Impact report 2021

Impact Report
2017-2021
Offentligt
IPU Alm.del - Bilag 14
Dansk Interparlamentarisk Gruppes bestyrelse 2021-22
Cover: A hybrid plenary session in the
Argentinian Chamber of Deputies. More
than 100 Parliaments took part in the
IPU’s campaign ‘Parliaments in a time of
pandemic’ in 2020. © IPU
The IPU
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global
organization of national parliaments. It was founded in
1889 as the first multilateral political organization in the
world, encouraging cooperation and dialogue between
all nations.
Today, the IPU comprises 178 national member
parliaments and 14 regional parliamentary bodies.
It promotes democracy, helps parliaments become
stronger, younger, gender-balanced, and more diverse.
It also defends the human rights of parliamentarians
through a dedicated committee made up of MPs from
around the world.
3
Contents
Foreword 6
OBJECTIVE 1 Build strong, democratic parliaments 8
OBJECTIVE 2 Advance gender equality and respect for women’s rights 12
OBJECTIVE 3 Protect and promote human rights 16
OBJECTIVE 4 Contribute to peacebuilding, conflict prevention and security 20
OBJECTIVE 5 Promote inter-parliamentary dialogue and cooperation 24
OBJECTIVE 6 Youth empowerment 28
OBJECTIVE 7 Mobilize parliaments around the global development agenda 32
OBJECTIVE 8 Bridge the democracy gap in international relations 36
Towards universal membership 42
How the IPU is funded 43
Budgets 2017-202144
4
5 YEARS IN FIGURES
2021 compared with 2017
Events for MPs
24
32
31
34
52
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
+7
Membership
171 parliaments in 2017
178 in 2021
10
2017
15
2018
11
2019
30
2020
25
2021
Publications
2 in 2017
3 in 2021
(Geneva, Vienna, New York)
Offices worldwide
5
MP human rights cases at the IPU
507 MPs in 2017
673 in 2021
Website
65,000 visitors in 2017
380,000 in 2021
5,000 followers in 2017
33,000 in 2021
Twitter
IPU Assemblies
Number of women MPs
31% in 2017
39% in 2021
+8% pts
Number of young MPs
19% in 2018
25% in 2021
+6% pts
6
2017-2021: Five years of IPU Impact
In 2017
, as we set out on a new strategic cycle, our objective
was “the advancement of democratic values, the rule of law and
strong, representative institutions, and the promotion of gender
equality and human rights.
” Five years on, what impact have we
had? What difference has the IPU made? And can we claim to
have had a lasting and positive impact on people’s lives?
This report describes some of our most significant results
in the eight strategic objectives set by the IPU’s Member
Parliaments five years ago.
Despite setbacks for democracy in many countries, we re-
mained steadfast in our mission to build strong, democratic
parliaments.
The COVID-19 pandemic was an opportunity to confirm our
role as the global link between national parliaments, facilitating
knowledge exchange on digital innovations to help them keep
functioning during lockdowns. Over 100 parliaments contribut-
ed to our campaign ‘Parliaments in a time of pandemic’.
One silver lining of the pandemic has been the acceleration of the IPU’s digital transformation, enabling
us to fast forward significant investments in IT and improved technology for virtual meetings. These
investments helped us organize the online election of the IPU President, Duarte Pacheco, in November
2020, a first in digital democracy at the IPU and possibly the world.
Our work to advance gender equality and respect for women’s rights also intensified in the past
strategic cycle.The IPU has undoubtedly contributed to a steady increase in the number of women MPs
in the world, from 23.4% in 2017 to close to 26% at the end of 2021, as we encourage parliaments to
become more inclusive and gender sensitive.
Indeed, our data on the proportion of women in political leadership have become the global reference,
frequently cited in top-tier media outlets, academic publications and used as the official reference indi-
cator by the United Nations for Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality.
IPU data also shone a light for the first time on the shocking levels of violence against women in parlia-
ments with ground-breaking pieces of research covering the world, as well as focusing on Europe and
Africa. The IPU also offered solutions to eliminate sexism, harassment and violence against women in
parliament, which many Members are now starting to put in place.
Attacks against MPs, both women and men, has become a growing phenomenon tracked by the IPU
Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians. Year on year, this unique global committee has
taken multiple actions to defend hundreds of MPs in danger –947 parliamentarians from 51 countries
between 2017 and 2021, a figure which is probably just the tip of the iceberg.
The Committee has recorded many success stories with its interventions helping to resolve human
rights violations suffered by MPs in Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq
and Malaysia.
The founding IPU values of dialogue for peace-building, conflict prevention and security are as rele-
vant today as they were 133 years ago when the IPU was born. Over the past five years, we organized
numerous mediation talks, including between parliamentarians from opposite sides of the Korean
peninsula, the two communities in Cyprus and in the Middle East.
We also helped Members develop parliamentary strategies for comprehensive disarmament as well as
for countering terrorism and violent extremism.
IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong
© Dixon
7
As the global organization of national parliaments, we were able to rally parliamentarians from all over the
world to our in-person or online meetings, fulfilling our long-standing role to promote inter-parliamentary
dialogue and cooperation.
Over the past five years, we have brought together thousands of MPs from around the world to take
action on the issues of the day at our Assemblies in Dhaka, St. Petersburg, Geneva, Doha, Belgrade,
online and in Madrid.The pandemic in 2020 did not prevent us from organizing a virtual segment of the
Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, followed by an in-person segment in Vienna 2021,
the first global summit to be held since the beginning of the health crisis.
IPU meetings saw a notable increase in the participation of young MPs – from 19% in 2017 to 25% in
2021, as we put in place incentives to encourage younger delegations.
In 2020, we marked the ten-year anniversary of the IPU resolution on youth participation in parlia-
ments. Over the decade, we have helped parliaments lower the age of eligibility, introduce youth quotas
and establish new parliamentary structures for youth.
However, the number of young MPs under 30 remains low at just 2.6% of MPs. To help improve this,
we launched a new communications campaign in 2020: I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament! In just a few
months, hundreds of global leaders signed up to the campaign, pledging to take action to rejuvenate
their parliaments. Next steps are to follow up on these pledges.
The past five years have also seen a marked increase in our action to mobilize parliaments around
the global development agenda, including climate change and health.
As more parliaments engage with the Sustainable Development Goals, the IPU has helped them build
up their knowledge and skills. For example, Parliaments and the Sustainable Development Goals – a
self-assessment toolkit, an IPU publication produced with the United Nations Development Programme,
is now available in 15 languages, proving its usefulness.
Finally, another example of how the IPU has influenced parliaments in the global development agenda is
its work to engage parliaments in United Nations processes, and vice versa, to bridge the democracy
gap in international relations.
We have witnessed a steady increase in the number of parliaments reviewing national progress on the
Sustainable Development Goals as part of the United Nations voluntary national review process - from
under 25% of Members polled in 2016 to over 55% in 2020.
As we close this chapter and start implementing the next IPU Strategy 2022-2026, we will continue
to be guided by our Members to build stronger and more resilient parliamentary ecosystems, with
parliaments as the centerpiece, for democracy, for everyone.
The work of the IPU’s Centre for Innovation in Parliament and the forthcoming Global Parliamentary
Report on Public engagement in the work of parliament are good examples of how the IPU will embrace
resilience and adaptability in its next agenda.
Martin Chungong
Secretary General
8
The last five years, and particularly 2021, have seen major assaults on democracy in
many parts of the world.These upheavals are often a result of wider historical or political
factors, but they highlight the fact that democracy is a work in progress and needs constant
support to thrive.
The IPU’s Strategy for 2017-2021 has focused on strengthening the core legislative,
oversight, budgetary and representative functions of parliaments by collecting and
disseminating data, providing technical assistance, and fostering opportunities for peer
networking. By strengthening these core functions, the IPU enables parliaments to become
stronger democratic institutions to help meet the aspirations of the people.
OBJECTIVE 1
Build strong, democratic
parliaments
S
T
R
O NG PARLIAM
E
N
T
S
9
Bolstering core parliamentary functions
One of the key areas of support in the past five years has been to legislation and
oversight, including budget oversight.The IPU has built parliamentary capacity for
these functions in Benin, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, the Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan,
Sierra Leone and Tunisia.
In Benin, the IPU helped MPs – and staff – to draft legislation, including by
working more effectively together. In the Maldives, parliamentary staff learned
to identify daily tasks and how better to support legislative drafting. In Sierra
Leone, an IPU-supported workshop helped MPs to better understand their new
budget approval process. MPs and staff in Chad also honed their skills in legis-
lative drafting as well as public policy oversight, highlighting the importance of
collaboration and trust.
In Djibouti, the IPU helped create a
standing parliamentary committee
on human rights, as well as a cau-
cus of women parliamentarians. IPU
support strengthened representa-
tion, oversight and legislative work by
Djibouti’s National Assembly, which
adopted a new law on violence against women in 2020.
Putting parliaments in the driving seat
Self-assessments are important first steps to strengthening parliamentary capacity.
The IPU supported self-assessments, using an IPU suite of toolkits, with the national
parliaments of Djibouti, Georgia, Myanmar and Zambia. Zambia’s self-assessment
led to further collaboration with the IPU in 2020 and 2021.
From 2012 until Myanmar’s military
coup in February 2021, the IPU had
also been providing long-term assis-
tance to the country’s national parlia-
ment, including the establishment of
an international-standard parliamenta-
ry learning centre and related technical assistance. The centre was used to build
capacity for more than 800 MPs and 2,000 parliamentary staff.
Setting standards to strengthen parliaments
By referring to “effective, accountable and inclusive institutions”
, Goal 16 of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlights the importance of parliaments
for development. The IPU worked with Member Parliaments during this period to
Olaf Scholz is applauded by MPs after he
was elected as Germany’s new Chancellor
during a session at the Bundestag in Berlin
in December 2021. © Ina Fassbender/AFP
“Support provided by the IPU over many years is standing the test of time
and being used even now (since the coup).
”
Chair, Committee Representing the
Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (parliament of Myanmar), (2021)
“Indeed, the seminar that the IPU organized for our benefit enabled us to
be more than ready to welcome the members of theTransitional National
Council, Chad’s new legislative body.The members of the new chamber told
us they were bowled over by how well-organized we were.
”
Senior staff, parliament of Chad (2021)
139
parliaments
have endorsed the
Common Principles
Our impact between 2017-2021
Parliaments innovate in response to COVID-19
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, parliaments were forced to find new
ways of working. Building on its network of contacts, the IPU has helped
parliaments to share knowledge and experience of remote working, enabling
parliaments to keep operating despite the pandemic. Since March 2020,
more than 100 parliaments have participated in this knowledge exchange.
10
identify standards, guidelines and good practices that will
help them to operationalize the 2030 Agenda.
The 2017 IPU-UNDP Global Parliamentary Report, for example,
made 26 recommendations for strengthened parliamentary
oversight. In 2018 and 2020, the World e-Parliament Reports
tracked baseline data on parliaments’ use of technology,
including their engagement with citizens. Since late 2019, a
new IPU initiative has been helping parliaments to measure
themselves against the 2030 Agenda targets.
These standards, guidelines and good practices are expected
to have long-term impact, since stakeholders, including civil
society, can also use them to advocate for change.
Producing data to support change
The IPU’s Parline database is the global standard for data
on national parliaments. In 2021, more than 450,000 users
consulted Parline, and its data has been referenced by the
OECD, UN and the World Bank.
The data is often used as evidence to advocate for change.
For example, IPU data shows the continued imbalance be-
tween men and women in legislatures, including leadership
positions on parliamentary committees. Whereas women
chaired 69 per cent of committees on gender equality in
2020, they chaired just 17 per cent of committees on finance,
defence and foreign affairs. We are still far from gender parity
in parliamentary leadership positions.
Using ICT more effectively in Parliament
Information and communications technology (ICT) helps
parliaments to operate more effectively. Throughout this
strategy period, the IPU provided ICT support, such as train-
ing, resources and advice to the parliaments of Myanmar,
Sri Lanka, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Zambia.
The IPU also facilitated south-south and peer-to-peer knowl-
edge sharing between New Zealand, Vanuatu and Tuvalu. In
Tuvalu, the parliament now has an ICT action plan, including a
set of short- and long-term milestones. Vanuatu’s parliament
has a new data storage system, allowing it to digitalize and
store parliamentary documents.
Facilitating learning between parliaments
In 2020, the IPU began to develop an online learning initia-
tive, covering topics such as gender equality, human rights,
sustainable development and climate change. The pilot of
this initiative was launched with the National Assembly of
Zambia in late 2021.
Seminar on the role of parliaments in peace processes, held in February 2020 in Myanmar as part of the IPU’s long-standing work in
strengthening the Myanmar Parliament. © IPU Myanmar
11
Promoting the Common Principles for
Support to Parliaments
The Common Principles are now the most widely accept-
ed framework for parliamentary development, providing a
common language and set of values to frame parliamentary
support. Since 2016, the IPU has hosted three expert round-
tables to share good practice and facilitate their application.
In 2020, the IPU launched a guide, Putting parliamentary
self-development into practice.
By the end of 2021, some 139 national parliaments had
endorsed the Common Principles, together with 27 parlia-
mentary assemblies and partner organizations.
Case study
Virtual World e-Parliament Conference 2021
In 2021, the IPU organized an online World e-Parliament
Conference, bringing together 650 participants from
119 countries. Held 15 months after the global pan-
demic began, the Conference was an important op-
portunity to exchange good practices and take stock of
the rapid changes in parliamentary working methods.
Discussions focused on the digital transformation, re-
lations with citizens, open data, cloud computing and
artificial intelligence.
Participant feedback
“I am a technology auditor within Parliament and the
Conference assisted me to identify areas of best prac-
tice that my Parliament could adopt and customize.
When making recommendations to management, I will
use some of the Conference material”
.
“Excellent space to exchange experiences and to im-
plement in our realities everything that has worked in
other latitudes.
”
Members Pending endorsement
GRULAC
25
11
Asia-Pacific
36
8
Twelve Plus
47
8
Arab Group
20
6
African Group
51
10
Eurasia Group
9
5
0 10 20 40
30 50 60
African and Twelve Plus geopolitical groups lead endorsements of the Common principles for support to parliaments
12
In the five-year period 2017-2021, the proportion of women parliamentarians grew slowly
from 23.4 per cent to 26 per cent.The IPU supported parliaments to become more inclusive,
have more women in their chambers, become more gender-sensitive and be better able to
drive the gender equality agenda. It tracked progress in women’s participation in parliament,
made strong calls for parity, promoted legal reform, broke new ground with its campaigns
to eliminate sexual violence and continued to share its data with advocates of reform.
COVID-19 threatened – or even reversed in some cases – some hard-won advances on
women’s empowerment and the fight against gender-based violence. However, the 25-
year anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was an important
opportunity to raise awareness on this vital issue.
Many parliaments developed good practices on gender-responsive legislation, including
the introduction of gender quotas.They have also benefitted from IPU knowledge-sharing
platforms.
OBJECTIVE 2
Advance gender equality and
respect for women’s rights
G
E
N
DER EQUA
L
I
T
Y
13
246 women take part in a session at the
Swiss Parliament organized by “alliance F”
,
a non-political organization of Swiss women,
in October 2021.This number is symbolic as
it corresponds to the total number of Swiss
MPs. © Fabrice Coffrini/AFP
39%
of delegates
were women at the
143rd
IPU Assembly.
Using data to advocate for parity
IPU data and research on women’s participation in parliament has enabled moni-
toring of progress and setbacks on gender parity in parliaments. Indicator 5.5.1 of
the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which is the proportion of seats held by
women in national parliaments, draws on the IPU’s data.
The IPU also called for more efforts to reach gender parity in political leadership
by 2030. Besides advocacy and support for legal reform, we provided examples of
good practices through our publications. Between 2017 and 2021, our annual report
on Women in Parliament highlighted good practice and legal efforts towards parity.
In 2020, a special edition analysed the 25 years since the 1995 Beijing Declaration
and Platform for Action.
Meanwhile, in partnership with UNWomen, our maps onWomen in Politics, illustrat-
ing the levels of women’s participation in political leadership, helped us to advocate
for change.We also published reports in 2016, 2018 and 2021 on
sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliament,
revealing the huge barriers to women’s participation in politics.
Our 2019 guidelines on preventing sexism also provided solu-
tions that were taken on board by many parliaments.
Since 2020, we have been part of the Generation Equality
Forum, in which we advocate for parity and the participation
of young women in politics. Generation Equality and the UN’s
Commission on the Status of Women are both committed to
the goal of gender parity.
Sustained collaboration with multiple parliaments led to constitu-
tional or legislative amendments and the adoption, improvement
and enhanced implementation of robust quota laws, including in: Benin, Djibouti, Egypt,
Georgia, Mali and Serbia. Our advocacy has also led to changes in countries such as
Micronesia and Qatar.
Practising what we preach, the IPU amended its Assembly Rules, strenghtening
sanctions on single-sex delegations. The new Rules have had an impact, since over
39 per cent of delegates at the November 2021 IPU Assembly were women, com-
pared with an average of 30 per cent in 2017
. Such proactive gender mainstreaming
practices set an example for other organizations.
Our impact 2017-2021
Eliminating violence against women in parliament
IPU data shone a light on the levels of violence against women in parliament,
a previously unexplored field of research. The IPU also offered solutions to
help parliaments reduce violence against women MPs and parliamentary
staff. Many parliaments have since put in place more stringent policies.
Table I – Extent and nature of violence:
Prevalence of the different forms of violence experienced by the
women parliamentarians interviewed
Africa
(2021)
Europe
(2018)
World
(2016)
Psychological violence 80% 85% 82%
Sexual violence 39% 25% 22%
Physical violence 23% 15% 25%
Economic violence 29% 14% 33%
Sexism, harassment and violence against women in
parliaments in Africa, Europe and the world
Women at IPU Assemblies: progression from 2017 to 2021
0% 10% 20% 40%
30% 50%
2017, 137th Assembly 2021, 143rd Assembly
30
39
14
Self-assessing gender-sensitivity
Between 2017 and 2021, we supported five parliaments in
self-assessing their gender-sensitivity, a first step on the
path to reform.
In Georgia, the self-assessment led to a debate on how
the parliament could change the law to increase women’s
parliamentary participation and prevent sexual harassment.
Namibia’s self-assessment showed the prominence of wom-
en in senior parliamentary positions and led to the creation of
a group of women parliamentarians from both the parliamen-
tary houses. In the United Kingdom, a gender-sensitivity audit
raised awareness of violence against women in parliament.
Colombia’s parliament took immediate action to improve
the working environment for women, including a campaign,
Congreso En Igualdad, to sensitize MPs and the general pub-
lic on representative equality. In Serbia, the Parliament has
amended the electoral laws to introduce a quota, requiring
at least 40 per cent of electoral candidates for parliamentary
and local elections to be women.
Between 2017 and 2021, the number of caucuses of women
parliamentarians grew from 81 to 112, an increase of 38 per
cent. In the past five years, the IPU has supported such cau-
cuses in Djibouti, Mauritania, Namibia, Serbia, Sierra Leone
and Tanzania.
Combatting discrimination and violence
against women
We continued and expanded our partnership with the United
Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW), connecting the Committee with
parliaments.We also called on parliaments to mainstream the
CEDAW Convention into their national laws and oversee the
elimination of gender-based discrimination.
Between 2017 and 2021, we organized 13 gender equality
workshops for parliamentarians in Benin, Colombia, Djibouti,
Georgia, Kenya, Mali, Namibia, Nigeria, Serbia, Sierra Leone,
Tanzania, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
IPU support also enabled new legislation on violence against
women in several countries. In Romania, MPs proposed an
amendment to the Penal Code, eliminating the possibility for
aggressors to be exempt from criminal responsibility when a
victim’s complaint is withdrawn. A working group of MPs and
civil society representatives reviewed the law on domestic
”A gender-sensitive parliament […] plays a relevant
role in correcting inequalities and facilitating equal
participation of men and women.The IPU’s work to define
gender-sensitive parliaments is particularly valuable.
”
Claudia Mix
Member of the Chamber of Deputies (Chile)
IPU Forum of Women Parliamentarians, November 2021
Launch of the IPU/APU study on Sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in Africa during the 143rd
IPU Assembly
in Madrid. ©IPU/Spanish Parliament
15
violence to ensure conformity with obligations under the
Istanbul Convention.
In Mauritania, the IPU helped the women’s parliamentary
caucus to enhance the capacities of its members to advo-
cate for legislation on gender-based violence and reproduc-
tive health. Subsequently, the caucus succeeded in includ-
ing the criminalization of sexual violence and female genital
mutilation in both bills.
Georgia’s parliament adopted anti-harassment legislation
after their 2018 self-assessment, supported by the IPU. In
Djibouti, the IPU’s technical assistance led to new legislation
on gender-based violence. And in Sierra Leone, the parlia-
ment took steps to eliminate female genital mutilation, after
the IPU helped build technical capacity and political support.
A parliamentary caucus was established and is now driving
parliamentary action on the issue with continued support
from the IPU.
In 2021, we helped parliaments to introduce gender-sensitive
responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The online 2020 and
in-person 2021 Summits of Women Speakers of Parliament
also showcased good practices in this respect.
Case study
Fighting sexism
The IPU Guidelines against sexism and gender-based
violence in parliament created momentum and direc-
tion that prompted several parliaments to use this re-
source to develop and implement concrete measures.
Between 2019 and 2021, at least 14 parliaments devel-
oped new measures to address harassment and vio-
lence against women in their own settings: Australia,
Denmark, France (National Assembly), Ireland, Japan,
Mexico (Senate), New Zealand, Norway, Republic
of Korea, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, Uganda, United
Kingdom and United States.
Measures include a comprehensive assessment of
the situation, policies with complaint and investigation
mechanisms, disciplinary sanctions against perpetra-
tors, and the provision of confidential access to assis-
tance for victims.The guidelines have also inspired the
model anti-harassment policy of the Commonwealth
Parliamentary Association and of the Assemblée par-
lementaire de la Francophonie.
16
Parliaments play a critical role in protecting human rights through the translation of
international norms and standards into national realities. In the five-year strategy period,
2017-2021, the IPU supported Member Parliaments in carrying out these responsibilities,
providing them with information, knowledge and training. Parliaments can only stand up
for human rights, however, if they can work without fear of reprisal.
The IPU assisted almost 1000 MPs facing violations of their human rights during this period,
an increasing number of them victims of physical attacks and some even assassinated.
Most of them are opposition MPs working in difficult political environments.
OBJECTIVE 3
Protect and promote human rights
H
U
MAN RIGH
T
S
17
Protecting the human rights of MPs
Human rights violations against MPs have been increasing since the IPU Committee
on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CHRP) was established more than 40 years
ago. A unique mechanism to defend MPs’ rights, the Committee lobbies national
authorities, mobilizes international parliamentary support, conducts on-site visits and
sends observers to trials. The Committee follows a case until a satisfactory settle-
ment has been reached in line with international standards.
Over the past five years, the Committee investigated the cases of 947 parliamentar-
ians in 51 countries. Most cases involve undue government pressure on opposition
MPs in countries suffering a political crisis. The most common violations of MPs’
human rights were undue suspension of parliamentary mandates, lack of fair trial
and violations of freedom of expression.
• The case of former Iraqi MP Mohamed Al-Dainy was satisfactorily resolved in 2017
.
Al-Dainy fled Iraq before being wrongly sentenced to death in 2010 and was jailed
upon his return home to undergo a retrial. Seven years later, he was finally cleared
of all charges and released under a presidential pardon.
• After years of IPU lobbying, Malaysian MP Anwar Ibrahim was released in 2018,
enabling him to return to parliamentary life.
• Also in 2018, the IPU closed its files on the long-standing case of Piedad Cordoba,
a Colombian MP
, when the Council of State finally revoked her 2010 disbarments,
which had prevented her from holding public office.
• In September 2020, after extensive IPU lobbying, four of five MPs were released
from prison in Côte d’Ivoire. The five MPs had been arbitrarily detained and held
since December 2019.
• In 2020, intervention by the IPU
in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC) allowed MP Jean-
Jacques Mamba to return to his
country and work without fear of ar-
rest. He had filed a petition that led
to the removal of the First Deputy Speaker, then left the country to avoid detention
on politically motivated charges. He was acquitted in March 2021.
Parliamentary solidarity
When working on such cases, the IPU mobilizes other parliaments to take action
for the individual MP in question. In the past five years, it mobilized 93 such actions.
Malaysian MP Anwar Ibrahim was
released in 2018, partly thanks to many
years of intense IPU lobbying.
© Samsul Said/Reuters
947
MPs in danger
received direct and
continuous support
from the IPU.
Our impact between 2017-2021
947 MPs in danger from 51 countries received direct IPU support
175 Women MPs in danger received direct support
71 Hearings held
7 Fact-finding missions carried out
58 Cases resolved satisfactorily
11 Trial observations conducted
228 Decisions adopted
“I thank the IPU and praise its constant and tireless efforts over the years to
defend the human rights of DRC parliamentarians, and in particular my case.
”
Eugène Diomi Ndongala
Former MP from the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
released in March 2019 after intense IPU lobbying
18
• Cambodia’s 2018 elections were discussed in Malaysia’s
Parliament, with several MPs expressing concern about
dissolution of the main opposition party and a five-year ban
on its members from political participation. MPs requested
the Foreign Minister to clarify their government’s position.
• In 2021, a Swedish IPU delegation met with the Ambassador
of Tanzania to discuss Tundu Lissu, a Tanzanian MP facing
multiple threats, and the possibility of an IPU visit to the
country for further dialogue on the alleged human rights
violations.
• Visiting Iraq in 2018, Ann Clwyd, a British MP and former
member of the CHRP
, raised the case of former Iraqi MP
Ahmed Al-Alwani. She encouraged the Iraqi Parliament and
relevant officials to discuss the case directly with the CHRP
.
• In 2019, the Danish Parliament mandated MPs to attend the
court hearings of Selahattin Demirtas, FigenYüksekdag and
Leyla Güven from Turkey.
• In September 2020, the European Parliament adopted a
new resolution on Philippine Senator Leila De Lima, urging
the authorities to drop all charges and set her free.
• In 2021, Tanzania’s parliament supported IPU mobilization
efforts to protect the human rights of MPs in Myanmar,
pledging diplomatic engagement with the relevant ministry.
Motivating parliaments to promote and
protect human rights
To accelerate implementation of human rights at national
level, the IPU pursued a two-pronged strategy. First, it per-
suaded the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to recognize
that parliaments play a key role in the promotion and protec-
tion of human rights and to engage more closely with them
through the IPU and the Office of the UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights (OHCHR).
An IPU human rights mission in January 2020 in Uganda. From left to right: Ali Alaradi, MP (Bahrain), Aleksandra Jerkov, MP (Serbia)
from the IPU Committee for the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, with Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (aka Bobi Wine), David Lewis
Rubongoya, Secretary General of the National Unity Platform, and two other members of Bobi Wine’s party. © IPU/R. Rodriguez Valencia
Our impact at key moments
June 2017 The UN Human Rights Council adopts
a resolution in support of stronger engagement with
parliaments
March 2017-June 2019 Four side-events organized
during the UN Human Rights Council’s sessions to
raise awareness about parliamentary action in support
of human rights
June 2018 Major contribution to UN report to UN
Human Rights Council on good practices of parliamen-
tary action to promote human rights
November 2018 UN Human Rights Council’s Forum
on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, pre-
sided over by the IPU Secretary General, adopts key
recommendationsforfurtherparliamentaryengagement.
19
The IPU also sought to engage parliaments in the work of the
UN Human Rights Council and UN human rights treaty bodies.
States must report regularly on their human rights work to
these UN mechanisms, and parliaments can play a crucial role.
They can discuss the national report before submission to the
UN, participate in presenting the reports and even debate the
UN recommendations when reviews are complete.
Parliaments can also get involved in the examination of their
country’s human rights record by the Universal Periodic Review
(UPR). The UPR provides an opportunity for UN Member
States to declare actions taken to improve human rights in
their countries and to fulfil their human rights obligations.
The IPU actively encourages parliamentary involvement. For ex-
ample, the IPU noted that parliamentarians from Burundi, Côte
d’Ivoire, Qatar,Togo and Uzbekistan participated in the presen-
tation of the national reports as part of the UPR process. The
Parliament of Chad adopted a law creating a National Human
Rights Commission and the National Assembly of Burkina Faso
abolished the death penalty, both of which were recommenda-
tions from the UN Human Rights Council.
The IPU also collects information on parliamentary commit-
tees dedicated to human rights. Besides sending a strong
political message, such committees keep human rights on
the agenda, mainstream the issues, and facilitate interactions
between parliament and other human rights stakeholders.
Specific focus has been placed on the UN Convention on
the Rights of the Child, especially in West Africa to promote
child nutrition and to eradicate child labour and trafficking.
Successes include the adoption by Burkina Faso’s National
Assembly of a national action plan against trafficking and child
labour. The IPU supported first steps by Ivorian parliamen-
tarians to create a fully-fledged parliamentary committee on
human rights.
The IPU also joined forces with the Kailash Satyarthi
Foundation for Children to combat child labour and promote a
fair share for children. Actions include raising awareness and
capacity-building in the regions most impacted.
Enhanced institutional cooperation to
mobilize parliaments on human rights
Throughout the IPU’s work on human rights, partnerships
have provided fresh energy, ideas and networks. Between
2017 and 2021, the IPU joined forces with the Organisation
internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the Secretariat of the
Commonwealth and the OHCHR.
The IPU also worked increasingly with non-governmental or-
ganizations, including UPR Info, GANHRI and the Universal
Rights Group, to encourage parliamentary action on human
rights. For children, the IPU teamed up with UNICEF
, the UN
Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Kailash Satyarthi
Foundation for Children.
On humanitarian law and refugee protection, the IPU worked
with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR), and generated parliamentary support for the Global
Compact on Refugees, as well as the UN Conventions on
Statelessness.
To support parliaments in strengthening their action, the IPU
and UNHCR produced several handbooks for MPs on model
legislation to reduce and prevent statelessness, as well as on
state asylum systems and refugee protection.
More impact
875 MPs attend IPU seminars on human rights
434 
Written appeals sent to parliaments to help
implement human rights recommendations
40 
MPs participating in national delegations to the
UN Universal Periodic Review
134 
Parliaments that have set up dedicated human
rights committees
“The meetings organized by the Inter-Parliamentary
Union are a real platform for sharing experiences.They
provide us with the missing piece in the puzzle of the
ongoing fight for human rights. We call for them to be
held regularly.
”
Kouassi Koffi Kra Paulin
MP, Chair of the IPU Group,
Parliament of Côte d’Ivoire
Case study
Burkina Faso
In line with the UPR recommendations, in May 2018,
the National Assembly of Burkina Faso abolished
the death penalty. It also adopted, in March 2021,
a new law designating the National Human Rights
Commission to function as the country’s National
Prevention Mechanism against Torture.
20
The IPU was founded with the view that dialogue is central to the peaceful resolution of
conflict. More than 130 years later, inter-parliamentary dialogue is still helping to prevent
conflict and restore peace around the world. Such dialogue can help parliaments uphold
the rule of law and counter terrorism. By contributing to global peace and security,
parliaments can play a fundamental role in socio-economic development.
During the five-year strategic period, the IPU supported parliaments in such roles
by building their capacity for legislation, preparing national budgets and exercising
parliamentary oversight.The IPU also supported parliaments in efforts to tackle violent
extremism and terrorism and to act on disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control.
OBJECTIVE 4
Contribute to peacebuilding,
conflict prevention and security
P
E ACEBUILDI
N
G
21
1,000
Over 1000 stakeholders
learnt about good practices in
the disarmament sector through
the 2020 guide Assuring our
Common Future.
Promoting cooperation and co-existence
Parliaments help to build peace and resolve conflict through dialogue and their
legislative, oversight and representative functions. The IPU has a special role to
play in countries at risk of conflict and, during the period in question, supported
parliaments in Burundi, the Central African Republic, Guinea Bissau, Madagascar
and Mali, recommending solutions to help end the countries’ political crises.
Parliamentary diplomacy can help protect international peace too, building bridges
where governmental initiatives have failed. On this basis, the IPU facilitated talks
between North and South Korea, and between the two communities of Cyprus. It
also supported parliamentary discussions in the Middle East, unlocking concrete
measures to tackle the water crisis and to prevent further regional instability.
Countering terror and pursuing disarmament
Peace and security are fundamental pre-conditions for development. For more than
20 years, the IPU has supported parliaments in tackling global terrorism and devel-
oping parliamentary strategies for comprehensive disarmament, non-proliferation
and arms control.
Following its resolution on Terrorism: The need to enhance global cooperation
against the threat to democracy and human rights, the IPU established a formal
body, the High-Level Advisory Group on CounteringTerrorism andViolent Extremism
(HLAG).The HLAG serves as the global focal point for parliamentary work on count-
er-terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism, promoting cooperation and
information exchanges. It also facilitates dialogue between MPs and experts and
guides the Joint Programme on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism, a
tripartite programme involving the IPU, the United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT).
The joint programme has organized counter-terrorism conferences for the African,
Middle Eastern and Asia-Pacific regions and supported the establishment of a par-
liamentary committee to combat hate speech and extremism in Egypt.
In 2021, the joint programme also organized the First Global Parliamentary Summit
on Counter-Terrorism, which highlighted parliamentary efforts to support the vic-
tims of terrorism as well as to prevent terrorism, radicalization and hate speech.
The Summit saw the launch of the Call of the Sahel appeal for resources to fund
specific projects in the region aimed at preventing terrorism.The Summit also saw
the IPU unveil a suite of digital tools, including an interactive map and mobile ap-
plication, allowing parliamentarians to coordinate their counter-terrorism legislation
and strategies.
A porter carries a bag of rice in Wuse
Market, Abuja, Nigeria, August 2021.
Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northwestern
states have been caught in increasing
violence between nomadic herdsman
and farmers as climate change intensifies
rivalries over water and land. ©Kola
Sulaimon/AFP
Our impact 2017-2021
Innovation, science and technology for peace
The 2017 Middle East parliamentary roundtable on water showed how
science-based solutions could transform disagreement and conflict into
opportunities for cooperation and co-existence. It paved the way for the
launch of the IPU Science for Peace Schools and the establishment of a
Working Group on Science andTechnology. Partnerships with CERN and the
Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) reinforced the IPU as a
platform for parliamentary cooperation on science and technology.
22
Model legislative provisions (MLPs) were an important initia-
tive of the joint programme, offering a basis against which to
review existing laws and procedures to protect the victims of
terrorism. The MLPs were developed in line with the latest
thinking to help countries without legislation on this issue.
They help with the sharing of best practices and draw atten-
tion to the urgent needs of terrorism victims.
On disarmament and non-proliferation, the IPU supported
parliaments and UN Member States to operationalize their
commitments. Working with partners, the IPU ran various
campaigns between 2017 and 2021 to raise parliamentary
awareness of the UN’s disarmament treaties.
These campaigns led several countries to sign or ratify both
the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The
IPU also mobilized MPs to engage with UN Security Council
Resolution 1540, preventing non-state actors from access-
ing weapons of mass destruction. Finally, the IPU helped to
eradicate illicit arms flows by encouraging parliaments to
sign or ratify the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).
To support the UN Secretary-General’s new disarmament
agenda, the IPU helped produce a guide, Assuring our
Common Future, explaining disarmament and highlighting ex-
amples of successful treaties and policies. Subsequent webi-
nars showed the role that MPs can play and outlined the links
between disarmament and sustainable development, includ-
ing climate protection. Complementary digital products were
designed to highlight the link between parliaments, good
governance in the security sector and human development.
In January 2020, the IPU held the fifth meeting of the HLAG, in Geneva. The HLAG serves as the global focal point for parliamentary work
on counter-terrorism and the prevention of violent extremism. © IPU/Pieyre-Bernard Castelier
“Faced with pressure to decrease military defence
spending, governments acknowledge that threats like
the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be handled with military-
type responses and there is a clear imperative to shift
budget priorities to meet the new challenges”
.
Anusart Suwanmongkol
Senator fromThailand
(April 2021)
23
Case study
Disarmament to advance sustaining peace;
implementing the human security approach
IPU activities on disarmament, non-proliferation and
arms control link to a broader prevention agenda, which
is based on the principle of humanity. The latest parlia-
mentary guide on disarmament, Assuring our Common
Future, opens doors to discussion of the need to reduce
military spending in favour of long-term investments in
health, education and social security.
Nadia Ghulam Dastgir, a victim of terrorism in Afghanistan who
spoke at the First Global Parliamentary Summit on Counter-Terrorism.
© Parlamentsdirektion/ThomasTopf
24
As the global focal point for inter-parliamentary cooperation, the IPU provides a unique and
effective forum for political dialogue. It held Assemblies over the five-year strategic period
in Dhaka, St Petersburg, Geneva, Doha, Belgrade and Madrid. Digital technology enabled
the IPU to continue its work during the pandemic. The IPU was also able to continue
progress towards universal membership, engaging with non-Member Parliaments, many
of them Small Island Developing States.
The Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, which included a virtual segment
in 2020 followed by the in-person event in Vienna in 2021, was the first global summit to
be held during the pandemic.
OBJECTIVE 5
Promote inter-parliamentary
dialogue and cooperation
P
A
R
L
I
A
M
ENTARY DI
A
L
O
G
U
E
25
Moving IPU Assemblies online, adopting hybrid formats
IPU Assemblies are central to the IPU’s role of promoting peace through dialogue.
The Assemblies allow parliamentarians from around the world to come together
to find solutions to the challenges of our time. They conclude with substantive
outcomes for peace, democracy and sustainable development.
In the five-year period, 2017-2021, the IPU mobilized thousands of legislators
through its Assemblies, whether in-person or online.
In 2020-2021, the IPU moved its work online to continue supporting inter-
parliamentary dialogue during the pandemic. In August 2020, for example, the first
part of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament connected more than
115 of the world’s most senior legislators online. They were joined by hundreds of
other members of parliament, experts and representatives from multilateral orga-
nizations to discuss the overall theme of parliamentary leadership that delivers for
the people and the planet.
Then, in November 2020, an extraordinary session of the IPU’s Governing Council
was held online, during which a new IPU President was elected. Despite the chal-
lenges of technology and multiple time zones, the election was certified as trans-
parent and inclusive. Some 458 MPs from 145 countries took part in the remote
voting, and several other important decisions were taken regarding the functioning
and governance of the IPU in a notable example of digital democracy.
The first Assembly of 2021 was completely digital, with 42 meetings held over a six-
week period. In November 2021, the Spanish Parliament was able to host the first
in-person IPU Assembly in over two years, in Madrid. The previous 18 months had
provided some important lessons however, including the benefits of live-streaming
the Assembly, equipping meeting rooms for hybrid sessions and holding multiple
hearings remotely.
The second part of the Fifth World
Conference of Speakers of Parliament
was held in person in Vienna in
September 2021. Rigorous health
measures, including regular testing,
social distancing and mask-wearing,
protected over 700 participants, in-
cluding some 90 Speakers and 40 Deputy Speakers. Remote interpretation in 12
languages, as well as live-streaming, gave the meeting a hybrid character.
The IPU’s success with modern technology has enabled its Members to continue
their conversations and reinforced the IPU’s resilience and ability to adapt. Based
on this, the IPU expects future meetings to continue being hybrid, keeping the
inter-parliamentary discussions as broad and inclusive as possible.
Delegates at the entrance to the 143rd
IPU
Assembly. © IPU/Spanish Parliament
“The IPU has demonstrated an impressive capacity to overcome technical
and logistical challenges while facilitating virtual and hybrid meetings
over the past year and a half. The Canadian Group is grateful for the
Secretariat’s efforts to ensure that all Member Parliaments can continue to
contribute to and benefit from the important work of the IPU.”
David McGuinty
MP, Canada
92%
of the world’s
national parliaments
are IPU Members.
Our impact between 2017-2021
More follow-up from IPU Members
In 2017
, we introduced a new reporting system, to help enhance the im-
plementation of IPU decisions. Since its introduction, the response rate by
Members has increased from an average 40 per cent in 2017 to almost 70
per cent in 2021.
26
Facilitating dialogue
The last five years have seen a significant increase in
the number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of IPU
Assemblies, increasing from 160 to 220 in the pre-pandemic
period. These meetings tend to be more informal and open
than official government meetings and they allow parliamen-
tarians to talk freely with their counterparts from around the
world, mindful of the interests of the people they represent.
Bilateral meetings help to build bridges of trust, understand-
ing and mutual respect.
Advancing towards universal membership
The IPU moved closer to its strategic goal of universal
membership during the period, as the number of Member
Parliaments grew from 171 to 178. Changes to the IPU
Statutes and Rules in 2018 also mean that a Parliament can
keep its membership but loses some of its rights if it is more
than three years in arrears of its contributions. A Member
Parliament will, however, lose its membership in the event
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Bilaterals at IPU Assemblies
Group photo (photo montage due to social distancing) of participants in the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments, held in
Vienna in 2021. © IPU/Thomas Jantzen
Duarte Pacheco, IPU President, ready to take the floor during the
virtual 142nd
IPU Assembly in May 2021. © IPU/Tito Calado
27
of its unconstitutional dissolution, as was the case for Sudan
following the April 2019 military coup.
The IPU has also endeavoured to reach out to non-Member
Parliaments by inviting them to events organized in their re-
gions as well as paying for attendance of some of their MPs
at IPU events through its Parliamentary Solidarity Fund.
Encouraging accountability from Members
The IPU’s impact depends on the extent to which Member
Parliaments follow up on the decisions they take at our meet-
ings, especially the Assemblies.
Examples of notable follow-up actions include the following:
• The National Assembly of Zambia has established reg-
ular seminars to discuss IPU resolutions and possible
implementation.
• When Cyclone Idai hit Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe
in April 2019, an IPU resolution called for urgent support.
The delegation of the Netherlands relayed the resolution
to their government, which then provided substantial fi-
nancial support and technical experts.
• In 2018, the Colombian Parliament launched the “Congreso
en Igualdad” initiative to implement the IPU’s 2012 Plan of
Action for Gender-sensitive Parliaments.
• Egypt’s parliament amended a law on the protection of
antiquities, bringing it into line with an IPU resolution. It
has also adopted new legislation to combat illegal migra-
tion and trafficking.
• In 2019, Switzerland participated in international discus-
sions on universal health coverage, focusing on patient
safety, quality of health services, sustainable financing
of care and the importance of universal health coverage
in emergencies.
• Following an IPU resolution on women’s political participa-
tion, a Presidential Resolution in the UAE raised women’s
representation in the Federal National Council (FNC) to a
minimum of 50 per cent.
• Thailand introduced a parliamentary Code of Ethics, pro-
hibiting all forms of sexual harassment against women
in parliament.
• In October 2017, Ecuador’s National Assembly approved
a resolution on attainment of the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). The resolution followed the
IPU’s 2015 Hanoi Declaration, which explored the role of
parliaments in achieving the SDGs.
• The UK Parliament systematically writes to the Foreign
Secretary, highlighting decisions by the IPU Committee
on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians and other IPU
matters.
• In 2019, following an IPU resolution on the same issue,
South Africa’s ministry of health introduced the National
Health Insurance Bill to parliament, which seeks universal
health coverage by 2030.
Participants in the virtual extraordinary IPU Governing Council
session in November 2020. © IPU
28
Youth participation is key to democracy and inclusive, efficient political processes.Young
women and men are central to social challenges such as poverty, discrimination and climate
change. And their participation in politics promotes active citizenship and strengthens
social responsibility. It offers innovation, creativity and new thinking.
In the five-year strategic period, the IPU developed new youth targets for parliaments,
which have become an important benchmark for parliaments around the world. We
also worked to get more young people into decision-making processes and to occupy
parliamentary seats. However, as we showed in our flagship report on youth participation
in national parliaments in 2021, the number of MPs under the age of 30 remains low, at just
2.6 per cent of MPs, nudging up from 2.2 per cent in 2018. In 2021, therefore, we launched
a global campaign – I SayYes toYouth in Parliament – in which hundreds of MPs, leaders
and advocates pledged to rejuvenate their parliaments.
OBJECTIVE 6
Youth empowerment
YOUTH
29
1,112
Some 1,112Young MPs
(of whom 30% per cent were
women) came together to support
youth empowerment at the
IPU’s unique Forum
ofYoung MPs.
Boys and girls scouts wave Pakistani
national flags while gathering in front of
the parliament building to mark the World
Environment day rally in Islamabad on
June 2021. © Farooq Naeem/AFP
Innovating for youth year after year
In 2017
, we produced a paper on the role of young MPs in peace and security and
organized regional conferences for young legislators in Asia and Africa. The same
year, we adopted new internal measures to enhance youth participation at the IPU.
The next year, 2018, we published our flagship report on youth participation in na-
tional parliaments, showing that just 2.2 per cent of the world’s MPs were under
30.This is far short of our 15 per cent target, one of the first ever global targets on
young MPs in parliament.
In 2019, we organized our first workshops for young MPs, engaging 100 young
legislators to enhance their communication, leadership and mentorship skills. We
also helped to organize the year’s “Future Policy Awards” on youth empowerment,
in partnership with the World Future Council, United Nations and others.
A year later, in 2020, we marked the 10th
anniversary of the IPU resolution on youth
participation. A survey highlighted good practices to enhance youth participation,
which we shared more widely. Then, to mark the 25th
anniversary of the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action, we provided a plan of action to get more young
women participating in politics.
Last year, in 2021, we focused on the impact of COVID-19 on youth, working with
young MPs to map out the key elements of a youth responsive recovery.
The I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament! includes six pledges for parliamentarians, as
shown below.
Our impact between 2017-2021
Youth targets for parliaments
After months of consultation, we selected a target for youth representation
in parliament based on the proportion of young people in the population.
Subsequently adopted as a goal by multiple parliaments and other
international stakeholders, the objective is for parliaments to achieve the
following minimum proportions by 2035:
• 15 per cent of MPs under 30 years of age;
• 35 per cent of MPs under 40; and
• 45 per cent of MPs under 45.
Each target includes a gender parity provision of 50 per cent men and
50 per cent women. The targets are central to the I Say Yes to Youth in
Parliament! campaign.
30
Advancing youth participation
In the past ten years, from youth quotas to lowering the age
of eligibility and creating new parliamentary structures for
youth, parliaments have made significant progress.
• Parliaments have lowered their voting ages for parliamenta-
ry elections to 16 in Malta and 18 in the Gambia, Malaysia
and Turkey.
• Micronesia’s Congress supported the participation of their
youth in national delegations at international meetings.
It has also prioritized and increased employment among
youth, who are socially and economically disadvantaged.
• In El Salvador, the parliament established its first
ParliamentaryYouth Group, consisting of MPs between 25
and 35 years of age.
• In Norway, the Speaker of Parliament regularly meets with
youth and, in partnership with non-profit organizations, pro-
duced a guide for youth to participate in social debates.
• In Mexico, the Chamber of Deputies introduced measures
to enhance youth representation in parliament. It has estab-
lished a committee on youth and holds regular parliamenta-
ry hearings and youth consultations.
• In Nigeria, in 2018, with IPU support, the National Assembly
lowered the minimum age of candidates running for the
House of Representatives. The impact on elections the
next year was impressive: more than 34 per cent of can-
didates were young men or women, up from 21 per cent
in 2015. The number of elected officials under 35 rose to
103 from 60 in 2015.
Using data to advocate for change
We published data and analysis on youth participation in our
2018 and 2021 flagship reports. We made data available on
young MPs through the IPU’s Parline, an open-source data
platform for parliaments. IPU data is also used as an official
data source for SDG indicator 16.7.1 to “ensure responsive,
inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making”
.
Pushing for more young women in politics
Over the past five years, despite the COVID-19 pandem-
ic, we brought together a total of 1,112 young legislators,
including through our annual Global Conference of Young
Parliamentarians.
Promotion stand during the 143rd
IPU Assembly in Madrid. © IPU/Spanish Parliament
31
In 2020, we met online, calling for greater political participa-
tion and leadership from young women. At a celebration of
the 25th
anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform
for Action, we teamed up with the Office of the UN Secretary-
General’s Envoy on Youth to connect serving politicians with
young women. Recommendations from the meeting includ-
ed more funds for young women to engage in politics, the
recruitment of more young women into public service leader-
ship, and the establishment of quotas. It also recommended
that parliaments and political parties be gender-sensitive and
free of violence, sexual harassment and bullying.
Opening a new area of support to young MPs
In 2019, we launched a series of courses for young par-
liamentarians to hone their political skills, working with a
first group of 100 young MPs from 40 countries. The train-
ing courses focused on political leadership and communi-
cations through group work and one-to-one sessions. A
mentorship café allowed young and more senior MPs to
swap experiences and advice. MPs said the courses left
them feeling empowered and equipped to be more effec-
tive leaders.
In Djibouti, we worked with young parliamentarians elect-
ed to office in the 2018 elections. Some 70 percent of
the National Assembly’s young MPs attended a two-day
workshop in 2020. We developed their leadership and com-
munications skills and helped them to incorporate a youth
perspective into their parliamentary work.
“Although we face many obstacles to be elected to
parliament, we also face them once we are elected. As
young MPs, we need to be empowered to lead change.”
Outcome Document from the Sixth Global Conference
of Young Parliamentarians (Paraguay, 2019)
Case study
The IPU Forum ofYoung Parliamentarians
The Forum ofYoung Parliamentarians is the driving force
behind the IPU’s work on youth issues. A youth-led stat-
utory body dedicated to enhancing the role of young
people in the IPU and parliaments more generally, it en-
riches the Organization’s work with a youth perspective.
In 2018, in order to ensure that more young people at-
tend IPU Assemblies, the Forum won the membership’s
support for new incentives for parliaments to include
young MPs in their delegations. The IPU is now aiming
for a minimum of 25 per cent young MPs at future IPU
Assemblies.The IPU Forum ofYoung Parliamentarians is
sending a clear signal that the IPU is “walking the talk”
on politics for young people.
Each target also calls for
50-50 gender parity
IPU target:
35% of MPs
under 40
17.5%
IPU target:
45% of MPs
under 45
30.2%
IPU target:
15% of MPs
under 30
2.6%
Progression of number of young MPs towards the respective targets set by the IPU
32
The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 was a pivotal
moment for international development. It provided an excellent opportunity for the
IPU to leverage political will to achieve broad development objectives, working with
parliaments to catalyse change at the national, regional and global levels.Throughout the
strategic period, IPU support has emphasized the needs of vulnerable and marginalized
populations, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which, combined with climate
change, has accelerated the need for action.
OBJECTIVE 7
Mobilize parliaments around the
global development agenda
G
L
O
B AL DEVELOP
M
E
N
T
33
11
resolutions at
IPU Assemblies on
sustainable development
in the past five years
Empowering parliaments to make a difference
For five years, the IPU has been supporting parliaments to have the necessary
skills, resources and tools for meaningful action on the SDGs, especially on climate
change and health.
As more and more parliaments have engaged with the SDGs, the IPU has provided
more support. Between 2016 and 2020, for example, the number of parliaments
reviewing national progress on the SDGs grew from less than 25 per cent to more
than 55 per cent.This number dipped slightly in 2021, but the overall trend is clear.
Ten parliaments have used the IPU’s self-assessment toolkit to develop their own SDG
action plans and integrate the goals into their parliamentary work.The Parliament of
Chad set up a Special Committee on Sustainable Development, while Fiji’s Parliament
developed an SDG guidance note for its committees. Serbia’s National Assembly
did a second self-assessment to evaluate its progress, two years after its first. This
helped its Parliamentary SDG Focus Group to amend the budget bill and sharpen
the budgetary focus on the SDGs. In a 2018 IPU global survey, more than 50 per
cent of parliamentary respondents said they had set up at least one parliamentary
mechanism on the SDGs.
Health has been a major priority. Collaboration with parliaments in Bangladesh,
Rwanda,Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia led to legislative amendments and proposals
on women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and on combatting child marriage.
Publications, facilitating this work, included new research on child marriage legislation
in the Asia-Pacific region, guidelines on SDG budgeting, a roadmap for parliamentary
action on women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health, and a handbook on food and
nutrition systems.
Coloso (Colombia), a town that almost
disappeared due to war between guerrillas
and paramilitaries, and today is betting
on eco-tourism as a form of sustainable
development. © Juancho Torres/Anadolu
Agency via AFP
Our impact between 2017-2021
Following IPU advice and support, the Parliament of Rwanda amended its
legislation in 2020 to enable civil registration at health facilities, where more
than 90 per cent of children are born. The amendment unlocks access to
legal identity for many and thus to vital healthcare and other services. When
the collaboration began, more than 40 per cent of children under five were
not registered. Rwanda’s Parliament and the IPU have had a long-standing
collaboration, building parliamentary capacity and shaping the country’s leg-
islative agenda on women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health.To reach birth
registration targets in line with the SDGs, this progress must be sustained.
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50
60
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Steady growth in number of parliaments reviewing
national progress on the SDGs
34
Uganda’s parliament has been proactive on maternal health,
recognizing the need for further dialogue on sexual and re-
productive health, including abortion. Tanzania’s parliament
has increased funding for maternal health and immunization.
Later, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread, the IPU trained
more than 100 parliamentary staff in 12 sub-Saharan coun-
tries on how legislation can better meet the needs of
women, children and adolescents. Botswana’s parliament
subsequently reviewed its legislation on adolescent sexu-
al and reproductive health. Recognizing the links between
COVID-19 and gender-based violence, Botswana’s parliament
is also developing new legislation on this topic. In 2020, it
passed the Sexual Offenders Registry Bill.
Climate change remained a concern for many parliaments.
The IPU gave tailored support on climate change and on
green recoveries from COVID-19 to parliaments in Burundi,
Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as well as in Central
Asia. In Burundi, parliamentarians agreed to raise public
awareness on climate change and biodiversity. In 2019,
Zimbabwe’s parliament amended its carbon tax policy. In
2021, the IPU and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) sup-
ported the Zimbabwean parliament in developing a bill on
climate change.
Underpinning its work on climate change, the IPU has de-
veloped a range of knowledge products, including toolkits,
with partners such as UNEP and the United Nations Office
for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). Available in up to five
languages, the publications respond to interests frequently
cited by parliaments.
The IPU facilitates parliamentary
engagement
Partnerships have been central to the IPU’s work, helping to
ensure that legislation is based on the best available scientific
evidence.To connect scientific and parliamentary communi-
ties, for example, the IPU has partnered with the Partnership
for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), UN
Economic Commissions, the World Health Organization
(WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), UNICEF
and the London School of Economics (LSE). Throughout the
global pandemic, these partners delivered timely informa-
tion, helping parliaments to respond appropriately.
In France, Paraguay and South Africa, the IPU and PMNCH
helped parliaments to consider women’s, children’s and ad-
olescents’ health in their plans for recovery from COVID-19.
The PMNCH has said that the IPU played a key role in its
work in 20 countries.
Some 41 national parliaments received help from the IPU
to connect with the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement,
unlocking national dialogue and discussions on investments
in nutrition.
In total over the past five years, the IPU has organized 28 re-
gional and 23 global events on development issues, enabling
thousands of parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to en-
gage with UN processes. These processes have facilitated
peer-to-peer discussions, knowledge acquisition and other
opportunities for cooperation. The events have stimulated
IPU Advisory Group on Health field visit in Rwanda, held in January 2018. © IPU/Lucien Gatete
35
widescale political will for dialogue and the use of sustainable
development as a platform for international collaboration.
IPU Assemblies adopted some 11 resolutions on sustainable
development. One of these, a 2019 resolution on universal
health coverage, led to follow-up action in 70 parliaments
either through awareness-raising workshops or outreach
activities.
Case study
An IPU-UNDP toolkit on the SDGs became the IPU’s
most translated publication. First published in English,
Spanish, French and Arabic, the 2016 publication –
Parliaments and the Sustainable Development Goals: A
self-assessment toolkit – is now available in a total of 15
languages. The translations show how the toolkits add
value, helping parliaments to engage with the SDGs.
“Even when the global economy shut down as a
result of the pandemic, our emissions only dropped
by 6 per cent.This illustrates the enormity of the
challenge ahead of us. We have to find real, radical and
alternative solutions to reduce global temperatures.
As parliamentarians we have a real responsibility. We
have a duty to speak for all the people of this planet,
including those whose voices are not always heard, and
yet are the most affected.
”
Lord Speaker of the UK House of Lords
Rt. Hon. the Lord McFall of Alcluith at
the Parliamentary Meeting at COP26
36
Parliaments can play a critical role in facilitating the implementation of their countries’
international commitments and translating these into national realities. In the past five
years, the IPU has helped to connect parliaments and parliamentarians with some of the
world’s most important issues. We also brought a parliamentary perspective to global
talks at the United Nations, the WorldTrade Organization (WTO) and the G20, helping to
bridge the democracy gap in international relations.
OBJECTIVE 8
Bridge the democracy gap
in international relations
I
N
T
E
R
N
ATIONAL RE
L
A
T
I
O
N
S
37
91
UN Member States sponsored
the 2020 UN General Assembly
Resolution on Interaction
between the UN, national
parliaments and the IPU.
Engaging with the United Nations
The IPU deepened its engagement with the UN, which also recognizes the shared
interests and mutual benefits of deeper cooperation.
A range of IPU activities brought a parliamentary perspective to UN debates. The
annual UN-IPU Parliamentary Hearings, for example, saw on average over 200 par-
liamentarians from some 60 countries attend two-day sessions on major UN de-
cision-making processes. The most recent Hearing, held in 2021 in virtual format,
contributed to the UN General Assembly Special Session on Corruption, including
a Political Declaration which recognized the role and responsibility of parliaments in
tackling corruption.
Parliamentary meetings held in the context of other major UN processes – such as
the Commission on the Status of Women, the Human Rights Council and the annual
Conference of States Parties on Climate Change – further enhanced the parliamen-
tary dimension of the work of the UN.
COVID-19 threatened to delay or even reverse progress on the UN’s Sustainable
Development Goals, highlighting their importance. For the past five years, the IPU
has been expanding its support for the Goals through the UN’s main platform for
sustainable development, the annual High-level Political Forum (HLPF). To this end,
it monitors parliamentary engagement with Voluntary National Reviews and partici-
pation in national delegations to the HLPF
.
The IPU also organizes a Parliamentary Forum, at which more than 200 parliamentar-
ians discuss the main themes of the HLPF session. In 2021, a UN General Assembly
resolution on the HLPF recognized the essential role of parliaments in implementing
and reviewing legislation, as well as the adaptation of budgets and accountability.
As the UN celebrated its 75th
anniversary in 2021, the UN Secretary-General issued
Our Common Agenda – his vision for more effective multilateralism, in which he
invited reflection on ways to engage parliaments more with the UN and voiced his
commitment to explore options for enhanced parliamentary input at the UN.
As the IPU and the UN General Assembly deepened their relationship, Member
States strongly endorsed resolutions in 2018 and 2020 on Interaction between the
UN, national parliaments and the IPU. The UN General Assembly resolutions estab-
lished a new International Day of Parliamentarism, celebrated on the foundation
date of the IPU, and recognized the IPU’s work on democracy and the rule of law,
human rights, gender equality, and youth empowerment. They also recognized that
UN country teams need to work more effectively with national parliaments.
Parliamentary Hearing entitled “
A World of
Blue: Preserving the Oceans, Safeguarding
the Planet, Ensuring Human Well-being in
the Context of the 2030 Agenda”
, held in
February 2017 in NewYork. © UN Photo/
Rick Bajornas
Our impact between 2017-2021
UN recognizes the importance of youth representation in parliament
In 2021, the IPU provided substantive input to a UN General Assembly
resolution on Policies and Programmes Involving Youth. Through the reso-
lution, the General Assembly recognized that “49 per cent of the world’s
population is under 30 and only 2.6 per cent of members of parliament
belong to this age group” and encouraged “the increase of youth repre-
sentation in national and local legislatures”
.
38
Expanding institutionalized engagement with
the UN
With support from the Austrian Parliament, in 2021 we
opened a new Office of the Permanent Observer to the
United Nations and other International Organizations in
Vienna. The enhanced presence in Vienna has strengthened
IPU cooperation with the UN, particularly with the UN Office
on Drugs and Crime as well as other Vienna-based organiza-
tions such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and
the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-BanTreaty Organization.The
new Office is helping the IPU to engage even deeper with
multilateralism, particularly on issues of good governance and
parliamentary diplomacy.
The IPU Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs, which
meets regularly in the context of IPU Assemblies, continues
to give parliamentarians the opportunity to examine UN op-
erations and formulate recommendations for improvement.
In the past five years, Committee members have engaged
with senior UN officials on migration, trade and development,
human rights, environment, access to vaccines, the future of
multilateralism, tax treaties, financing the UN, and more.The
discussions have been complemented by field visits to UN
operations, which allowed MPs to develop a better under-
standing of the issues and realities on the ground.
During the pandemic, the IPU initiated a series of virtual
briefings on topical issues at the UN, including reform of the
UN Security Council, sovereign debt restructuring, support
for least developed countries and curbing military budgets.
By connecting experts, ambassadors and parliamentarians,
the sessions built understanding and enriched discussions
at national level.
To encourage engagement between the UN and the IPU,
their leaders – including heads of UN agencies, funds and
programmes – have met regularly in Geneva, New York and
Vienna. Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly
President continues to include the IPU’s Permanent Observer
in his Gender Advisory Board, aiming to increase gender
equality at all levels of the UN.
Supporting parliaments to engage with the
WTO
The Parliamentary Conference on theWorldTrade Organization
(PCWTO), a joint IPU and European Parliament initiative, en-
sures that parliamentarians stay abreast ofWTO negotiations.
It allows MPs to exchange their views and experiences in
global conversations on the rules-based trading system. In
the past five years, PCWTO discussions have focused on
“The IPU Standing Committee on UN Affairs provides
a unique space for MPs to discuss global issues with
top UN officials and ask some tough questions. It
empowers MPs to hold governments to account for
the commitments they make at the UN”
Senator Juan Carlos Romero of Argentina
Former President of the Committee
IPU President, Duarte Pacheco, addresses the parliamentary hearing in 2022 organized with the President of the General Assembly, Abdulla
Shahid. © Joel Sheakoski
39
the commodities trade, agriculture, e-commerce, small- and
medium-sized enterprises, gender, fishing subsidies, climate
change, the pandemic’s impact on trade, and more.
Over 600 parliamentarians have attended PCWTO sessions,
engaging directly with WTO officials and negotiators. This
has enabled them to bring a parliamentary perspective to the
WTO and exercise better oversight of its multilateral trade
negotiations.
IPU efforts helped ratification of the WTO’s Trade Facilitation
Agreement (TFA), which entered into force in 2017
. The TFA
is already improving trade efficiency worldwide, cutting red
tape at borders and increasing transparency. The IPU also
nudged parliaments to support negotiations for the WTO’s
Agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development. In
November 2021, eight WTO members announced their deci-
sion to join negotiations, which are expected to conclude by
the end of 2022.
An important outcome of the PCWTO has also been a greater
parliamentary contribution to implementing domestic legis-
lation to comply with WTO agreements, as well as to their
countries’ regular Trade Policy Reviews.
Case study
Bringing a parliamentary voice to the G20
Since 2018, the IPU has been supporting G20
parliaments to engage with this influential global body.
At meetings in Buenos Aires,Tokyo and Rome, the IPU
partnered with the parliaments of the G20 Presidencies
in organizing P20 Speakers’ Summits to discuss
inclusive growth, fair multilateral trading, sustainable
peace, democracy, prosperity and well-being. The
G20 Speakers, joined by over 150 other officials –
parliamentarians, experts, trade ministers and G20
national emissaries (Sherpas) – have also examined
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
migration, decent work, gender and rebuilding trust in
democratic institutions. The Joint Declarations issued
by the G20 Speakers were shared with their respective
Heads of State and Government and with the broader
parliamentary community.
40
Towards universal membership
Members (178)
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina,
Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh,
Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia (Plurinational State of),
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina
Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada,
Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia,
Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial
Guinea, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon,
Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras*, Hungary, Iceland,
India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Israel,
Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho,
Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar,
Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands,
Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States
of), Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique,
Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman,
Pakistan, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea*,
Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic
of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation,
Rwanda, Saint Lucia, SaintVincent and the Grenadines, Samoa,
San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Somalia, SouthAfrica, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname,
Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic,Tajikistan,Thailand,
Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,
Turkmenistan,Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates,
United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay,
Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet
Nam,Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Associate Members (14)
Andean Parliament, Arab Parliament, Central American
Parliament (PARLACEN), East African Legislative Assembly
(EALA), European Parliament (EP), InterparliamentaryAssembly
of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent
States (IPA CIS), Inter-Parliamentary Committee of the West
African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Latin
American and Caribbean Parliament (PARLATINO), Pan-African
Parliament, Parliament of the Central African Economic and
Monetary Community (CEMAC), Parliament of the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Parliamentary
Assembly of La Francophonie (APF), Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE), and Parliamentary Assembly
of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC).
Association of Secretaries
General of Parliaments
The Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP)
brings together Secretaries General and other senior office
holders in charge of parliamentary services. It studies the
law, procedure, practice and working methods of different
parliaments and proposes measures for improvement and for
securing cooperation between the services of different par-
liaments. It is a consultative body of the IPU, and the ASGP
President reports annually to the IPU Executive Committee
on the ASGP’s activities. The ASGP assists the IPU on sub-
jects within the scope of the Association. Studies carried out
by the IPU relating to parliamentary law and practices are
routinely shared with the ASGP and benefit from its input.
The ASGP collaborated closely with the IPU, including by regu-
larly organizing joint IPU-ASGP sessions at the IPU Assembly.
To give just three examples of areas of mutual cooperation:
Secretaries General are closely involved in the Centre for
Innovation in Parliament. At each Assembly, the ASGP helps
to organize meetings of the parliamentary hubs within the
Centre, as well as coordination meetings with the Secretaries
General of parliaments that are hosting hubs. The ASGP is
formally an observer to the Steering Committee that provides
strategic advice to the Centre about ways to support innova-
tion in parliament.
Secretaries General also contribute to the enhanced use
and application of the Ten Common Principles for Support
to Parliaments. Members of the ASGP regularly provide
substantial support to many of the parliamentary capaci-
ty-building projects carried out by the IPU, and contribute to
the IPU’s research into policy measures to combat violence
against women in parliament.
Secretaries General are active participants in the elaboration
of the Global Parliamentary Report. Their discussions about
the main challenges facing parliament at the current time
has influenced the choice of the themes of the Report (par-
liamentary oversight in 2017
, public engagement in 2022).
Secretaries Generals have also mobilized their parliaments to
share good practices during the research phase and to give
consideration to the Report’s recommendations.
* The membership rights of Honduras and Papua New Guinea are now
suspended due to arrears of three or more years of contributions (non-
participating Members).
41
IPU Executive Committee
Mr. D. Pacheco (PORTUGAL)
Ex-Officio President
End of mandate: Nov 2023
Ms. A.D. Mergane Kanouté (SENEGAL)
Vice President, IPU and Africa Group
End of mandate: Apr 2023
Mr. G. Chen (CHINA)
IPU Vice-President, Asia-Pacific Group
End of mandate: Oct 2022
Ms. C.Widegren (SWEDEN)
IPU Vice President, 12+ Group
End of mandate: Oct 2023
Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi (UAE)
IPU Vice-President, Arab Group
End of mandate: Apr 2025
Ms. B. Argimón (URUGUAY)
IPU Vice-President, Grulac
End of mandate: Oct 2024
Mr. A. Saidov (UZBEKISTAN)
IPU Vice-President, Eurasia Group
End of mandate: Oct 2023
Mr. A. Kharchi (ALGERIA)
Member
End of mandate: Oct 2025
Mr. J.P
. Letelier (CHILE)
Member
End of mandate: Oct 2023
Ms. O. Kefalogianni (GREECE)
Member
End of mandate: Oct 2025
Mr. R. Rabbani (PAKISTAN)
Member
End of mandate: Oct 2023
Mr. M. Grujic (SERBIA)
Member
End of mandate: Oct 2022
Mr. J. Echániz (SPAIN)
Member
End of mandate: Oct 2025
Ms. P
. Krairiksh (THAILAND)
Member
End of mandate: Oct 2023
Ms. E. Anyakun (UGANDA)
Member
End of mandate: Oct 2023
Mr. J. F. N. Mudenda (ZIMBABWE)
Member
End of mandate: Oct 2023
Ms. S. Albazar (EGYPT)
Ex Officio Member (Bureau of Young MPs)
End of mandate: Apr 2023
Ms. L.Vasylenko (UKRAINE)
Ex Officio Member (Bureau of Women MPs)
End of mandate: Apr 2023
How the IPU is funded
The IPU’s work to promote peace, democracy and sustain-
able development is financed primarily by our Members and
Associate Members. We also receive a growing amount of
voluntary contributions from governments, development
agencies, UN bodies and foundations. Several donors have
concluded multi-year funding agreements that were ac-
tive during 2021. These include the Swedish International
Development Cooperation Agency, the European Union,
DFATD Canada, Irish Aid, and the parliaments of Angola,
China, Micronesia, Qatar, Switzerland and the United Arab
Emirates, as well as the Arab Parliament. Partnerships with
the UN family, particularly UNDP
, WHO, UNOHRLLS, UNODA
and UN Women, deliver support to a number of country-level
programmes. The Republic of Korea continued to offer sup-
port in terms of secondment of senior research staff to the
IPU. The IPU remains committed to looking for more volun-
tary funding to help meet its strategic objectives.
42
Budgets 2017-2021
Estimates, by Strategic Objective, by source of funds (CHF)
2016 Approved
budget
2017 Approved budget
Regular Budget Other Sources All Funds
Revenues
Assessed contributions 10,016,000 10,227
,000 10,227,000
Working Capital Fund 356,100 337
,000 337,000
Staff assessment 1,018,500 1,023,000 1,023,000
Interest 110,000 100,000 100,000
Programme support costs 0 312,800 (312,800) 0
Other revenue 16,000 16,000 16,000
Voluntary contributions 4,271,700 4,224,300 4,224,300
Total revenues 15,788,300 12,015,800 3,911,500 15,927,300
EXPENDITURES
Strategic Objectives
1. Build strong, democratic parliaments 2,997
,700 1,411,100 1,017
,600 2,428,700
2. Advance gender equality and respect for
women’s rights
1,591,300 622,100 933,800 1,555,900
3. Protect and promote human rights 1,454,500 1,032,800 505,600 1,538,400
4. Contribute to peacebuilding, conflict prevention
and security
94,000 148,300 354,000 502,300
5. Promote inter-parliamentary dialogue and
cooperation
3,201,400 3,182,000 3,182,000
6. Promote youth empowerment 303,200 329,600 329,600
7
. Mobilize parliaments around the global
development agenda
1,054,400 1,083,700 1,083,700
8. Bridge the democracy gap in international relations 837
,300 893,000 893,000
Subtotal 11,533,800 7,289,300 4,224,300 11,513,600
Enablers
Effective internal governance and oversight 838,700 854,700 854,700
Visibility, advocacy and communications 967
,800 1,086,900 1,086,900
Gender mainstreaming and a rights-based approach 10,000 10,000 10,000
Properly resourced and efficient Secretariat 2,649,400 2,668,900 2,668,900
Subtotal 4,465,900 4,620,500 4,620,500
Other charges 105,000 106,000 106,000
Eliminations (316,400) (312,800) (312,800)
Total expenditures 15,788,300 12,015,800 3,911,500 15,927,300
43
Estimates, by Strategic Objective, by source of funds (CHF)
2017 Approved
budget
2018 Approved budget
Regular Budget Other Sources All Funds
Revenues
Assessed contributions 10,227
,000 10,467
,100 10,467,100
Working Capital Fund 337
,000 237
,000 237,000
Staff assessment 1,023,000 1,048,500 1,048,500
Interest 100,000 100,000 100,000
Programme support costs 0 296,500 (296,500) 0
Other revenue 16,000 16,000 16,000
Voluntary contributions 4,224,300 4,002,600 4,002,600
Total revenues 15,927,300 12,165,100 3,706,100 15,871,200
EXPENDITURES
Strategic Objectives
1. Build strong, democratic parliaments 2,428,700 1,430,600 891,300 2,321,900
2. Advance gender equality and respect for
women’s rights
1,555,900 532,200 1,166,800 1,699,000
3. Protect and promote human rights 1,538,400 1,039,000 430,500 1,469,500
4. Contribute to peacebuilding, conflict prevention
and security
502,300 151,200 354,000 505,200
5. Promote inter-parliamentary dialogue and
cooperation
3,182,000 3,159,400 3,159,400
6. Promote youth empowerment 329,600 79,700 337
,500 417,200
7
. Mobilize parliaments around the global
development agenda
1,083,700 150,200 822,500 972,700
8. Bridge the democracy gap in international relations 893,000 923,000 923,000
Subtotal 11,513,600 7,465,300 4,002,600 11,467,900
Enablers
Effective internal governance and oversight 854,700 867
,900 867,900
Visibility, advocacy and communications 1,086,900 1,026,200 1,026,200
Gender mainstreaming and a rights-based approach 10,000 10,000 10,000
Properly resourced and efficient Secretariat 2,668,900 2,681,700 2,681,700
Subtotal 4,620,500 4,585,800 4,585,800
Other charges 106,000 114,000 114,000
Eliminations (312,800) (296,500) (296,500)
Total expenditures 15,927,300 12,165,100 3,706,100 15,871,200
44
Estimates, by Strategic Objective, by source of funds (CHF)
2018 Approved
budget
2019 Approved budget
Regular Budget Other Sources All Funds
Revenues
Assessed contributions 10,467
,100 10,515,200 10,515,200
Working Capital Fund 237
,000 422,000 422,000
Staff assessment 1,048,500 1,099,700 1,099,700
Interest 100,000 100,000 100,000
Programme support costs 0 298,700 (298,700) 0
Other revenue 16,000 16,000 16,000
Voluntary contributions 4,002,600 4,034,400 4,034,400
Total revenues 15,871,200 12,451,600 3,735,700 16,187,300
EXPENDITURES
Strategic Objectives
1. Build strong, democratic parliaments 2,321,900 1,322,200 824,200 2,146,400
2. Advance gender equality and respect for
women’s rights
1,699,000 517
,900 656,400 1,174,300
3. Protect and promote human rights 1,469,500 1,035,600 508,500 1,544,100
4. Contribute to peacebuilding, conflict prevention
and security
505,200 195,500 907
,200 1,102,700
5. Promote inter-parliamentary dialogue and
cooperation
3,159,400 3,437
,600 3,437,600
6. Promote youth empowerment 417,200 79,600 265,100 344,700
7
. Mobilize parliaments around the global
development agenda
972,700 151,300 851,400 1,002,700
8. Bridge the democracy gap in international relations 923,000 927
,100 927,100
Subtotal 11,467,900 7,666,800 4,012,800 11,679,600
Enablers
Effective internal governance and oversight 867
,900 912,700 21,600 934,300
Visibility, advocacy and communications 1,026,200 1,097
,200 1,097,200
Gender mainstreaming and a rights-based approach 10,000 10,000 10,000
Properly resourced and efficient Secretariat 2,681,700 2,658,900 2,658,900
Subtotal 4,585,800 4,677,200 21,600 4,700,400
Other charges 114,000 106,000 106,000
Eliminations (296,500) (298,700) (298,700)
Total expenditures 15,871,200 12,451,600 3,735,700 16,187,300
45
Estimates, by Strategic Objective, by source of funds (CHF)
2019 Approved
budget
2020 Approved budget
Regular Budget Other Sources All Funds
Revenues
Assessed contributions 10,515,200 10,959,200 10,959,200
Working Capital Fund (IPSAS) 232,000 230,000 230,000
Working Capital Fund (liquid) 190,000 222,000 222,000
Staff assessment 1,099,700 1,205,800 1,205,800
Interest 100,000 100,000 100,000
Programme support costs 0 375,200 (375,200) 0
Other revenue 16,000 16,000 16,000
Voluntary contributions 4,034,400 5,065,000 5,065,000
Total revenues 16,187,300 13,108,200 4,689,800 17,798,000
EXPENDITURES
Strategic Objectives
1. Build strong, democratic parliaments 2,146,400 1,350,100 983,000 2,333,100
2. Advance gender equality and respect for
women’s rights
1,174,300 516,100 827
,900 1,344,000
3. Protect and promote human rights 1,544,100 1,042,600 559,800 1,602,400
4. Contribute to peacebuilding, conflict prevention
and security
1,102,700 198,700 1,246,400 1,445,100
5. Promote inter-parliamentary dialogue and
cooperation
3,437
,600 3,849,700 3,849,700
6. Promote youth empowerment 344,700 84,500 267
,100 351,600
7
. Mobilize parliaments around the global
development agenda
1,002,700 156,100 1,159,200 1,315,300
8. Bridge the democracy gap in international relations 927
,100 955,300 955,300
Subtotal 11,679,600 8,153,100 5,043,400 13,196,500
Enablers
Effective internal governance and oversight 934,300 1,006,500 21,600 1,028,100
Visibility, advocacy and communications 1,097
,200 1,052,000 1,052,000
Gender mainstreaming and a rights-based approach 10,000 10,000 10,000
Properly resourced and efficient Secretariat 2,658,900 2,779,000 2,779,000
Subtotal 4,700,400 4,847,500 21,600 4,869,100
Other charges 106,000 107
,600 107,600
Eliminations (298,700) (375,200) (375,200)
Total expenditures 16,187,300 13,108,200 4,689,800 17,798,000
Estimates, by Strategic Objective, by source of funds (CHF)
2020 Approved
budget
2021 Approved budget
Regular Budget Other Sources All Funds
Revenues
Assessed contributions 10,959,200 10,920,800 10,920,800
Working Capital Fund (IPSAS) 230,000 230,000 230,000
Working Capital Fund (liquid) 222,000 392,000 392,000
Staff assessment 1,205,800 1,085,500 1,085,500
Interest 100,000 100,000 100,000
Programme support costs 0 372,900 (372,900) 0
Other revenue 16,000 16,000 16,000
Voluntary contributions 5,065,000 5,037
,200 5,037,200
Total revenues 17,798,000 13,117,200 4,664,300 17,781,500
EXPENDITURES
Strategic Objectives
1. Build strong, democratic parliaments 2,333,100 1,419,800 1,148,600 2,568,400
2. Advance gender equality and respect for
women’s rights
1,344,000 525,500 890,300 1,415,800
3. Protect and promote human rights 1,602,400 1,034,900 566,100 1,601,000
4. Contribute to peacebuilding, conflict prevention
and security
1,445,100 199,300 1,030,800 1,230,100
5. Promote inter-parliamentary dialogue and
cooperation
3,849,700 3,733,900 3,733,900
6. Promote youth empowerment 351,600 85,600 387
,900 473,500
7
. Mobilize parliaments around the global
development agenda
1,315,300 194,700 991,900 1,186,600
8. Bridge the democracy gap in international relations 955,300 923,500 923,500
Subtotal 13,196,500 8,117,200 5,015,600 13,132,800
Enablers
Effective internal governance and oversight 1,028,100 1,030,400 21,600 1,052,000
Visibility, advocacy and communications 1,052,000 1,056,400 1,056,400
Gender mainstreaming and a rights-based approach 10,000 10,000 10,000
Properly resourced and efficient Secretariat 2,779,000 2,795,600 2,795,600
Subtotal 4,869,100 4,892,400 21,600 4,914,000
Other charges 107
,600 107
,600 107,600
Eliminations (375,200) (372,900) (372,900)
Total expenditures 17,798,000 13,117,200 4,664,300 17,781,500
IPU collections
The IPU has seven collections primarily meant for
parliamentarians and policymakers. All IPU publications are
available here.
Issues Briefs are designed to raise awareness on a particular
issue. They give an overview of a particular theme with
statistics, tables, graphs, facts and figures.
Handbooks are an in-depth look at a theme designed for
legislators involved in preparing laws and policies. They
contain best practice, examples from other countries,
definitions of key concepts, background information and
advice for implementation.
Toolkits allow parliaments to self-evaluate what they have,
what’s missing and what action they need to take in a
particular area.
Reports generally go into detail on a particular strategic
theme to report on progress or setbacks. They contain new
data and are published either annually or periodically.
Reference publications are designed as guidelines to help
support parliamentary development.
Guidelines are aimed to turn attention from analysis to
solutions. They support and better equip parliaments in efforts
to put their own houses in order.
Infographics are usually in the form of maps to highlight
visually a particular theme.
2021 publications
Issues Briefs
- Sexism, harassment and violence against women in
parliaments in Africa
- A Winnable Battle: Parliamentarians and universal health
coverage
Handbook
- Gender-responsive law-making
- Handbook for parliamentarians on nutrition and food
systems
- Good practices in nationality laws for the prevention
and reduction of statelessness (now available in Arabic,
Armenian, Indonesian, Malay, Polish, Russian and Uzbek)
- A Guide to international refugee protection and building
state asylum systems (now available in Uzbek)
- Handbook on Human Rights (now available in Korean)
- Handbook on International Humanitarian Law (now
available in Chinese and Serbian)
Toolkits
- Disaster Risk Reduction to achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals
- Parliaments and the Sustainable Development Goals:
A self-assessment toolkit (now available in Albanian)
Reports
- 13th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament Report
- Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament
(5WCSP) Report
- Youth participation in national parliaments
- Women in Parliament in 2020
- World e-Parliament Report 2020
- Impact Report 2020
- Green approaches to COVID-19 recovery: Policy note for
parliamentarians (now available in Spanish, Hungarian
and Russian)
Reference publications
- Social Media Guidelines
- Comparative research paper on parliamentary
administration (now available in Spanish)
Guidelines
- Guidelines for parliamentarians on budgeting for the
SDGs: Making the most of public resources
- Guidelines for enhancing the engagement and contribution
of parliaments to effective development cooperation
- Guidelines for the elimination of sexism, harassment and
violence against women in parliament (now available in
Turkish, Korean and Arabic)
Infographics
- Violations of the human rights of MPs – 2021
- Youth in Parliament infographic
- Women in Politics: 2021
Copyright © Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2022
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ISSN 2410-6755
Original version: English
Design and layout: Philippe Boisson, Graphisme
Printed in France by Courand et Associés
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