. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    11. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 51 Resolution 7. A/RES/51/7 7 November 1996. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    12. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 52 Document 456. A/52/456 13 October 1997. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    13. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 52 Resolution 7. A/RES/52/7 6 November 1997. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    14. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 53 Document 458. A/53/458 5 October 1998. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    15. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 53 Verbatim Report 46. A/53/PV.46 28 October 1998. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    16. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 53 Resolution 13. A/RES/53/13 Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    17. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 54 Document 379. A/54/379 21 September 1999. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    18. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 54 Verbatim Report 41. A/54/PV.41 27 October 1999. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    19. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 54 Verbotim Report 41. A/54/PV.41 page 20. The President 27 October 1999 at 15:00. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    20. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 54 Resolution 12. A/RES/54/12 18 November 1999. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    21. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 55 Document 409. A/55/409 18 October 2000. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    22. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 55 Verbatim Report 55. A/55/PV.55 8 November 2000. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    23. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 55 Resolution 19. A/RES/55/19 Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    24. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session 57 Resolution 32. A/RES/57/32 Retrieved 2007-09-10.
    25. 1 2 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly, 17 December 2004
    26. ↑ Bridging the democracy gap in international relations: A stronger role for parliaments UNO Second World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments, New York, 7 to 9 September 2005
    27. 1 2 Resolution 61/6: Cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, 27 November 2006, at IPU official website
    28. ↑ Cooperation with the UN: hearings at IPU official website
    29. ↑ "Press Releases". www.hellenicparliament.gr. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
    30. ↑ Etpu
    31. ↑ Microsoft Word – 0447505e.doc
    32. ↑ Microsoft Word – UND_GEN_N0254074_DOCU_N
    33. ↑ Resolution 57/32. Observer status for the Inter-Parliamentary Union in the General Assembly 19 November 2002
    34. ↑ Cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union: Report of the Secretary-General—Summary at IPU official website, 3 September 2002
    35. ↑ Cooperation between the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union: Report of the Secretary-General Full item, 25 September 1996, at UNO official website. Accessed 24 February 2014
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.