Dansk Interparlamentarisk Gruppes bestyrelse 2023-24
IPU Alm.del Bilag 9
Offentligt
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148th IPU Assembly
and related meetings
Geneva, Switzerland
23-27 March 2024
Results of the proceedings
Inter-Parliamentary Union – 2024
 IPU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 9: Results 148th Assembly
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page(s)
Meetings and other activities
148th Assembly
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Opening of the Assembly ................................................................................................................. 4
Participation ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Choice of an emergency item ........................................................................................................... 6
Debates and decisions of the Assembly and its Standing Committees ........................................... 7
Special accountability segment ......................................................................................................10
Concluding sitting of the Assembly ................................................................................................11
213th session of the Governing Council
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Report of the IPU President ............................................................................................................12
Report of the Secretary General.....................................................................................................12
Financial results for 2023 ...............................................................................................................12
Financial situation of the IPU ..........................................................................................................13
Questions relating to membership and observer status .................................................................13
IPU priority theme for 2024.............................................................................................................16
Regional offices of the IPU .............................................................................................................16
Future inter-parliamentary meetings ..............................................................................................17
Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament .......................................................................17
Reports of committees and other bodies ........................................................................................17
Election of IPU Vice-Presidents......................................................................................................17
Cremer-Passy Prize 2024 ..............................................................................................................17
292nd session of the Executive Committee
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Report of the IPU President ............................................................................................................18
Report of the Secretary General.....................................................................................................18
Sub-Committee on Finance ............................................................................................................18
Questions relating to membership and observer status .................................................................18
Working Group on amendments to the IPU Statutes and Rules ....................................................19
IPU Communications Strategy .......................................................................................................19
Questions relating to the IPU Secretariat .......................................................................................20
Election of IPU Vice-Presidents......................................................................................................20
Subsidiary bodies of the Governing Council
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Forum and Bureau of Women Parliamentarians ............................................................................20
Forum and Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians ..........................................................20
Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians ...................................................................21
Committee on Middle East Questions ............................................................................................21
Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian Law .............................................22
Group of Facilitators for Cyprus......................................................................................................22
Task Force on the peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine .........................................................22
High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism ...............................23
Working Group on Science and Technology ..................................................................................23
Gender Partnership Group .............................................................................................................24
Advisory Group on Health ..............................................................................................................24
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – 148th Assembly
Other activities and events
1.
2.
Talks between the Speakers of Armenia and Azerbaijan at IPU headquarters ............................. 25
Joint meeting with the Chairs of the geopolitical groups
and the Presidents of the Standing Committees ............................................................................ 25
3. High-level meeting on
The crisis of multilateralism: Root causes and possible solutions
............. 26
4. Panel discussion on
Addressing strategic and existential threats through
common security and the rule of law
.............................................................................................. 28
5. Workshop on
Strengthening climate legislation: Practical tools for parliamentarians
................... 28
6. Panel discussion on interfaith dialogue:
Building bridges through
interfaith dialogue for more peaceful and inclusive societies
......................................................... 29
7. Workshop on Human security:
Equipping parliamentarians for peacebuilding
and conflict prevention
.................................................................................................................... 30
8. Workshop on artificial intelligence .................................................................................................. 30
9. Parity debate on
Eliminating discrimination, transforming economic losses into gains
................. 30
10. Panel discussion on
Protecting minority rights: Towards comprehensive
anti-discrimination legislation..........................................................................................................
31
11. Workshop on the
Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention
..................................... 32
12. Panel discussion on
Climate change and conflict: How can parliaments
ensure health during times of crises?
............................................................................................. 32
Elections, appointments and membership of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Elections and appointments
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Executive Committee ...................................................................................................................... 33
Vice-Presidents of the IPU ............................................................................................................. 33
Bureau of Women Parliamentarians .............................................................................................. 33
Committee on Middle East Questions ............................................................................................ 33
Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian Law ............................................. 33
Group of Facilitators for Cyprus ..................................................................................................... 33
High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism ............................... 34
Working Group on Science and Technology .................................................................................. 34
Bureaux of the Standing Committees ............................................................................................. 34
Gender Partnership Group ............................................................................................................. 34
Rapporteurs .................................................................................................................................... 34
Media and communications ..............................................................................................................
35
Membership of the Inter-Parliamentary Union ..................................................................................
36
Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the 148th Assembly
of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Agenda
……………………………………………………………………………………………….……………37
Geneva Declaration
............................................................................................................................... 38
Parliamentary diplomacy: Building bridges for peace and understanding
IPU Leadership Statement on the situation in Gaza ........................................................................
41
Resolutions adopted by the Assembly
•
Addressing the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous
•
weapon systems and artificial intelligence .............................................................................
42
Partnerships for climate action: Promoting access to affordable green energy,
and ensuring innovation, responsibility and equity .................................................................
47
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Emergency item
•
Results of the roll-call vote on the requests for the inclusion of an emergency item in the
Agenda of the Assembly…………………………………………………………………………....53
Reports and other documents of the Standing Committees
•
Report of the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights ..................................56
•
Report of the Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs ................................................58
•
Motion adopted by the IPU Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs:
Reform of the United Nations Security Council ......................................................................
61
Reports, decisions and other texts of the Governing Council
of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Reports, decisions and other texts
•
Composition of the Preparatory Committee for the Sixth World Conference
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
of Speakers of Parliament ......................................................................................................62
Report on the work of the IPU Task Force on the peaceful resolution
of the war in Ukraine ...............................................................................................................63
Report of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians ..................................................................64
Report of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians ....................................................................65
Report of the Committee on Middle East Questions ..............................................................67
Report of the Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian Law ..............68
Report of the Advisory Group on Health .................................................................................70
Report of the High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism
and Violent Extremism (HLAG) ...............................................................................................71
Report of the Working Group on Science and Technology ...................................................72
Statistics of the Gender Partnership Group ............................................................................73
Other documents available online
Decisions of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians
Future meetings
Calendar of future meetings and other activities ....................................................................75
Agenda of the 149th Assembly ...............................................................................................78
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148th Assembly
1.
Opening of the Assembly
The IPU Anthem was played at the start of the Assembly.
Dr. T. Ackson, IPU President,
opened the Assembly on 24 March 2024 and invited delegates to
observe a moment of reflection to honour colleagues who had passed away since the last Assembly,
notably Mr. H.G. Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, and the thousands of people around
the world who had died as a result of war, humanitarian catastrophe, terrorist attacks, violence and
illness. She noted that the 148th Assembly, her first as IPU President, was the first time that an
Assembly was being held in Geneva in almost six years and thanked those Member Parliaments who
had hosted highly successful Assemblies in the interim.
The choice of parliamentary diplomacy as the theme for the Assembly and of peace and security as the
IPU’s policy focus for 2024 were timely given the proliferation of conflict around the world, and brought
the IPU back to its founding principles as the focal point for worldwide parliamentary dialogue. She cited
numerous conflict situations where the IPU was working constantly to bring together parliamentarians –
the Middle East, Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and the Sahel, to name just a few – and
expressed her hope that, during her mandate, the IPU would expand its promotion of parliamentary
dialogue to the many other situations where it was sorely needed.
Mr. M. Chungong, IPU Secretary General,
congratulated the President on her first Assembly and
welcomed delegates back to Geneva after an almost six-year absence. The holding of an Assembly in
the city of multilateralism and peace would send a strong signal to the world on the IPU’s staunch
commitment to peace and security. In their deliberations, he was sure that delegates would want to live
up to the IPU’s motto – “For democracy. For everyone.” – and the expectations of their
46,000 colleagues around the world and the people they served. Parliamentarians had great potential to
be key stakeholders in peace processes and to bring the voices of the people to the negotiating table.
He hoped that parliamentarians would take the opportunity through the many activities planned at the
current Assembly to emphasize the importance of reconciliation, of dialogue across political, religious
and ideological divides, and of peaceful coexistence. Over 135 years ago, the founders of the IPU,
Cremer and Passy, had recognized the importance of dialogue as a means of resolving disputes and
misunderstandings, and parliamentarians around the world should continue to recognize and realize
those founding values as their common agenda.
Mr. D. Carden (United Kingdom), President of the Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians,
said that he had been born in 1986, a time when the world had had legitimate fears of the
consequences of a catastrophic nuclear attack, but that in the following years, the global consensus had
coalesced around a liberal democratic model greatly improving the prospects for peace. In recent years,
however, the world appeared to have sunk back into levels of instability not seen since the end of the
Cold War. Young people bore the heaviest burden of war, with thousands of young victims in every one
of the major conflicts currently raging around the world.
As outlined in United Nations Security Council resolution 2250 (2015), it was vital for young people to
participate in decision-making, but particularly in peace processes, as conduits for the voices of youth.
War should not be considered an inescapable feature of the human condition, and peace should not be
considered unattainable, but rather the only battle worth fighting.
In a keynote video message,
Ms. C. López Castro (Mexico), President of the Bureau of Women
Parliamentarians,
expressed her conviction that parliamentarians believed in the potential of
parliamentary diplomacy and encouraged them to extend that belief to the huge potential of women to
contribute to and lead processes that led to peace and security. Next year would mark the
25th anniversary of United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, but
many countries were still failing to place women at the heart of conflict prevention and resolution.
The women, peace and security agenda was the tool the world needed to build bridges to sustainable
peace, and to progress from exclusion to democratic decision-making and from gender inequality to
gender justice. To that end, parliamentarians needed to work towards gender parity in decision-making,
the participation and leadership of women in peace processes, and the elimination of violence against
women. She encouraged parliamentarians to pledge their support and allocate appropriate budgets to
women’s organizations, notably those helping the survivors of sexual violence in conflict.
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In a video message,
Ms. M. Robinson, Chair of The Elders, former President of Ireland and former
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,
said that parliaments played an indispensable role in
building bridges for peace and understanding, and in finding a consensus on how to tackle shared
challenges; a role that was particularly valuable in the current era of increasing social polarization and
geopolitical tensions. As a former parliamentarian and participant in IPU events, she had been
heartened to hear that, in addition to parliamentary diplomacy, the Assembly would also focus on the
revitalization of multilateralism, in a year in which the United Nations Summit of the Future would aim to
chart a new way forward for international cooperation.
The world was facing several existential threats – the climate and nature emergency, pandemics,
nuclear weapons, and the risk of unregulated artificial intelligence – but too much decision-making was
governed by short-term and self-interested calculations. Faced with the global proliferation of conflicts,
the multilateral international peace and security architecture appeared completely ill-equipped to cope.
This was why The Elders, an organization founded by the late Nelson Mandela and of which she was
currently Chair, was advocating for long-view leadership, to tackle these threats and build a more
resilient and equal society. Such an approach would rely on a determination to resolve seemingly
intractable problems, the wisdom to make decisions based on scientific evidence and reason, and the
humility to listen to all those affected. In a year in which 40% of the world’s population would have the
chance to vote in consequential elections, she hoped that parliamentarians would heed her call to adopt
a more long-term view.
2.
Participation
Delegations from 144 Member Parliaments took part in the work of the Assembly
*
:
Afghanistan
**
, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon,
Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Eswatini,
Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia (The), Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland,
Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon,
Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta,
Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar**, Namibia, Nepal,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,
Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, San Marino, Sao
Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia, Somalia,
South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic,
Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine,
United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu,
Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Parliament of Jamaica also attended the 148th Assembly in an observer capacity, with a view to
future affiliation.
The following seven Associate Members also took part in the Assembly: the Arab Parliament, the East
African Legislative Assembly (EALA), the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the
Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS), the Inter-Parliamentary Committee of the West
African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament
(PARLATINO), the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the
Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (APF).
Observers included representatives of:
(i) the United Nations and related organizations: United Nations, Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights (OHCHR), Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), Joint United Nations
*
**
For the complete list of IPU Members, see
page 36.
As per the decision of the Governing Council in Madrid in November 2021, the IPU continues to engage with the
former, democratically elected parliamentarians from Afghanistan and with the Committee to Represent
Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) for Myanmar. The corresponding delegations attend Assemblies in a non-voting
observer capacity.
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Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO), World Health Organization (WHO), and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW);
(ii) parliamentary assemblies and associations: African Parliamentary Union (APU),
Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU), ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), Asian
Parliamentary Assembly (APA), Baltic Assembly, Collective Security Treaty Organization Parliamentary
Assembly (CSTOPA), Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Forum of Parliaments of the
International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR), Global Organization of
Parliamentarians against Corruption (GOPAC), International Parliamentary Network for Education
(IPNEd), Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO), Maghreb Consultative Council (MCC),
Parliametnarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (PNND), Parliamentary Assembly of
the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (AP-CPLP), Parliamentary Assembly of the
Mediterranean (PAM), Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA), Parliamentary Union of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation Member States (PUIC), Southern African Development Community
Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF), and UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health;
(iii) Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and International Organization of Supreme
Audit Institutions (INTOSAI);
(iv) International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Development Law Organization
(IDLO), International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA),
Organization of American States, and Sovereign Order of Malta.
Several special guests also attended the Assembly and gave addresses at high-level segments.
Of the 1,479 delegates who attended the Assembly, 716 were members of parliament (703 from
Member Parliaments and 13 from Associate Member delegations), including 51 Presiding Officers, and
48 Deputy Presiding Officers. Member Parliaments’ delegations included 252 women MPs (35.85%)
and 194 young MPs (27.60%).
In continuation of practices established at recent Assemblies, the 148th Assembly was an in-person
event with adaptations for hybrid participation. Nearly all the session rooms were equipped for external
engagement and remote interpretation and these technical capacities were well used throughout the
Assembly. All official side events, as well as the Executive Committee and the Committee on the
Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CHRP), allowed remote participation, with 84 users participating
actively online in these sessions.
The proceedings of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, Assembly General Debate and all sittings of
the Governing Council were live streamed in English and the original language, with a total of
14,805 views. See the
Media and Communications
section for more details.
3.
Choice of an emergency item
On 24 March 2024, the President informed the Assembly that the following six requests for the inclusion
of an emergency item had been proposed:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Raising awareness of the International Court of Justice provisional measures for Israel in relation
to Palestinians in Gaza, and of the need for urgent action on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza
(South Africa with the support of the African Group and the Arab Group)
The immediate release of the hostages in Gaza
(Israel)
Parliamentary diplomacy for peace in Palestine
(Indonesia and Malaysia)
Call for urgent action regarding the conflict in the Middle East
(Denmark, France, Hungary,
Ireland, Portugal, Sweden and United Kingdom)
1
Free, fair and transparent elections without prohibitions: Towards an orderly and peaceful
democratic transition in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
(Argentina, on behalf of the
delegations of Argentina, Guyana, Peru and Uruguay)
Call for urgent action to end the aggression and massive violations of human rights in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
(Democratic Republic of the Congo)
1
Iceland informed the IPU of its intention to support Denmark’s proposal after the list of proposals
(A/148/2-Inf.1-rev.5) had already been distributed in the room.
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The President also announced that negotiations were under way for a joint proposal by South Africa
(with support of the African Group and the Arab Group), and Denmark (and six other countries in the
Twelve Plus Group). Ultimately this joint proposal did not materialize.
Jordan spoke in favour of South Africa’s proposal and Canada spoke against.
Ireland spoke against the proposal of Israel. Israel ultimately withdrew its proposal.
Indonesia and Malaysia withdrew their proposal in support of South Africa’s proposal.
Canada spoke in favour of Denmark’s proposal and Jordan spoke against.
The proposal of Argentina was jointly presented by Argentina and Guyana. Cuba spoke against the
proposal.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo withdrew its proposal in support of South Africa’s proposal.
The Assembly then proceeded with a roll-call vote on the three remaining proposals (see pages
53-55).
The President announced that none of the three proposals still on the table had obtained the requisite
two-thirds majority. The President informed the Assembly that such an outcome meant that none of
them could be included on the agenda of the 148th Assembly in accordance with the Rules of the
Assembly (Rule 11.2(a)).
4.
(a)
Debates and decisions of the Assembly and its Standing Committees
General Debate:
Parliamentary diplomacy: Building bridges for peace and understanding
(Item 3)
During the three days of deliberations, some 184 legislators from 129 Member Parliaments, including
48 Presiding Officers and 19 young parliamentarians, as well as representatives of 5 Associate
Members and 14 permanent observers, contributed to the General Debate. The proceedings of the
Debate were webcast, and many of the good practices and recommendations that emerged were
reflected in the outcome document.
High-level segment –
Mitigating the humanitarian consequences of war: The role of parliaments
The General Debate included a high-level segment on 25 March 2024 on the theme
Mitigating the
humanitarian consequences of war: The role of parliaments.
The debate was organized within the
framework of the 75th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions. The segment featured high-level
representatives from leading agencies working on humanitarian issues: Ms. M. Spoljaric Egger,
President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Ms. P. Patten, Special
Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, and Ms. E. Tan, Director of
the UNHCR Division of International Protection.
The debate focused on the humanitarian impacts of war, in particular with regard to displaced
populations and sexual violence in conflicts. While Ms. Tan addressed the issue of displacement,
especially of refugees, as a consequence of armed conflicts, Ms. Patten highlighted the impact caused
by conflict-related sexual violence and the need both to strengthen accountability mechanisms to
prosecute this crime and to address its root causes. Ms. Spoljaric Egger stressed the importance of
upholding international humanitarian law (IHL) norms to mitigate the humanitarian impacts of war, and
how this legal framework remains relevant and necessary in tackling the challenges brought about by
today’s armed conflicts. She also pointed out the importance of ensuring implementation of IHL norms
at the domestic level and the crucial role played by parliaments in achieving this goal.
Delegates from IPU Member Parliaments discussed the need for the international community to avoid
double standards when it comes to ensuring respect for IHL obligations and how addressing the root
causes of violations of these norms could be a way to contribute to conflict prevention. Delegates also
discussed the current lack of support provided to humanitarian assistance efforts in crisis situations and
the importance of scaling up funding to humanitarian organizations working in these contexts. Delegates
acknowledged that IHL still played a major role in tackling the humanitarian impacts of war, but also
highlighted the need to advance the law to address the reality of today’s armed conflicts, such as in the
areas of new technologies and environmental protection. Ms. Spoljaric Egger underlined in her final
remarks that the lack of respect for IHL did not challenge its legitimacy.
The IPU President and Secretary General reiterated the Organization’s commitment to pursue the
mobilization of parliaments to ensure respect of IHL and other legal frameworks of relevance with
regard to conflicts and their impacts. They also reaffirmed the IPU’s commitment to its existing
partnerships with the ICRC, UNHCR and other UN bodies working in this area.
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Special segment featuring the Director-General of the World Health Organization
Dr. T.A. Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), addressed the
Assembly in a special segment on 25 March 2024. He emphasized the importance of signing a global
Pandemic Accord and invited parliamentarians to counter the misinformation and disinformation that
surrounded current negotiations. During a subsequent question and answer session, parliamentarians
expressed particular interest in the Pandemic Accord, as well as in women’s health, harmful practices,
and the linkages between health and climate change. A new memorandum of understanding between
the IPU and WHO was signed on this occasion, charting the course of their cooperation for the next
five years.
Address by the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs
On 26 March 2024, Dr. F. Paullier, the first United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth
Affairs, addressed the Assembly on the topic of the General Debate. He emphasized the role of youth
as a beacon of hope for peace and described the United Nations Security Council resolution 2250 as a
groundbreaking achievement in recognizing the positive role that young people play in fostering peace
and preventing violence. However, much more work was needed to ensure the implementation of the
agenda set out by the resolution. Young people, and especially young women, continued to face heavy
obstacles to participating in politics and were underrepresented. He called on parliamentarians to:
support the youth, peace and security agenda by holding governments to account for its
implementation, including through parliamentary commissions; create youth bodies in parliament to
better channel the voices of young people; advocate for national plans and roadmaps for peace; and
support the IPU’s
I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament!
campaign.
Address by the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East
On 26 March 2024, the IPU President and Secretary General welcomed Mr. B. Majekodunmi, Chief of
Staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
to the plenary. Mr. Majekodunmi noted that, for many years, the IPU had had a strong partnership with
UNRWA and, given the current situation in the Middle East, it was important for parliamentarians to hear
first-hand about the realities on the ground. He vividly described the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding
in Gaza, marked by widespread death and destruction, impending famine and the looming collapse of
health care services. Women and children were dying of starvation and disease, and urgent action was
needed both in terms of a ceasefire and steps to ensure access for humanitarian aid. He also issued a
strong call for parliaments to ensure adequate and continued funding for UNRWA. The IPU President
expressed the Organization’s strong support for UNRWA's mission to provide relief and essential
services – including education, health care and emergency assistance – to millions of Palestinian
civilians. All parliaments were called upon to support these efforts, which went well beyond politics and
should be rooted in a shared belief in every individual's intrinsic human rights, dignity and worth.
(b)
Standing Committee on Peace and International Security
The Standing Committee on Peace and International Security held three sittings from 24 to 26 March 2024,
with its President, Ms. A. Kuspan (Kazakhstan), in the chair. The Committee was entrusted with the task of
debating the draft resolution
Addressing the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous weapon
systems and artificial intelligence.
The draft resolution and an accompanying explanatory memorandum
had been prepared by the two co-Rapporteurs, Ms. M. Stolbizer (Argentina) and Mr. C. Lacroix (Belgium).
Following the presentation of the draft resolution by one of the two co-Rapporteurs, 34 speakers took the
floor to express their thoughts on the matter. During the drafting process, the Committee considered
200 amendments tabled by 22 Member Parliaments and the Forum of Women Parliamentarians. Around
one-third of the proposed amendments and sub-amendments were taken on board.
The Bureau of the Committee gathered on the morning of 26 March 2024. Its main decision was to put
forward a subject item stemming from the discussions during the meeting. The Bureau also agreed to
continue consultations to establish a full programme of work for the 149th Assembly.
At the Committee’s last sitting on the afternoon of 26 March 2024, the consolidated draft resolution was
adopted by a vote and the subject item proposed by the Bureau was accepted.
On 27 March 2024, the President of the Committee presented the draft resolution at the plenary sitting of
the Assembly, and it was adopted by consensus. The delegations of India, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and
the Russian Federation expressed their opposition to the entire text of the resolution. The delegations of
China and Lithuania expressed a reservation on the entire text of the resolution. The delegations of
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – 148th Assembly
Australia, Canada, Cuba, France, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Türkiye and the United Kingdom
expressed reservations on several paragraphs and, in some cases, on the use of the term “autonomous
weapon systems” without mentioning the characteristic of lethality.
The Assembly approved the subject item presented by the Bureau entitled
The role of parliaments in
advancing a two-State solution in Palestine
and approved the nomination of Mr. M.A. Bouchouit (Algeria)
and Mr. J. Buttimer (Ireland) as the co-Rapporteurs for the next resolution. When putting forward the
subject item, the Bureau indicated that for reasons of inclusiveness due to the sensitivity of the subject, it
should have the possibility to establish a team comprising a co-Rapporteur from each geopolitical group.
The President of the IPU will therefore be entrusted with pursuing consultations with a view to appointing
these rapporteurs at the earliest possible opportunity pursuant to Rule 13.4 of the Rules of the Standing
Committees.
(c)
Standing Committee on Sustainable Development
The Standing Committee on Sustainable Development held its sittings on 24, 25 and 26 March 2024 with
its President, Mr. W. William (Seychelles), in the chair. The Committee was entrusted with the task of
drafting the resolution on
Partnerships for climate action: Promoting access to affordable green energy, and
ensuring innovation, responsibility and equity.
The draft resolution and an accompanying explanatory
memorandum had been prepared by the co-Rapporteurs, Ms. M.S. Al Suwaidi (United Arab Emirates),
Mr. S. Patra (India) and Ms. L. Vasylenko (Ukraine).
Drafting of the resolution was conducted in plenary. The Committee had received 293 amendments
submitted by 27 Member Parliaments. The consolidated draft resolution was adopted by consensus. India
and Iran (Islamic Republic of) expressed their opposition to the entire text. China expressed reservations
on preambular paragraphs 7 and 8, and operative paragraphs 7, 8 and 25. Türkiye expressed reservations
on operative paragraphs 24, 25 and 26.
At its final sitting and at the proposal of its Bureau, the Committee adopted its next subject item entitled
Parliamentary strategies to mitigate the long-lasting impact of conflicts, including armed conflicts, on
sustainable development.
The Committee approved the nomination of Ms. H. Ramzy Fayez (Bahrain),
Ms. E.T. Muteka (Namibia) and Mr. R. Fogiel (Poland) as co-Rapporteurs.
The Committee also approved a work plan for the next Assembly. It includes a debate on the topic of the
next resolution, a panel debate entitled
The role of parliaments in preventing corporate tax avoidance and
achieving sustainable development,
as well as a segment to prepare for the Parliamentary Meeting at the
United Nations Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan (COP29).
No candidature was received for the Bureau’s vacant post.
(d)
Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights
The Committee held two sittings.
At its first sitting, held on 25 March 2024 with Vice-President Mr. A. Torosyan (Armenia) in the chair, the
Committee held a debate on its next resolution,
The impact of artificial intelligence on democracy,
human rights and the rule of law.
The debate explored the potential benefits of artificial intelligence
while also drawing attention to the multiple risks associated with this emerging technology, with
contributions from experts, the rapporteurs (Ms. M. Rempel Garner (Canada) and Ms. N. Lugangira
(United Republic of Tanzania)) and more than 30 delegates.
At its second sitting, held on 26 March 2024 with Mr. Torosyan again in the chair, the Committee held a
debate on
Sustainable actions to improve the life conditions of people with disabilities, including their
chances for education and work opportunities.
The debate highlighted the important role parliaments
can play to advance implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, by
ensuring that laws, policies and budgets advance the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the
community and remove all forms of discrimination and stigma based on disability.
In application of Rule 10.2 of the Rules of the Standing Committees, the Committee declared the
position on the Bureau held by Mr. E. Uwizeyimana (Rwanda) to be vacant. An election to fill this vacant
position will take place at the next Assembly.
For further information about the two debates, see
page 56.
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(e)
Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs
The Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs held two sessions. The first session featured the
new UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, Dr. F. Paullier, who introduced the new Youth
Office and its mandate to facilitate youth access to debates and processes across the UN system.
Some 48 delegations were present for the vigorous discussion and over 18 interventions were made.
The second session focused on the sustainability of the UN’s humanitarian work. The committee was
briefed by high-level officials from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN
Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). These officials shared
important information regarding humanitarian crises around the world. Over 34 delegations were
present and 16 made interventions.
The Committee adopted a motion to encourage parliamentarians to engage domestically on Security
Council reform, foster a debate in their parliaments, discuss the issue with their permanent
representative to the UN and be ready to ratify any agreed changes to the Security Council.
On 25 March 2024, the Committee convened a special high-level meeting for Speakers and Deputy
Speakers on the crisis of multilateralism. The discussion featured Ms. T. Valovaya, Director-General of
the United Nations Office at Geneva, and Ms. R. Grynspan, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
5.
Special accountability segment
For the fifth consecutive Assembly, the General Debate included a special accountability segment.
During this segment, delegations were invited to contribute with interventions on their actions to
advance parliamentary solidarity to defend the human rights of parliamentarians, parliamentary
engagement for the promotion of inclusive societies and parliamentary action to tackle climate change.
In this context, the IPU President emphasized the IPU’s nature as a Member-driven Organization, in
which decisions and outcomes needed to be translated into national realities for the well-being of the
people. As per the IPU Statutes, Member Parliaments are required to share details with the
Organization of results accomplished in follow-up to IPU decisions.
To facilitate this process, each year, a number of parliaments from each geopolitical group are
designated to report and answer a survey prepared by the IPU Secretariat. The rate of respondents
reached a high of 71% in 2023. In 2024, 38 countries across all six geopolitical groups are scheduled to
report.
A total of 18 delegations, including the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH)
and the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO), both IPU observers, took the floor to share
their good practices in following up on relevant declarations adopted by the IPU in recent years. Four
delegations shared multimedia content that was screened during the segment.
Concrete examples of parliamentary action included:
•
Australia: Australia had collaborated with its Pacific Island neighbours to strengthen climate
resilience. Last year, Australia and Tuvalu signed the first-ever bilateral agreement on climate
mobility. Special visa arrangements had been implemented for Tuvaluans threatened by climate
change so they could live, work and study in Australia. Australia had also allocated funds to the
Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project to enhance the islands’ climate resistance.
Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan would be hosting COP29 in November 2024 and had been going through
a responsible transition from fossil fuels to alternative clean energy sources. The country was
involved in various projects that aimed at promoting renewable energy, such as joining the Global
Methane Pledge initiative and participating in the European Union’s Green Corridor project.
China: China had been the global leader in renewable energy investment for seven consecutive
years and had dominated the output and sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs), with half of the
world’s NEVs operating on Chinese roads. To follow up on IPU resolutions and other international
agreements, the National People’s Congress had enacted and implemented several laws to
support renewable energy and clean transportation, which included the Energy Conservation
Law, the Promotion of Clean Energy Law and the Circular Economy Promotion Law.
•
•
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Cabo Verde: The Parliament had prioritized the transition to zero carbon emissions and focused
on green and circular economies through digitalization efforts. Cabo Verde had established safe
havens to preserve marine biodiversity and pioneered plastic waste reduction initiatives.
Chile: The Parliament was setting an example of inclusivity by employing individuals with Down
syndrome in the Chamber of Deputies. The Chilean delegation encouraged the IPU to address
the subject of persons with disabilities in its meetings further.
Denmark: The Parliament had decided to actively follow up on cases of violation of the human
rights of MPs examined by the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, in
Europe. This included sending delegations to court hearings, sending letters to detained MPs,
and discussing the cases with representatives of the countries in question.
Indonesia: The Indonesian House of Representatives had been actively promoting a green
economy transition, giving priority to finalizing a new Renewable Energy Bill. Indonesia was also
committed to fostering an inclusive and peaceful society by ensuring equal respect for all
religions, including the passing of a bill that ensured equal treatment of all religions in the country.
Latvia: The Parliament was currently enhancing responses to hate speech by collaborating
closely with multiple stakeholders, including NGOs and law enforcement bodies. While hate
speech was criminalized in Latvia, the Parliament was also exploring more nuanced measures to
promote inclusive societies and facilitate societal cohesion through dialogue.
Thailand: The Parliament was working to strengthen inclusivity in Thai society by focusing on
marriage equality, indigenous people’s rights and labour protection. The lower house was on the
brink of passing legislation on marriage equality and become the first country in the ASEAN to do
so.
Other delegations that took the floor during this segment were Canada, Germany, India, Malawi, Mexico
and Tunisia.
6.
Concluding sitting of the Assembly
At the concluding sitting on 27 March 2024, the IPU President introduced the Geneva Declaration on
Parliamentary diplomacy: Building bridges for peace and understanding
(see
page 38)
and invited the
youngest male and one of the youngest female MPs in attendance at the Assembly, Mr. A. Tongjaisod
(Thailand) and Ms. E.T. Muteka (Namibia), to present the Declaration. The Assembly unanimously
endorsed the Geneva Declaration.
Recalling that it had not been possible to reach a consensus on the choice of an emergency item earlier
in the week, the IPU President reported that she and the Secretary General would imminently be issuing
a leadership statement on behalf of the global parliamentary community, on urgent action to address the
situation in Gaza (see
page 41).
Ms. A. Kuspan (Kazakhstan), President of the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security,
presented the resolution
Addressing the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous weapon
systems and artificial intelligence
(see
page 42).
The Assembly adopted the resolution by consensus,
with opposition to the resolution expressed by India, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and the Russian
Federation, and reservations expressed by Australia, Canada, China, Cuba, France, Lithuania, New
Zealand, Republic of Korea, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.
Mr. W. William (Seychelles), President of the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development,
presented the resolution
Partnerships for climate action: Promoting access to affordable green energy,
and ensuring innovation, responsibility and equity
(see
page 47).
The Assembly adopted the resolution
by consensus, with opposition to the resolution expressed by India and Iran (Islamic Republic of), and
reservations expressed by China and Türkiye.
The Assembly took note of the Reports of the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights,
presented by its Vice-President, Mr. A. Torosyan (Armenia), and of the Standing Committee on United
Nations Affairs, presented by its President, Mr. D. McGuinty (Canada) (see
page 56).
The Assembly approved the subject items for the resolutions to be drafted by the Standing Committee
on Peace and International Security and the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development for
adoption at the 150th IPU Assembly, together with the rapporteurs that would be working on the draft
resolutions (see
page 34).
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At the conclusion of the Assembly, the representatives of the geopolitical groups took the floor:
Ms. S.S. Chaudhury (Bangladesh) on behalf of the Asia-Pacific Group, Mr. B. Boughali (Algeria) on
behalf of the Arab Group, Mr. M. Bouden (Algeria) on behalf of the African Group, Ms. S. Carvajal
Isunza (Mexico) on behalf of the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean, Ms. V. Riotton (France) on
behalf of the Twelve Plus Group and Mr. T. Vardanyan (Armenia) on behalf of the Eurasia Group. They
thanked the President, Secretary General, the staff of the Secretariat, and the Swiss hosts for their
tireless work in ensuring another hugely successful Assembly, and echoed the Secretary General’s
gratitude and congratulations, expressed at the Governing Council earlier in the day, to Ms. S.-A. Sader,
Conference Services Officer, who would be retiring in the coming months. They deplored the failure of
the membership to find a consensus on an emergency item for the second Assembly in a row but
thanked the President and Secretary General for their initiative to release a leadership statement on the
situation in Gaza. Even without an emergency item on the subject, the situation in Gaza had been
brought to the fore in many discussions during the Assembly, and they expressed the hope that the
revision of the IPU Statutes and Rules currently in progress would give rise to improved processes to
allow the IPU membership to convey its position on such important issues.
In his concluding remarks, Mr. M. Chungong, IPU Secretary General, congratulated the President on
her efficiency in presiding over her first Assembly. Noting that 2024 would mark the 135th anniversary of
the IPU, he said that the Organization’s founding fathers, Cremer and Passy, would have been
extremely gratified to see over 700 MPs participating in the present Assembly and the high quality of the
debates and outcomes. He hoped that Member Parliaments would use the opportunity of the
135th anniversary to rededicate their efforts to find peace around the world. He further highlighted the
ongoing digital transformation of the IPU, which was in evidence at the Assembly through the increasing
acceptance of a paperless approach, with many delegates now consulting the documents of the
Assembly on their own digital devices. He looked forward to welcoming delegates back to Geneva for
the 149th Assembly in October 2024.
In her concluding remarks, Dr. T. Ackson, IPU President and President of the 148th Assembly,
expressed her gratitude to all those who had played a pivotal role in the organization of the Assembly,
and in particularly to the Swiss authorities for their warm welcome to Geneva. The robust level of
participation at the Assembly and its strong focus on parliamentary diplomacy would send a signal to
the international community that parliamentarians would support and contribute to efforts to reinvigorate
multilateralism with a strong parliamentary dimension and a focus on inclusive dialogue as the only way
to achieve long-lasting peace. She thanked delegates for their active participation, insightful
contributions and unwavering commitment to the IPU, which had provided a strong foundation for the
Assembly’s numerous successful outcomes. She invited those present to take the Geneva Declaration
back to their parliaments and consider organizing a special event on parliamentary diplomacy to mark
the IPU’s 135th anniversary on 30 June 2024, the International Day of Parliamentarism.
Dr. T. Ackson declared the 148th IPU Assembly closed and the IPU anthem was played.
213th session of the Governing Council
1.
Report of the IPU President
The Governing Council took note of the report of the IPU President on her first five months in office and
expressed its appreciation for her achievements in this short time. It also concurred with the Executive
Committee that it was the collective responsibility of the global parliamentary community to create a
platform for dialogue between the Parliaments of Israel and Palestine with a view to finding solutions to
the ongoing crisis.
2.
Report of the Secretary General
The Secretary General presented the
Impact Report 2023
covering the IPU’s activities in the second
year of implementation of its 2022-2026 Strategy. He highlighted numerous areas of impact across the
Organization’s five strategic objectives and the 2023 priority theme of climate change.
3.
Financial results for 2023
The Financial Report and Audited Financial Statements for 2023 were introduced by Mr. A.R. Al Nuaimi
(United Arab Emirates), Chair of the Sub-Committee on Finance. He reported that the 2023 accounts
showed a healthy financial situation with an operating surplus of CHF 157,000 at year end. The surplus
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had been added to the IPU Working Capital Fund, which was now at 91% of its target level.
Expenditures were within budget for each of the Strategic Objectives and the income from the IPU’s
investments had improved thanks to the favourable market conditions in 2023.
Mr. Al Nuaimi welcomed the strong results yielded by the Secretary General’s efforts to mobilize
voluntary funds. This demonstrated that the IPU was recognized by donors as a reliable partner. He
also noted that the amount of arrears in Member Parliament contributions had been increasing steadily
in recent years. One main reason for this was the situation of the Parliament of the Bolivarian Republic
of Venezuela, whose arrears rose every year and now stood at CHF 662,000. He encouraged the
governing bodies to decide how to address this exceptional situation. He also encouraged all Member
Parliaments to work with their geopolitical groups to try to reduce the list of other Member Parliaments in
arrears.
The Internal Auditor, Mr. H. Carneiro (Portugal), presented his report. He conveyed his opinion that the
financial statements presented by the IPU accurately reflected its financial position as of
31 December 2023 and its financial performance throughout the year 2023, and complied fully with the
International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). The new External Auditor, the Audit Board of
the Republic of Indonesia, had expressed a positive opinion on the Financial Statements with no
reservations, confirming that all previous audit recommendations had now been implemented. Three
new recommendations had been made relating to the IPU Pension Fund assets, the categorization of
certain travel costs and the collection of arrears in Member Parliament contributions, all of which the
IPU Secretariat had accepted and was in the process of implementing. Mr. Carneiro highlighted that the
Governing Council should consider applying all the mechanisms at its disposal to address the build-up
of arrears, including suspending the rights of those Member Parliaments who failed to meet their
obligations, and detailing the reasons for its decisions taken on each Member Parliament in arrears. He
also advised the IPU to make provisions over the coming years to compensate for the Pension Fund’s
reduction in assets, using the IPU’s accumulated reserves.
Mr. Carneiro concluded that the financial management of the IPU had a strong foundation based on
internal controls and its financial position was healthy. He recommended that the Governing Council
approve the Secretary General’s financial administration of the IPU and the financial results for 2023.
There were interventions from the floor congratulating the Sub-Committee on Finance and the
Secretariat team for their work, seeking information on staffing and thanking the Indonesian Audit Board
for the excellent audit report prepared under its new mandate.
The Governing Council approved the Secretary General’s financial administration of the IPU and the
financial results for 2023.
4.
Financial situation of the IPU
The Governing Council received a report on the financial situation of the IPU as at 31 January 2024 and
an updated list of unpaid assessed contributions. Reporting on behalf of the Executive Committee,
Mr. Al Nuaimi noted that, as it was still early in the year, the situation was similar to the end of 2023.
The Organization’s budget performance was on track for the year so far. Investment markets had
continued to perform well at the beginning of the year and the IPU’s finances remained healthy and
stable. The list of Members in arrears had reduced slightly but was still in need of close attention
in 2024.
The Secretary General updated the Governing Council on the mobilization of voluntary funding. The
IPU’s work continued to be supported by grants from a range of parliaments, governments, agencies
and foundations across Bangladesh, Benin, Canada, China, Ireland, Micronesia (Federated States of),
Qatar, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, the European Union and the United Nations family.
5.
Questions relating to membership and observer status
The Governing Council took note of ongoing efforts by the Secretariat and existing Member Parliaments
to reach universal membership.
The Governing Council took note of the participation in the Assembly of a high-level delegation from
Jamaica and expressed its hope that this Parliament would once again become a Member of the IPU in
the near future.
The Governing Council also took note of ongoing discussions on the potential admission of Belize to the
IPU in the not too distant future, and wished those involved every success in further expanding the IPU
membership.
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The Governing Council approved the recommendation of the Executive Committee to admit the
Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPPAL) and the
International Development Law Organization (IDLO) as permanent observers to the IPU and wished
these organizations every success in their cooperation with the IPU.
The Governing Council was apprised of the situation of certain parliaments, organized into four
categories, and adopted a series of recommendations from the Executive Committee.
(a)
Parliaments that are not functioning
The Parliament of
Afghanistan
had been dissolved by the Taliban, resulting in most former
parliamentarians now being in exile in Canada, Türkiye and various European countries. The IPU
governing bodies had taken a political decision not to recognize the Taliban regime. Instead, it had
decided to allow the dissolved parliament to continue to participate in the work of the IPU in a non-
voting observer capacity. Since then, the Parliament had regularly been represented at IPU Assemblies.
Several IPU bodies, notably the Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian Law and
the Executive Committee, had been closely following the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. The
Governing Council decided to maintain its decision to allow Afghanistan to participate in IPU meetings in
a non-voting and non-elective capacity.
The Parliament of
Guinea-Bissau
had been dissolved by the President in violation of the constitutional
provisions that forbade dissolution of the Parliament within 12 months of an election. Parliamentarians
had been banned from accessing parliamentary property or resources and the Speaker had written to
the IPU President to seek assistance. As a gesture of solidarity, the Secretary General had invited the
Speaker of the dissolved Parliament to Geneva to explore how the IPU could offer its support. The
Governing Council decided to continue to show solidarity with the Parliament of Guinea-Bissau,
recommended continued engagement with its Speaker and asked to be kept informed of the outcome of
those discussions.
In
Haiti,
no parliament was functioning, and the country was effectively in the hands of gangs, with no
prospects of elections being organized in the near future. The Prime Minister had left the country and
had no plans to return due to threats to his life from the warlords and gangs in charge. The Governing
Council recommended that the IPU continue to monitor the situation and support every effort towards a
return to constitutional order.
The situation in
Myanmar
was similar to Afghanistan. The military had taken power and did not
recognize the results of the democratic elections held in 2020. In its previous decision on this case, the
Governing Council had decided to recognize the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, which is
a legislative body made up of parliamentarians, many of them now living abroad, and invite it to attend
the IPU’s meetings to represent Myanmar in a non-voting observer capacity. The Governing Council
decided to maintain that decision.
In
Niger,
there had been no functioning parliament since the dissolution of the democratically elected
legislature by the military. During the 147th IPU Assembly in Luanda, the Prime Minister of Niger
informed the Secretary General that the transitional authorities were working on the establishment of a
Consultative Council of the Transition, which would serve as the legislative branch during the transition.
The Prime Minister had said that he would update the Secretary General as soon as possible on the
arrangements related to that planned body. Upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee, the
Governing Council decided to invite the IPU to continue monitoring the situation in Niger and provide
assistance with a view to a return to constitutional order.
In
Sudan,
there had been no functioning parliament since the military coup in 2019. Several plans had
been made for the organization of elections, but none had been followed through. In 2021, the IPU had
decided to suspend the affiliation Sudan. A civil war had broken out in the country in 2023 and was still
raging. In light of this, there were no prospects for elections in the near future and the Governing
Council therefore decided to maintain the decision it had taken in 2021.
(b)
Transitional parliaments
This category comprised
Burkina Faso, Chad, Gabon, Guinea, Libya, Mali
and
South Sudan.
The IPU had been engaging with the Transitional Legislative Assembly of
Burkina Faso.
The Secretary
General had visited Burkina Faso in May 2023, to collect first-hand information and consult with the
authorities on how the IPU could support a rapid return to normality. The organization of elections to
end the transition was on hold as terrorists were currently occupying more than 40% of the territory of
the country.
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Mali
was experiencing similar security issues and the military had taken power with a view to
addressing the situation. A national transition process was ongoing and a transitional parliament was in
place. In light of this, the IPU governing bodies had decided to retain the membership of Mali and
recommended that the IPU Secretary General support efforts towards a return to constitutional order.
Pursuant to that mandate, the Secretary General had visited the country in May 2023, and had met the
various stakeholders involved in the transition. The authorities maintained that elections would still be
held in 2024.
Like Burkina Faso and Mali, a transition period was ongoing in
Guinea,
with a Transitional National
Council in place. The IPU governing bodies had decided to retain the membership of Guinea, and had
mandated the Secretary General to engage and consult with the transitional authorities on how the IPU
could successfully support the ongoing process to a rapid return of constitutional order. The Secretary
General had visited Guinea during his West African tour in May 2023, when he had attended the launch
of the constitutional policy debate intended to gather the views of the population on the draft
constitution. A referendum on this draft was planned to take place no later than December 2024.
In
Chad,
a Transitional National Council was in place following the undemocratic change of the head of
State, now the son of the late President Idriss Déby. The IPU was providing assistance to the
transitional body pursuant to the decision of the governing bodies to retain the membership of Chad.
A presidential election is due to take place in May 2024, followed by legislative elections.
In
Gabon,
in August 2023, the military had overthrown the supposed winner of the presidential election,
Mr. Ali Bongo. The military authorities had begun a transitional process, implementing the related
mechanisms including a transitional parliament. In light of this, the IPU governing bodies had decided to
retain the membership of Gabon and recommended engagement with the transitional parliament to
provide support. The Secretary General had visited Gabon in early 2024 where he had met with all the
transitional authorities, including the Head of State, Mr. Oligui Nguema. In an inclusive approach, he
had also paid a visit to former President Ali Bongo. The transitional process was proceeding well and a
national dialogue on the next steps would take place from 2 to 30 April 2024.
In the case of
Libya,
the IPU had recognized the Parliament elected in 2014, based at the time in
Tobruk and now located in Benghazi. One of the core missions of that Parliament had been to pave the
way for elections, which had not yet taken place because of disagreements among the different actors
involved. However, according to a recent update, an agreement had been reached between that
Parliament and the executive authority based in Tripoli to organize elections in the near future when
certain conditions had been met.
South Sudan
was also engaged in a transitional process with a transitional parliament sworn in in
2021. However, the process had been extended to February 2025, affecting the organization of the
election due to take place in December 2024.
For the seven transitional parliaments listed above,
the Governing Council recommended that the
IPU keep monitoring the situation, provide assistance where required with the drafting of new
constitutions and legislative frameworks in those countries, and keep the governing bodies informed of
progress.
Following up on this recommendation, during the Assembly, the Secretary General held a meeting with
the heads of the delegations of Burkina Faso, Chad, Gabon, Guinea and Mali, as well as Guinea-
Bissau, to discuss the way forward in terms of IPU support to their respective transitional processes.
The heads of delegations reiterated their gratitude to the IPU, which was among the rare organizations
that not only understood their situation but had also suggested well-designed support for their return to
normality. As a follow-up to this meeting, a regional workshop will be organized in Geneva to harmonize
IPU support for those countries and to pool and share experience. The Geneva workshop will be
followed by national follow-up activities during which specific issues will be addressed.
(c)
Countries where the political situation is impacting the functioning of parliament
The Governing Council received an update on the case of the
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
While the IPU did not recognize either the parliament elected in 2015 or the one elected in 2020, the
governing bodies had agreed to welcome a delegation from Venezuela to the IPU’s statutory
Assemblies provided that it was composed of representatives of these two parliaments. As per the
mandate given to him by the governing bodies to help normalize the situation of Venezuela, the
Secretary General had invited representatives of the 2020 parliament to Geneva for a consultation in
January 2024, as the 2015 parliament had effectively ceased to exist. The representatives had also
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participated in a hearing with the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians on the case of
the Venezuelan parliamentarians before that Committee. Though there were signs of normalization of
relations between President Maduro’s regime and the opposition – in light of the agreement reached in
Barbados – recent developments indicated that a number of challenges remained to be addressed such
as the request from the regime for the closure of the OHCHR office in Caracas, and the banning of a
senior political opposition leader from running in the presidential election in July 2024. Noting that the
situation in Venezuela remained challenging, the Governing Council supported the recommendation of
the Executive Committee to defer any decision on Venezuela to its next session, when it would receive
an update on the outcome of the July 2024 presidential elections.
In
Palestine,
the elections foreseen since 2010 had still not taken place and the current situation in the
region did not offer better prospects. The Governing Council approved the recommendation of the
Executive Committee to take note of the lack of progress and express the hope that the long-delayed
elections would take place in the very near future.
Yemen
remained a fully fledged Member Parliament that participated regularly in IPU activities. An
agreement was in place to support the Secretariat of the Parliament, but it had not yet been
implemented due to the ongoing war in the country. The Governing Council approved the
recommendation of the Executive Committee to take note of that situation.
(d)
Countries where the political situation constitutes a potential threat to parliament’s
capacity to function
This category comprised
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eswatini, Peru
and the
Syrian Arab Republic.
The Governing Council approved the recommendation of the Executive Committee to invite the
Secretariat to continue to monitor those situations and provide regular updates.
The Governing Council took note of the Executive Committee’s proposal that
Eswatini
and
Peru
be
removed from the list if the recent developments in the countries continued on a positive track.
6.
IPU priority theme for 2024
The Secretary General introduced the priority theme for 2024, peace and security, and the numerous
initiatives and activities under way and planned on this theme throughout the year.
The Secretary General said that the annual Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations in New York in
February 2024 had focused on the role of parliaments in ending conflicts and promoting a more human-
centred approach to peacebuilding. The theme of the 148th IPU Assembly was also directly linked to
the priority theme, with parliamentary diplomacy taking centre stage, as well as the negotiation of the
resolution on
Addressing the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous weapon systems and
artificial intelligence.
At a more programmatic level, the IPU was stepping up its efforts to support
transitional parliaments in countries emerging from political instability as well as initiatives to promote
peaceful coexistence through interfaith dialogue and parliamentary action to counter terrorism and
violent extremism.
On 30 June 2024 – the IPU’s 135th anniversary and International Day of Parliamentarism – the IPU
would be encouraging Member Parliaments to celebrate the milestone with a particular focus on peace
and security.
Finally, the Cremer-Passy Prize for 2024 would be awarded to a parliamentarian or group of
parliamentarians with an exceptional record on peace and security, in line with the umbrella theme of
the year.
7.
Regional offices of the IPU
The Governing Council was briefed on the progress made with the establishment of IPU regional offices
in Uruguay and Egypt.
In Uruguay, the Host Agreement between the IPU Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had
been officially ratified by law on 25 November 2023. Collaborative efforts between the Secretariat and
the Parliament of Uruguay were ongoing to conclude an operational agreement, which would outline the
operational and budgetary aspects of the Regional Office.
Regarding the establishment of the Regional Office in Egypt, discussions had taken place on the Host
Agreement and financial arrangements. The IPU Secretariat had received amendments and feedback
on the proposed template, signalling progress in negotiations.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – 213th session of the Governing Council
8.
Future inter-parliamentary meetings
The Governing Council approved the list of future inter-parliamentary meetings as recommended by the
Executive Committee.
In addition, the Governing Council approved two recommendations of the Executive Committee on this
subject:
•
•
that a global meeting for women parliamentarians be held on an annual basis with the first such
meeting taking place in Mexico in February 2025, subject to the identification of funding;
to continue the practice of holding a meeting of the Executive Committee between the
two Assemblies each year, to be hosted by the parliament of one of the members of the
Executive Committee, upon their invitation.
9.
Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament
The Governing Council endorsed the composition of the Preparatory Committee for the Sixth World
Conference of Speakers of Parliament (see
page 62),
comprising 16 Speakers of Parliament from
across the six geopolitical groups; two members of the Executive Committee; the President of the
Bureau of Women Parliamentarians, the President of the Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians
and the President of the Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs, all serving in an ex officio
capacity; the President of the National Council of Switzerland, as the Host Parliament; and the Chef de
Cabinet of the United Nations Secretary-General, serving as the latter’s representative. The Preparatory
Committee will hold its first meeting on 16 and 17 May 2024 in Geneva. The Conference itself is
tentatively scheduled for late July or early August 2025.
10.
Reports of committees and other bodies
The Governing Council approved the recommendations contained in the reports on the activities of the
Forum of Women Parliamentarians,
the
Forum of Young Parliamentarians,
the
Committee on the
Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CHRP),
the
Committee on Middle East Questions,
the
Committee to
Promote Respect for International Humanitarian Law,
the
Group of Facilitators for Cyprus,
the
Task
Force on the peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine,
the
High-Level Advisory Group on Countering
Terrorism and Violent Extremism (HLAG),
the
Working Group on Science and Technology,
the
Gender
Partnership Group
and the
Advisory Group on Health.
The Council endorsed the new appointments to
those bodies (see
page 33).
The Governing Council adopted decisions concerning 268 parliamentarians in 14 countries submitted
by the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians.
11.
Election of IPU Vice-Presidents
The Governing Council endorsed the election of the following members of the Executive Committee as
IPU Vice-Presidents: Mr. A. Kharchi for the African Group, Mr. A.R. Al Nuaimi for the Arab Group,
Ms. A. Sarangi for the Asia-Pacific Group, Ms. S. Mikayilova for the Eurasia Group, Ms. B. Argimón for
the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean, and Ms. D. Avgerinopoulou for the Twelve Plus Group.
12.
Cremer-Passy Prize 2024
The Cremer-Passy Prize, named after the IPU’s founders, William Randall Cremer and Frédéric Passy,
will be awarded for the third time in 2024.
The Prize is open to sitting parliamentarians who make an outstanding contribution to the defence and
promotion of the IPU’s objectives, as well as those “who contribute to a more united, peaceful,
sustainable and equitable world”.
Nominations for the 2024 edition should be submitted through the IPU’s six geopolitical groups, each of
which will select one candidate from their region with a second nomination as an alternate.
In 2024, in line with the overall theme of the year, the winning parliamentarian or group of
parliamentarians should have an exceptional record when it comes to peace and security.
The Prize will be awarded, upon the decision of the Prize Selection Board, at the second IPU Assembly
of the year in October 2024.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – 292nd session of the Executive Committee
292nd session of the Executive Committee
1.
Report of the IPU President
The Executive Committee heard the report of the IPU President on her activities since her election at
the 147th IPU Assembly in Luanda. All of those activities had revolved around the following three key
objectives: reinforcing peace and security, reinforcing the IPU’s visibility and supporting the
implementation of the IPU Strategy.
On peace and security, inspired by her mission to the Middle East at the start of her mandate, she
highlighted the need for greater efforts to bring back peace in the region. While commending the
Committee on Middle East Questions on its overall efforts, the Executive Committee encouraged it to
continue its work on the issue and pursue concrete actions, including a field visit that would allow the
collection of first-hand information.
The President had used the opportunity of her participation in various meetings to promote the IPU’s
visibility. Regarding the implementation of the IPU’s Strategy, the President stressed the need to
redouble efforts in favour of further inclusion of women in the decision-making process as progress
made on that front had been slow.
2.
Report of the Secretary General
The Secretary General presented the
Impact Report 2023
covering the IPU’s activities in the second
year of implementation of its 2022-2026 Strategy. He highlighted numerous areas of impact across the
Organization’s five strategic objectives and the 2023 priority theme of climate change.
3.
Sub-Committee on Finance
The Chair of the Sub-Committee on Finance, Mr. A.R. Al Nuaimi (United Arab Emirates) informed the
Executive Committee of the work of the Sub-Committee on Finance, which had met to discuss the
financial questions ahead of this session of the Executive Committee.
The Sub-Committee had examined the financial statements for 2023 and the External Auditor’s report.
The External Auditor had issued a positive audit opinion and confirmed the accuracy of the financial
statements. The IPU’s Internal Auditor for 2023 (Mr. H. Carneiro, Portugal) had held a meeting with the
new External Auditor, the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia, to formally discuss the report.
Three new audit recommendations had been issued and all previous recommendations had been
implemented in full.
The Sub-Committee had taken note of certain aspects of the 2023 accounts that were also highlighted
to the Executive Committee. Investment performance had recovered during 2023 and yielded a positive
return. The situation of arrears in Member Parliament contributions had however been increasing
steadily over recent years despite regular follow-up efforts by the Secretariat. The Sub-Committee on
Finance encouraged the governing bodies to decide how to address this exceptional situation. The
Chair of the Sub-Committee also took note of the situation of the IPU’s closed Pension Fund whose
assets were diminishing and would need to be replenished by 2026, should the pension liability not
reduce at a similar rate. In this event, the IPU held sufficient reserves to cover the pension liability.
The Sub-Committee had also reviewed the financial situation of the IPU at 31 January 2024. The
Organization’s budget performance was on track for the year so far and the IPU’s finances were healthy
and stable.
The Executive Committee received and reviewed the Secretary General’s usual update on the
mobilization of voluntary funding. The Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates had been
the latest to announce a donation, of US$ 1 million, to the IPU. The situation of voluntary funding was
promising thanks to successful fundraising efforts by the Secretary General and his team.
The Chair of the Sub-Committee on Finance thanked the IPU Secretariat team for its excellent work.
4.
Questions relating to membership and observer status
The Executive Committee was informed that no official requests had been received for affiliation or
re-affiliation. It also received an update on ongoing efforts to achieve universal membership, for which
the Chair of GRULAC and the Speaker of the National Assembly of Guyana were providing particularly
strong support in encouraging Caribbean non-Members to join the IPU. In this regard, and as a result of
this support, the Executive Committee was informed of the participation in the Assembly of a high-level
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – 292nd session of the Executive Committee
delegation from Jamaica which was exploring the possibility of rejoining the IPU. The Executive
Committee took note of that encouraging news and expressed its support to the Secretary General for
the discussions he would have with the Jamaican delegation.
By the same token, the Executive Committee took note of the update on discussions with the
Parliament of Belize about possible admission as an IPU Member. Concurring with the Secretary
General, the Executive Committee expressed the hope that Belize would join the IPU in the near future.
Still in the spirit of universality, the Executive Committee decided to discuss further at a later date the
question of how to deal with Member Parliaments from small developing countries facing financial
difficulties that may not be in a position to pay their contribution to the IPU, and hence were likely to be
sanctioned for non-payment.
The Executive Committee received an update on the ongoing discussions with the International
Parliamentarians Congress (IPC) about establishing a memorandum of understanding with the IPU to
start working on common areas of interest as per the recommendation made during the Committee’s
291st session. The Secretaries General of the IPU and of the IPC would meet to discuss the matter
during the Assembly.
Following up on the request, first tabled at the Committee’s session in Luanda in October 2023, for
observer status from the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean
(COPPPAL), which had now provided additional information on the global scale of its activities, the
Executive Committee recommended that the Governing Council approve the admission of COPPPAL as
an observer.
In the same vein, the Executive Committee agreed to recommend to the Governing Council that the
International Development Law Organization (IDLO) also be admitted as an observer.
5.
Working Group on amendments to the IPU Statutes and Rules
The Working Group on amendments to the IPU Statutes and Rules held its first meeting on
26 March 2024, with six of the eight members in attendance. The members elected Ms. N.B.K. Mutti
(Zambia) as Chair. Following introductory remarks from the IPU President, the Working Group began its
consideration of the proposed amendments submitted by the geopolitical groups and individual Member
Parliaments before the deadline of 30 November 2023. The Working Group will continue to meet
regularly online in the weeks after the Assembly to determine an agreed package of amendments to
submit to the Executive Committee at its session in June 2024. If approved, this package will be
submitted to the full membership by the statutory deadline of three months before the Assembly for
potential adoption at the 149th Assembly in October 2024.
6.
IPU Communications Strategy
As the 2022-2026 Communications Strategy was reaching its halfway point, the Director of
Communications gave a brief progress update to the Executive Committee on what was working well
and what needed more discussion.
The Communications Strategy was adopted in 2022 to drive and support the overall IPU Strategy over
its five-year period, and was primarily targeted at the 46,000 MPs in the world.
The Strategy’s main objective remained to position the IPU as the global resource for, about and
between parliaments. The Strategy had been designed to be an overall framework with built-in flexibility
allowing for course corrections and agile responses to new opportunities.
Overall, most indicators were on track, showing increasing visibility, engagement with MPs and growth
on most IPU channels.
This was particularly true in terms of video content – for example the video testimonials for the IPU’s
climate campaign
Parliaments for the Planet
had reached over 150,000 views. Subscriptions to the IPU
newsletter were up 51%, the MP database had reached 25,000 names, media coverage was up 10% on
last year and social media channels were seeing big growth in followers and engagement.
Areas that needed discussion included institutional communications.
Against a backdrop of escalating geopolitical tensions, with the Ukraine war entering its third year and a
catastrophic humanitarian situation unfolding in Gaza, the IPU’s institutional communications needed to
navigate an increasingly polarized world with many differences in opinion.
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To be credible and represent its membership of 180 parliaments, the institution needed to speak with a
unified voice, especially with regard to official statements.
The Director also illustrated the agility of the Strategy in terms of content. In 2022, there was little talk of
artificial intelligence, whereas it was now a hot topic. As such, the IPU communications team had
recently produced interviews and articles on the impact of artificial intelligence on parliaments and
parliamentarians, as well as providing support for webinars on the subject, with a view to joining the
global conversation and remaining relevant.
In conclusion, the IPU Communications Strategy was generally succeeding but continued to depend on
the support of IPU Members to amplify and ensure the IPU’s voice was heard more clearly, both at the
national level and globally.
7.
8.
Questions relating to the IPU Secretariat
Election of IPU Vice-Presidents
The Executive Committee was briefed on staff movements in the IPU Secretariat.
The Executive Committee elected from among its members the following as the Vice-Presidents of the
IPU: Mr. A.R. Al Nuaimi for the Arab Group, Mr. A. Kharchi for the African Group, Ms. A. Sarangi for the
Asia-Pacific Group, Ms. S. Mikayilova for the Eurasia Group, Ms. B. Argimon for the Group of Latin
America and the Caribbean, and Ms. D. Avgerinopoulou for the Twelve Plus Group. It recommended to
submit these elections to the Governing Council for its approval.
Subsidiary bodies of the Governing Council
1.
Forum and Bureau of Women Parliamentarians
The 37th session of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians was held on 23 March 2024. It brought
together 262 participants, including 141 parliamentarians (129 women and 12 men) from 91 countries.
The First Vice-President of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians, Ms. F. Ilimi Haddouche (Algeria),
chaired the session in the absence of the President of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians,
Ms. C. López Castro (Mexico).
In order to contribute to the work of the Assembly, the participants examined, from a gender
perspective, the draft resolution of the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security on
Addressing the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous weapon systems and artificial
intelligence.
The Forum then proposed to the Standing Committee two amendments to the draft
resolution which were included in the resolution.
The Forum also organized a panel discussion on
Women peacebuilders advancing sustainable peace,
during which participants highlighted that to achieve sustainable peace, women must participate on an
equal footing in peace processes, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and security efforts. Without the
inclusion of women in post-conflict reconstruction processes, there will also be no justice or full
reparations. Participants called for women peacebuilders to be present at the negotiating table and
participate in decision-making processes on peace and security. By working with parliamentarians,
women peacebuilders can also more effectively inform and influence better policies to implement the
women, peace and security agenda.
The Bureau of Women Parliamentarians held meetings on 23 and 27 March 2024. The meeting of
23 March was dedicated to the preparation of the 37th session of the Forum, and the meeting of
27 March took stock of the expected results of the 148th Assembly from a gender perspective and
planned the Forum’s future work. See full report on
page 64.
2.
Forum and Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians
The Forum of Young Parliamentarians was held on 24 March 2024 and brought together 70 young MPs,
41% of whom were women. The meeting was presided over by Mr. D. Carden (United Kingdom), the
President of the Board of the Forum.
In their opening remarks, the IPU President and Secretary General reaffirmed the IPU’s commitment to
elevate youth voices and continue to aim higher in increasing the participation of young MPs at the IPU.
The UN Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, Dr. F. Paullier was also warmly welcomed and
participated throughout the meeting.
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The Forum’s young MPs provided updates on recent developments in their countries. They also
contributed youth perspectives to the topics before the current IPU Assembly and held a Q&A session
on pledge 2 of the
I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament!
campaign, on aligning the age of eligibility for office
with the voting age.
The Forum appointed a member of the Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians ,
Mr. F. Fakafanua, Speaker of the Parliament of Tonga, to prepare a youth overview report on the
proposed resolution
The impact of artificial intelligence on democracy, human rights and the rule of law,
which will be examined at the 149th IPU Assembly in October 2024.
At its meeting earlier that day, the Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians took stock of their
achievements in the first year of their mandate. Looking ahead to their second year, they agreed to
redouble efforts to have younger MPs at IPU Assemblies, including through a proposed amendment to
the IPU Rules and Statutes to lower the age below which MPs are classified as “young” from 45 to 40.
See full report on
page 65.
3.
Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians
The Committee held its 174th session from 22 to 26 March 2024. Ms. M.G. Odhiambo (Kenya),
President, Ms. L. Quartapelle (Italy), Ms. A. Reynoso (Mexico), Ms. L. Fehlmann Rielle (Switzerland),
Ms. C. Asiaín Pereira (Uruguay) and Mr. H. Kamboni (Zambia) participated in the session.
Mr. B. Mbuku
Laka (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
also participated in the session remotely. Mr. S. Cogolati
(Belgium), and Mr. E. Blanc (France) were unable to take part in the session.
During the session, the Committee examined the situation of 350 parliamentarians (34% of whom are
women) in 19 countries. New cases concerning 26 parliamentarians were declared admissible in
Guinea-Bissau (4 MPs), India (1 MP), Madagascar (1 MP), Somalia (1 MP), Türkiye (1 MP) and
Zimbabwe (18 MPs). One case, concerning a parliamentarian from Israel was declared inadmissible
and one case concerning a parliamentarian from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was closed. The
Committee also held eight hearings (one of which took place online) with national delegations and
complainants.
The Committee submitted decisions to the Governing Council for adoption on the situation of
268 parliamentarians in the following countries:
Bangladesh, Egypt, Eswatini, Guinea-Bissau, Israel,
Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Somalia, Türkiye, Venezuela (Bolivarian
Republic of) and Zimbabwe. See the document detailing the
decisions adopted.
4.
Committee on Middle East Questions
Since the 147th IPU Assembly in Luanda in October 2023, the Committee on Middle East Questions
has convened three times, on 5 February, 24 March and 26 March 2024, with consistent attendance.
Serving as a unique global forum with representatives from Israel and Palestine, the Committee plays a
prominent role in encouraging dialogue, underscoring its significance in the current crisis and the pursuit
of peace.
During the 5 February 2024 meeting, the IPU President commended members for their attention to
Middle East issues, stressing the need for consensus within the Committee and the IPU towards the
shared objective of Middle East peace. Discussions highlighted the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza,
including widespread destruction, impending famine and limited healthcare services. Committee
members emphasized the urgency of inclusive negotiations to address these challenges.
Committee members expressed a strong desire to visit the region to assess the situation first-hand,
engage with relevant stakeholders and contribute to tangible peacebuilding efforts. Both Israeli and
Palestinian representatives welcomed the prospect of such a mission.
During its sessions on 5 February and 26 March 2024, the Committee heard from a representative of
the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on
recent developments in Gaza and the West Bank, including allegations against UNRWA staff. UNRWA
assured full cooperation with investigations but expressed concern over funding suspensions, which
jeopardized aid delivery to millions in Gaza and neighbouring regions. Committee members urged
countries to reconsider funding decisions, emphasizing UNRWA's critical role in providing stability and
humanitarian aid.
The Committee discussed the inability of IPU Member Parliaments to adopt an emergency item
resolution on Gaza for the second time. It was emphasized that the resolution proposed by Denmark
and the resolution proposed by South Africa shared the key principles of an immediate ceasefire,
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hostage release, humanitarian access, and adherence to international law. Differences persisted
regarding the treatment of Palestinian detainees, reflecting broader challenges in achieving consensus
within the global parliamentary community. See full report on
page 67.
5.
Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian Law
The Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL) met on 26 March 2024.
The Committee heard an update on recent developments with regard to specific areas of humanitarian
concern. It paid particular attention to three situations: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC) and Sudan.
The Committee called on IPU Members to promote efforts towards the resettlement of Afghan
parliamentarians and parliamentary staff currently at risk – an example of parliamentary solidarity in
action. It also agreed to continue shedding light on the situation of refugees and internally displaced
persons, especially in the DRC, and called on all IPU members to draw attention to these situations in
their parliaments and consider providing support to humanitarian organizations working in crisis
situations, such as in Sudan. It also decided to include the situation of the Al-Hawl refugee camp in the
Syrian Arab Republic on the agenda of the Committee’s next session in October 2024.
The Committee also turned its attention to several key IHL, human rights and other international legal
frameworks which need to be universalized and more strongly implemented. These are the 1949
Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and the
1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons. It called on IPU Member Parliaments to
look at their country’s ratification status with regard to these instruments, and open discussions in their
parliaments, explore the reasons why they are not yet parties, and consider accession. It also invited
IPU Members to review their national legal frameworks in place and assess whether these frameworks
need to be revised or strengthened for enhanced implementation. The Committee invited all IPU
Members to speak out against anti-personnel mines, statelessness and non-respect for IHL.
The Committee also agreed to hold its open session at the next IPU Assembly in October 2024 on the
topic of disability and armed conflict, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban
Convention. See full report on
page 68.
6.
Group of Facilitators for Cyprus
The Group of Facilitators for Cyprus met on 23 March 2024. The meeting was attended by
one Facilitator, Mr.
L. Wehrli (Switzerland),
three members of the House of Representatives of the
Republic of Cyprus and three representatives of the Turkish-Cypriot political parties.
The parties reaffirmed their commitment to reach a solution to the Cyprus problem, on the basis of a
bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, according to the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the
European Union values and principles.
The parties expressed the hope that the recently appointed Personal Envoy of the UN
Secretary-General on Cyprus will contribute towards breaking the present stalemate and the resumption
of negotiations with a view to reaching a sustainable solution as soon as possible, to the benefit of
present and future generations. They underscored the need for confidence-building measures, as well
as the importance of including women in peacebuilding talks.
The parties also exchanged views on ways to better promote joint endeavours in addressing
climate-related issues and in managing emergency situations. In turn, the IPU reiterated its willingness
to provide further assistance related to the much-needed confidence-building measures.
7.
Task Force on the peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine
On 25 March 2024, the Task Force met for the twelfth time. The Task Force reiterated its commitment
to pursuing parliamentary diplomacy and focusing on small steps that could eventually lead to dialogue
and better understanding between the parties, as well as possible humanitarian outcomes beneficial to
their civilian populations.
Five topics had been selected for discussion in previous meetings: nuclear safety, food security, access
to and exchange of prisoners of war, protection of environmentally vulnerable sites, and the situation of
conflict-affected children. The Task Force proposed to focus on engagement with the Ukrainian and
Russian delegations on the last of these. More specifically, the Task Force sought to explore ways to
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promote family reunification for displaced children who found themselves stranded across the Russian-
Ukrainian border or along the lines of military control in the conflict zone without their parents or legal
guardians.
Attending the meeting in separate hearings, the delegations from both Ukraine and the Russian
Federation welcomed the work of the Task Force and agreed to deepen cooperation with the IPU on the
issue of conflict-displaced children, share further information as requested, and work to develop more
concrete and structured procedures to support family reunifications. Two years after its first field visit to
Ukraine and the Russian Federation, the Task Force also discussed the possibility of conducting a
second mission to Kyiv and Moscow, a proposal which was welcomed by both parties. See full report
on
page 63.
8.
High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism
On 23 March 2024, the High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism
(HLAG) held its sixteenth meeting. The IPU Secretary General emphasized the HLAG's crucial role in
addressing terrorism, particularly in the Sahel region. The Group elected Mr. M. Karlsson from Sweden
as Chairperson and Ms. M. Guerra Castillo from Mexico as Vice-Chairperson. The discussions mainly
focused on the implementation of the outcomes from the Second Global Parliamentary Summit on
Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism, particularly the creation of an ad-hoc mechanism within
the HLAG. This ad-hoc group will consist of five members of the HLAG as facilitators, and will be
responsible for working on the five priority areas of communities, security, environment, development
and education, and for overseeing initiatives in the region.
The Group also highlighted other outcomes of the Summit, including the need to focus on fostering
development and economic growth to create opportunities for youth employment in the Sahel. Noting
the abundant natural resources in these countries, they agreed to promote investment to support
development efforts in the Sahel. The Group was provided with updates from several countries
concerning the funding of the IPU programme on counter-terrorism and prevention of violent extremism
(CTPVE); some countries will renew cooperation agreements with the IPU, and others will be new
Programme funders. Members were also urged to collaborate with the IPU Secretariat to seek funds for
the CTPVE programme.
The members raised objections to a proposal from the Qatari-UNOCT parliamentary group (the
Programme Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism) to host a
conference in Mexico City with the Forum of Women Parliamentarians on the role of women in
counter-terrorism. The objections were based on a lack of consultation with the HLAG and the
interference of the Qatari-UNOCT parliamentary group in the work that the IPU carries out as the global
organization of national parliaments, to which the regional parliamentary organizations are also closely
associated. See full report on
page 71.
9.
Working Group on Science and Technology
Two sittings of the Working Group were held, online on 22 January 2024 and in Geneva on
25 March 2024. At least ten members attended each of these meetings in person or virtually.
The Working Group members discussed the progress made with their initiative to produce an IPU
Charter on the Ethics of Science and Technology. The first draft of the Charter was circulated to the IPU
membership during the Assembly with a view to gathering feedback and input.
The Working Group discussed its ongoing projects, including the Science for Peace Schools, the
parliamentary toolkit on the engagement of the scientific community with parliaments, and the survey on
understanding parliamentarians’ use of scientific research, which was launched during the Assembly.
The Working Group asserted its role as a repository of expertise for the IPU to inform its various bodies
and processes on enhancing evidence-based decision making, and expressed its hope to engage more
with the other IPU bodies.
A field visit by the Working Group members to CERN had been scheduled to take place on
26 March 2024. However, due to the decision made by the CERN Council to suspend its cooperation
agreement with the Russian Federation, the CERN team were unable to welcome the Russian member
of the Working Group. The Working Group members therefore collectively agreed to not participate in
the CERN visit, as long as one of their members was excluded.
The members further asserted the view that CERN’s decision in that regard was not aligned with the
IPU’s values and principles of inclusivity, fostering dialogue and cooperation among parliamentarians
from different countries and political backgrounds. See full report on
page 72.
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10.
Gender Partnership Group
The Gender Partnership Group held its 49th session on 26 March 2024. In attendance were the Chair,
Mr. A.R. Al Nuaimi (United Arab Emirates), Ms. N.B.K. Mutti (Zambia), Ms. S. Mikayilova (Azerbaijan)
and Mr. A. Almodóbar (Spain).
As per its mandate, the Group reviewed the state of women’s participation in national parliaments, as
well as in IPU bodies and Assemblies. It examined the composition of delegations at the
148th Assembly. As of 27 March 2024, 35.8% of the delegates at the Assembly were women
(see
page 73),
slightly less than the total at the last Assembly in Luanda (October 2023) and lower than
in Madrid (November 2021) and Nusa Dua (March 2022). In Geneva, 43 delegations out of 142 (30.3%)
were gender-balanced, a slightly lower percentage than at the last Assembly in Luanda. The
43 gender-balanced delegations attending the 148th Assembly are listed in the report on
page 74.
In terms of participation by region, the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean is the regional group
with the highest proportion of women delegates (45% women) followed by the Twelve Plus Group
(42%), the Eurasia Group (38%), the Arab Group (33%), the Asia-Pacific Group (31%) and the African
Group (30%).
Of the 142 delegations present, 132 were composed of at least two delegates, of which only 15 were
all-male (11.4%). In addition, two delegations of two or more delegates were composed entirely of
women. All in all, eight delegations were subject to sanctions at this Assembly. (See report on
page 73.)
The Group was briefed on the first set of measures taken to implement the IPU anti-harassment policy
at IPU Assemblies and other events. Structures and processes had been put in place: IPU focal points
were assigned for the Assembly, an anti-harassment core group had been set up within the Secretariat,
and the email address [email protected] was now operational to receive complaints.
The Group held a dialogue session with a delegation from Sri Lanka to discuss how to improve
women’s participation ahead of the country’s 2026 parliamentary elections. Sri Lanka ranks 176th in the
IPU’s global ranking of women in national parliaments with only 5.3% of seats held by women. After an
exchange on strategies and challenges, the delegation indicated that capacity building to empower
women at the local and national levels would be very useful, as well as the provision of resources for
campaigning and outreach. The IPU’s support in these endeavors would be of great value.
The IPU and its Gender Partnership Group reiterated their support to the Sri Lankan Parliament in its
efforts to facilitate the election of more women.
11.
Advisory Group on Health
The IPU Advisory Group on Health met on 23 March 2024, with five out of nine members in attendance,
as well as technical partners from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Partnership for Maternal,
Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and
UNAIDS. The new memorandum of understanding signed by the IPU and WHO during the Assembly
and a cooperation agreement with PMNCH were presented to the Group.
The Group was briefed by the WHO on the ongoing negotiations on an international instrument on
pandemic preparedness. The discussion highlighted the importance of reaching an agreement and of
engaging stakeholders in the process. The Advisory Group further noted the current challenging
context, with many crises affecting national health systems and limiting countries’ capacities to respond
to emergencies.
The Group discussed the preliminary results of a study looking at parliamentary strategies and practices
to make parliaments more responsive to the health needs of women, children and adolescents. It
recalled its visit to WHO on 22 March 2024 and noted the shrinking political space for addressing sexual
and reproductive health and rights. The Group committed to engaging parliaments and parliamentarians
during IPU Assemblies on key issues affecting gender equality and the right to health.
As the focal point for accountability for implementation of the 2019 IPU resolution on universal health
coverage, the Advisory Group called on its technical partners to provide monitoring tools to better track
progress and gaps in the implementation of universal health coverage at the national level.
Upcoming activities include a series of podcasts to communicate and raise awareness on the Advisory
Group’s priority themes. The Group agreed to work with the WHO to hold an event during the World
Health Assembly in May 2024, and to hold a side event at the 149th IPU Assembly. The organization of
a field visit to Cuba would be further explored. See full report on
page 70.
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Other activities and events
1.
Talks between the Speakers of Armenia and Azerbaijan at IPU headquarters
On 22 March 2024, the IPU hosted high-level delegations from the National Assemblies of Armenia and
Azerbaijan, led by the Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, Mr. A. Simonyan, and the Speaker
of the Azerbaijani National Assembly, Ms. S. Gafarova. The meeting followed a mission to Armenia and
Azerbaijan by the IPU Secretary General in February 2024, which had laid the groundwork for the IPU
to offer its good offices to the two sides to promote dialogue and help pave the way toward normalizing
relations. These discussions marked the first time the National Assemblies had officially met at their
highest levels.
IPU President Dr. T. Ackson and IPU Secretary General Mr. M. Chungong welcomed the delegations to
IPU headquarters and applauded both parties’ willingness to employ parliamentary diplomacy to reduce
tensions, build confidence, and complement governmental peace negotiations. This was followed by a
private tête-à-tête meeting between the Speakers of the National Assemblies and a subsequent debrief
with the IPU Secretary General, in which both sides agreed to continue their dialogue to rebuild trust
and support peace efforts through parliamentary diplomacy under the neutral auspices of the IPU.
2.
Joint meeting with the Chairs of the geopolitical groups and the Presidents of the
Standing Committees
On 23 March 2024, the IPU President and Secretary General met with the Chairs of the geopolitical
groups and the Presidents of the Standing Committees.
The IPU President gave a summary of her main projects and activities since the last Assembly, including
reinforcing peace and security through dialogue and strengthening the IPU’s visibility. She had
conducted a visit to the Middle East (Israel and Palestine) in November 2023, participated in numerous
summits, forums and seminars, and supported the implementation of the IPU Strategy through her work
on the occasion of the high-level segment of COP28, the 2024 Parliamentary Hearing at the United
Nations, and the annual IPU-UN Women Parliamentary Meeting at the 68th session of the Commission
on the Status of Women.
The IPU Secretary General gave an update on progress regarding the implementation of the IPU
Strategy, including new IPU policies to enhance accountability at all levels. He presented an overview of
the annual reporting exercise by Member Parliaments, encouraging the Chairs of the geopolitical groups
to remind their Members scheduled to report in 2024 to participate in the exercise. As the IPU was
marking the 10-year anniversary of its Common Principles for Support to Parliaments, the Secretary
General invited the few remaining Parliaments who had not yet endorsed these principles to do so as
soon as possible. The Secretary General gave a summary of the new
Code of Conduct for IPU
Governance Officials
and the
IPU Policy to prevent and address harassment, including sexual
harassment at IPU Assemblies and other IPU events,
and he encouraged the Chairs of the groups to
raise awareness of these important policies among the broader membership.
The Chairs of the geopolitical groups provided an overview of their recent activities. Mr. A. Kharchi
(Algeria), representing the African Group, reported on his meeting with the IPU Secretary General in
February 2024, which addressed technical cooperation and support for African parliaments. The African
Group, with support from the IPU Secretariat, had subsequently met online in March 2024 in preparation
for the 148th IPU Assembly to discuss, among other things, the proposal of an emergency item.
Mr. B. Boughali (Algeria), Chair of the Arab Group, stated that efforts were being made to translate all
IPU documentation into Arabic and, to that end, requested that documents be sent further in advance.
Ms. S. Carvajal Isunza (Mexico), Chair of the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean, said that she
had been making efforts to bring non-Member Parliaments into the Organization, such as Belize. She
highlighted that the Parliament of Mexico had recently passed a resolution to request that Spanish be
adopted as an official language of the International Court of Justice and requested the IPU’s support for
this initiative. Mr. A. Gryffroy (Belgium), Chair of the Twelve Plus Group, stated that multiple meetings
had been organized within the Group since the last Assembly, including a seminar in Paris on the
Sustainable Development Goals. In preparation for the 148th Assembly, the Group had discussed the
ongoing process of amending the IPU Statutes, the resolutions being considered by the Standing
Committee on Peace and International Security and the Standing Committee on Sustainable
Development, and the potential proposal of an emergency item.
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Mr. W. William (Seychelles), President of the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development,
highlighted that his Committee’s leadership had played an important role in the Parliamentary Meeting
at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) and was preparing for the following COP in
Azerbaijan in November 2024. The Committee was expected to adopt a resolution on affordable green
energy. Mr. D. McGuinty (Canada), President of the Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs,
shared that the Committee had held a virtual meeting in November 2023 to discuss priorities for the
Assembly. He also noted that the United Nations Summit of the Future draft outcome document did not
contain any references to parliamentarism, something that had been flagged to officials from Germany
and Namibia, co-facilitators of the Summit.
In the absence of the President of the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security,
Ms. L. Marzal, Secretary of the Committee, said that the Committee would devote all its time to debating
and drafting a resolution on
Addressing the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous weapon
systems and artificial intelligence,
with a view to adopting it at its final session, and that
200 amendments had been received. In the absence of the President of the Standing Committee on
Democracy and Human Rights, Mr. A. Richardson, Secretary of the Committee, shared that the
Committee would debate an upcoming resolution on
The impact of artificial intelligence on democracy,
human rights and the rule of law.
At the initiative of the resolution’s co-Rapporteurs, the IPU had
organized three online capacity-building workshops on artificial intelligence in January, February and
March 2024 to give parliamentarians an opportunity to get information from leading experts from around
the world.
Lastly, the meeting attendees were invited to consider guiding questions on modalities to enhance
communication and coordination within and between the geopolitical groups and the specialized IPU
bodies and discuss these at their next meeting. Mr. Gryffroy underscored that the geopolitical groups
were not mentioned in the IPU structure and governance organigramme, and brought attention to the
Twelve Plus Group’s proposal to amend the IPU Statutes so that the Chairs of the geopolitical groups
are systematically invited to participate in the discussions of the Executive Committee in an advisory
capacity. It was decided that this matter would be discussed in greater detail at the next joint meeting of
the group Chairs and Standing Committee Presidents.
3.
High-level meeting on
The crisis of multilateralism: Root causes and possible
solutions
On 25 March 2024, the Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs convened a special high-level
meeting on
The crisis of multilateralism: Root causes and possible solutions.
The meeting was designed
to provide input to the preparatory process for the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in
July-August 2025 and perspectives on the Summit of the Future with regard to the goal of reinvigorating
multilateralism.
The President of the Standing Committee, Mr. D. McGuinty (Canada), introduced the topic of the crisis
of multilateralism, identifying the root causes, and emphasizing the role of parliaments in making the
multilateral system more democratic, accountable and effective in delivering for the people. In
considering solutions, he stressed the need to keep the concerns of young people in mind.
The IPU President illustrated the various manifestations of the crisis of multilateralism: the UN’s record
of support being obscured by political impasse, double standards in international law, and the
undermined principle of
one country, one vote
within the UN. She highlighted the weakened state of
democracy and people being left behind by globalization as root causes, resulting in a lack of faith in the
UN’s ability to solve global challenges. She expressed her hope for a multilateral system that could
deliver on the promises of justice, development and peace to restore faith in multilateralism, and
emphasized the role of parliaments, supported by the IPU, in making the multilateral system more
effective and credible through their oversight and legislation functions. Parliaments also needed to be
more representative of the people, especially the most vulnerable, women and youth, so as not to leave
behind those who feel forgotten by the system.
The IPU Secretary General highlighted that, although imperfect, multilateralism cannot be done away
with; instead, the tools and practices need to be tuned to the needs of the world. He recalled the
foundational aspiration of the UN, rooted in the idea of
We the People,
and stressed that this is where
parliaments play a crucial role. He recounted the challenges the IPU still faces in bridging the gap
between the local and the global, particularly the lack of understanding as to why parliaments should be
involved in UN processes. He called on the UN to connect more to the local, and for dialogues at the
international level to reach institutions at the national level. Finally, he stressed the need for more
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intergenerational dialogue to create a more democratic multilateral system that is inclusive of
stakeholders that the UN has historically not incorporated in its decision-making, such as young people,
the scientific community, and civil society organizations.
Ms. T. Valovaya (Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva) elaborated on the roots of the crisis of
multilateralism, noting that the multilateral system, created in 1945 as an answer to the challenges of
World War II, could not be considered fit for the modern world. Modern challenges – mistrust, growing
inequalities, unprecedented geopolitical tensions, and lack of faith in the current system – require a
UN 2.0, as described in the Secretary-General’s
Our Common Agenda
report. In considering how to fine
tune the system, she stressed the need for inclusive multilateralism, in which all countries have an equal
voice and actors, including civil society, non-governmental organizations, academia and the private
sector, have a seat at the table. She stressed the IPU’s crucial role in fostering more inclusivity. As the
voice of the world’s citizens and an institution that has seen the transformation of the multilateral system
over time, the IPU can help turn the UN into an organization that is relevant and fit for the 21st century.
Ms. R. Grynspan (Secretary General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD))
delivered a keynote address, in which she underscored the global system’s inability to keep up with the
rate of technological, geopolitical, economic and ecological changes around the world. She highlighted
the triple deficit in: economic growth for small and medium countries, trust in the multilateral system,
and hope, particularly among young people. She also highlighted opportunities, giving the example of
how regional trade agreements and multilateral development banks can improve countries’ access to
the international financial system. She acknowledged that there is a risk of decentralization in global
decision-making turning into a fragmentation of the multilateral system and warned against the danger
of isolationism. She further reiterated the need to keep the Secretary-General’s proposed reforms in his
Our Common Agenda
report central to discussions on universality and inclusion.
Ms. Grynspan warned that reforms would fail unless supported by parliaments. She identified the IPU
as a vital link in the global governance chain, a bridge between the global and local, with the power to
translate international commitments into actions that make a real difference in the lives of constituents.
She stressed that creating a multilateral system fit for the 21st century would depend on leaders
inspiring hope in societies and revitalizing the idea of a collaborative, inclusive global community
working towards a shared future.
The Speakers in attendance welcomed the discussion on the crisis of multilateralism as an important
and timely one. Delegates from Bahrain, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Malta, Netherlands, Saudi
Arabia, Thailand, Tonga and Zambia made remarks. Their main points are summarized as follows:
●
●
Cooperation is lacking in the multilateral system. Speakers highlighted the need for the system to
strengthen democratic principles and serve as a forum for dialogue focused on shared
responsibility for the global community.
There is a difference between talking and truly listening to each other. Speakers highlighted the
need to promote women’s participation at decision-making levels for more listening to occur.
Speakers also stressed the role of the IPU and parliaments in promoting parliamentary diplomacy
and productive dialogue.
The system founded in 1945 created a hierarchy among Member States that is no longer
applicable today. There is a need for institutional reforms focused on inclusivity and ensuring
countries have an equal voice and can better participate in and benefit from the international
system.
Not all solutions to global problems can be advanced in coalitions of the willing. There was
consensus that revitalizing multilateralism’s universality and the consideration of multiple
viewpoints is required for countries to work towards collective action.
It is necessary to remember the crises the world’s populations are facing. Speakers called for
Member States to look at the local realities of individual countries to understand each other’s
challenges, foster a sense of international solidarity, and create a global system that is a
supportive platform for all.
Parliaments have a role in bridging the global and the local, and holding UN Member States
accountable for their responsibility to make the multilateral system better. Speakers also stressed
the role of parliaments in ensuring institutions are transparent, responsive and accountable, to
restore trust in local and global governance systems.
There was concern about youth disengagement from democratic processes. Speakers
recognized a disconnection between past and present generations, the problem of short-term
thinking, and the lack of spaces for intergenerational dialogue.
●
●
●
●
●
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●
Some said there was a need to better listen to younger generations and understand their
disappointments. Others highlighted the need to restore hope by better communicating the
opportunities that exist in the face of global challenges. They supported the creation of the Office
of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth and the Future Generations dialogues.
Mr. McGuinty closed the meeting by emphasizing the importance of conversations that will help reshape
the multilateral system into one fit for the purpose it needs to serve. He reiterated the crucial roles of the
IPU and parliaments in supporting good governance, investing in people, prioritizing the rule of law, and
restoring hope in societies. He concluded with the reminder that, although not everything will be solved
at the Summit of the Future, it will be critical for parliaments and the UN to show movement and
ambition beyond repeating what has already been agreed upon to restore faith and trust in the
effectiveness of the multilateral system.
4.
Panel discussion on
Addressing strategic and existential threats through common
security and the rule of law
The panel discussion, held on 24 March 2024, was organized in cooperation with the Parliamentarians
for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (PNND) and the World Future Council. It provided a
forum for participants to receive an update on new peace and security initiatives in the lead-up to the
UN Summit of the Future in September 2024, discuss potential roles for parliamentarians, and examine
ways to strengthen international law, with a particular focus on international adjudication as a peaceful
means of resolving disputes.
Presentations were made by Ms. A. Filip, IPU Director of the Division for Member Parliaments and
External Relations; Ms. M. Kiener Nellen, former Swiss parliamentarian and Board Member of
PeaceWomen Across the Globe; Mr. A. Ware, PNND Global Coordinator and co-founder of the Legal
Alternatives to War campaign; Mr. N. Gunasekera, member of the World Future Council and of the
International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms; and Ms. R. Shoot, Executive Director of
Citizens for Global Solutions and Chair of the Washington Working Group for the International Criminal
Court. These were followed by comments from the floor and an active Q&A session.
The participants discussed the role of parliamentarians in ensuring that international commitments are
translated into national realities through concrete initiatives, budgetary allocations, and new legislation
contributing to international security, all while exercising their rightful oversight function in respect of
governmental actions. By using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a roadmap for the
future, parliaments could use their unique position to restore international law as the bedrock of a world
order based on solidarity and cooperation, where violations cannot be accepted. Parliaments should
urge their governments to be bolder and identify actionable solutions, including those in the UN Pact for
the Future, with a view to strengthening the rule of law and bringing about meaningful UN reform.
The participants also discussed the importance of the International Court of Justice, the International
Criminal Court and other international tribunals as mechanisms that increasingly demonstrate their
peace-promoting value for a wide range of disputes touching on subjects such as genocide, climate
change, territorial boundaries and international terrorism. The participants also reinforced the urgency of
removing nuclear weapons from any future framework of international security, in line with the SDGs.
The support of parliaments in ensuring universalization and effective implementation of international
instruments such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons or the Treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons should complement diplomatic initiatives aimed at reducing existing
nuclear arsenals and preventing further proliferation.
5.
Workshop on
Strengthening climate legislation: Practical tools for
parliamentarians
The workshop was co-organized by the IPU and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at
Arizona State University (ASU) on 25 March 2024. It aimed to raise awareness among parliamentarians
of leading climate tools that are readily available to enhance legislative efforts related to climate change.
The workshop was moderated by Ms. A. Ellis (Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, ASU).
Mr. M. Gray (Climate TRACE and Transition Zero) highlighted that greenhouse gas emissions data is
often missing or outdated and this hampers efforts to effectively address climate change. He presented
the Climate TRACE database which provides an up-to-date inventory of emissions from 395 million
assets globally. He highlighted that Climate TRACE is useful for strengthening greenhouse gas
emissions reporting under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
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Ms. T. Chan (Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of
Economics) presented, via video link, the Climate Change Laws of the World database, which contains
thousands of laws and policies on climate change. She explained how this database can assist
parliaments in strengthening national climate legislation by learning from other national examples.
Ms. M. Bolshakova (United Nations Environment Programme, Europe Office) presented a range of tools
that can be utilized by parliaments to address climate and environmental issues, namely the Law and
Environment Assistance Platform, Law and Climate Change Toolkit, and Global Climate Litigation
Reports. She highlighted that such tools can help countries establish a legal framework for effective
implementation of the Paris Agreement at the national level.
Mr. C. Meisner (World Bank) presented, via video link, an overview of the World Bank Group’s Country
Climate and Development Reports. These reports help countries prioritize the most impactful actions
that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and boost adaptation and resilience, while delivering on
broader development goals. He also stressed the key role of the private sector in meeting investment
needs for low-emission development.
Mr. T. Crowther (ETH Zürich) gave an overview of global biodiversity challenges and underscored the
critical role that biodiversity plays in mitigating climate change. He presented the Restor database that
provides data on thousands of efforts to restore biodiversity from countries around the world. He also
stated the importance of biodiversity in supporting food production, water security, disease prevention
and economic stability.
The panellist presentations were followed by an interactive discussion with participants.
Parliamentarians from Bahrain, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and Saudi Arabia raised several issues,
including in relation to the need to ensure that data on global databases are maintained and up-to-date,
and that judges and legal professionals are trained on climate matters.
6.
Panel discussion on interfaith dialogue:
Building bridges through interfaith
dialogue for more peaceful and inclusive societies
In this panel discussion, the participants discussed the achievements and ongoing challenges in
parliamentary efforts to promote interfaith dialogue and protect freedom of religion or belief, particularly
in light of the fundamental task of parliaments to uphold the rule of law and human rights for all, without
distinction, and to build more peaceful and inclusive societies.
The discussion was opened by Mr. M. Omar, Senior Advisor to the IPU Secretary General, and was
moderated by Mr. M. Wiener, Human Rights Officer at the Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights. Panelists included Ms. N. Ghanea, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or
belief; Mr. P.F. Casini, Senator in the Italian Parliament and Honorary President of the IPU;
Ms. M. Al Shammari, member of the Arab Parliament; and Ms. S. Markiewicz, IPU Advisor on Interfaith
Dialogue.
The participants shared insights into the role of interfaith dialogue in promoting peace and upholding the
rule of law and human rights in multi-faith societies, specifically considering the unique role of
parliamentarians as representatives and legislators. Reflecting on the Parliamentary Conference on
Interfaith Dialogue organized by the IPU, the Parliament of Morocco and other partners in Marrakesh in
2023, and specifically its outcome document, the Marrakesh Communiqué, participants lamented the
subsequent decrease in global peace and security and the upsurge in identity-based conflict and hate
speech, particularly targeting (and sometimes driven by) religious or belief communities and ideologies.
They highlighted the urgency for concrete action and tangible results which were grounded in human
rights and the rule of law. It was not the time for dialogue which was limited to conferences and
platitudes. The right to freedom of religion or belief must be upheld, especially the rights of religious and
belief minorities, and it was a task for parliaments to review their legislation and, if necessary, update it.
A common will to counter intolerance and hatred based on religion or belief was expressed by
participants, however any measures must respect the international human rights framework, especially
freedom of expression and its legitimate limitations, as stated in the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights. The six-part threshold test outlined in the Rabat Plan of Action could be a helpful tool in
this regard. Artificial intelligence and the potential to create convincing deepfakes, particularly when
targeting influential religious or political leaders, were flagged as risks to peace and security. Finally,
parliamentarians, as representatives and public figures, were encouraged not to exploit religion or belief
for political gain.
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7.
Workshop on
Human security: Equipping parliamentarians for peacebuilding and
conflict prevention
The workshop took place on 25 March 2024. It aimed to equip parliamentarians with the knowledge and
tools for effective peacebuilding and conflict prevention through applying the human security approach
to parliamentary decision-making. Co-organized by the IPU and the World Academy of Art and Science
(WAAS), the workshop encouraged the active participation of multiple parliamentarians who shared
insights on empowering citizens and fostering solutions through discussion.
The importance of parliamentary representation in delivering on the aspirations of the people was a
focal point of the discussions. The event also highlighted a specially designed course for
parliamentarians, aimed at enhancing their understanding of human security and testing their
knowledge on the subject. This interactive platform served not only as a forum for sharing best practices
and experiences, but also as a valuable learning resource for those committed to peacebuilding and
conflict prevention at the parliamentary level.
Participants from 28 delegations were present and most took the floor to engage in a discussion with
the experts from WAAS. Questions on the potential of human security for finding context-specific
solutions were addressed, and a high level of interest in the approach was shown.
8.
Workshop on artificial intelligence
On 25 March 2024, this workshop examined the practical aspects of how parliamentarians have worked
on artificial intelligence (AI) in their parliaments, and what resources they need going forward. Delegates
shared practical examples, including the creation of an emerging technology caucus in Canada, and
engaging in regular dialogue with the scientific community in Ireland. Delegates took note of the
resources available within the UNESCO and Internet Governance Forum networks that are likely to be
of help to parliaments. Parliaments were encouraged to initiate dialogue with stakeholders in
government, the civil sector, the private sector and academia to ensure that a wide range of
perspectives are heard when considering options for regulating AI. Guidance from international and
regional organizations will be important for parliaments, as well as ongoing exchange between
parliamentarians from different countries.
Several substantive issues were discussed. In relation to the emergence of deepfake images,
participants referred to the Content Authenticity Initiative as a potential means of countering
misinformation through the establishment of a globally recognized standard of authentication for digital
content.
Interesting parallels were highlighted with standard-setting exercises and regulation in the global
pharmaceuticals industry, for example. Parliamentarians have a key role to play in ensuring that
powerful technology companies are drawn into a similar standard-setting process in relation to AI, and
not be allowed to simply have free reign in developing AI-based technologies.
A power imbalance exists between a small handful of technological corporations located in the Global
North and the governments of the countries in the Global South. This unequal footing places the Global
South in a potentially exploitative situation, particularly in relation to the collection, storage and use of
data.
The importance of capacity building for parliamentarians was also underscored. Legislators in all parts
of the globe require greater access to information, expertise and resources if they are to effectively
respond to the opportunities and challenges thrown up by AI technologies.
9.
Parity debate on
Eliminating discrimination, transforming economic losses
into gains
On 26 March 2024, the Forum of Women Parliamentarians organized a parity debate with
59 participants, including 37 parliamentarians (28 women and 9 men) from 29 countries. The event was
an opportunity to showcase the centrality of parliaments in undertaking gender-responsive legal
reforms, including repealing discrimination in laws. The aim was to provide participants with a better
understanding of the need to lift legal and cultural barriers to ensure women’s full economic participation
and empowerment, as discrimination against women cost the world approximately US$ 12 trillion in
global gross domestic product (GDP). The objective of the parity debate was to promote dialogue
between women and men MPs and encourage them to discuss issues of common interest.
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Ms. F. Ilimi Haddouche (Algeria), First Vice-President of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians,
presided over the session. The findings of the
Women, Business, and the Law 2024
report by the World
Bank was presented by Ms. J.C. Braunmiller, Senior Private Sector Development Specialist at the World
Bank. It was shared that almost all economies in the world face a substantive gender implementation
gap. In addition, key resources for parliamentarians and policymakers to take action to empower women
worldwide were shared. The discussion was enriched by contributions from 17 countries (17 women and
6 men).
Parliamentarians shared recent reforms and other initiatives implemented in their countries to improve
gender equality in employment, entrepreneurship, marriage law and parenthood. Other reforms
implemented to combat gender-based violence at work and at the national level were shared as well.
Several parliamentarians mentioned their government’s commitment to promote women’s
empowerment as ratified in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW).
10.
Panel discussion on
Protecting minority rights: Towards comprehensive
anti-discrimination legislation
This panel discussion was held on 26 March 2024 and brought together some 30 participants, including
MPs from Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire,
India, Malawi, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, San Marino, Thailand, Türkiye and Ukraine. The event was
also attended by the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ms. N. Ghanea.
The event was introduced by the moderator, Ms. Y.A. Brändle-Amolo, a subnational MP from
Switzerland, who gave the floor to the co-authors of the
Practical Guide to Developing Comprehensive
Anti-Discrimination Legislation.
They were particularly pleased with the unique opportunity to address
lawmakers from all regions of the world for the first time, as the Guide is primarily meant for them.
Mr. J. Fitzgerald, CEO of Equal Rights Trust, provided insights on the aim and purpose of this guide and
shared testimonies from some of the more than 40 institutions, experts and other stakeholders who
contributed to it. Mr. C. Cahn from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
then walked the participants through the content of the Guide, focusing on concrete areas where the
new publication could be useful, explaining why the comprehensive anti-discrimination laws – that all
States are under obligation to adopt under all UN human rights treaties – have become a popular tool
for many governments, drawing on concrete examples in Canada and Hungary.
The moderator then introduced Mr. N. Kwankwa, an MP from South Africa, who described the
groundbreaking comprehensive equality law adopted in South Africa in 2004 and the progress achieved
since then. He also responded to a remark made by an MP from India, who had challenged the notion
that such a law was necessary based on the argument that the Constitution of India already contained a
strong legal base for preventing discrimination. Mr. Kwankwa answered that a comprehensive law could
complement the principles contained in constitutional provisions by offering a detailed set of norms that
are both directly enforceable and able to be operationalized through by-laws and regulations.
There were further interventions from the floor, including from an MP from Mexico who focused on
progress made in her country following the adoption of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law. She
emphasized the perfect parity between women and men in her Parliament, but admitted that more work
had to be done to make her Parliament more representative for indigenous groups and other minorities.
MPs from Australia and Norway questioned how these laws could help to resolve the tensions that
might arise between competing anti-discrimination norms for different groups, including laws
safeguarding the rights of religious institutions and legislation protecting individuals belonging to lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) groups from discrimination. Ms. Brändle-Amolo shared
that in Switzerland, the lack of such a law created problems with enforcement by the courts, which had
resulted in several cases of racial profiling brought before the European Court of Human Rights, which
found Switzerland in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. She expressed the hope
that advocacy through an alliance of civil society, academia and business groups could pave the way for
the adoption of such a law at the federal level.
Finally, the participants heard from Ms. S.S. Chaudhury, Speaker of the Parliament of Bangladesh, who
shared that Bangladesh is on the path to becoming the first South Asian country to adopt a
comprehensive anti-discrimination law. However, she noted that the debate over the draft law raised
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Other activities and events
several issues as it provided no penalties for breach of the law, and there were difficulties in
establishing an exhaustive list of grounds that could lead to discrimination. Nevertheless, she expressed
the hope that Bangladesh would soon adopt such a law.
11.
Workshop on the
Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention
This workshop took place on 26 March 2024 and was organized in cooperation with the Organisation for
the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The event focused on the crucial issue of preventing the
misuse and proliferation of chemical weapons through the application of strong legislation.
Parliamentarians from various countries participated, expressing their legislative needs and concerns
regarding the control and eradication of chemical weapons. Ms. A. Kuspan (Kazakhstan), President of
the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security, showcased the experience of her country,
which is widely recognized as a real implementation success.
The workshop facilitated exchanges of good practices on the subject, highlighting the importance of
international cooperation and effective legal frameworks at the national and international levels.
Additionally, discussions highlighted the Chemical Weapons Convention’s mechanisms for the disposal
of chemical weapons and their implementation, underscoring the global commitment to chemical
weapons disarmament.
The discussions continued around the importance of parliamentary work to implement adequate and
strong mechanisms to contribute to the global infrastructure of chemical safety. The event served as an
important platform for sharing insights and enhancing parliamentary engagement on this critical security
issue.
12.
Panel discussion on
Climate change and conflict: How can parliaments ensure
health during times of crises?
The panel discussion was held on 26 March 2024 with the aim of providing a platform for
parliamentarians to discuss challenges and opportunities for promoting an integrated approach to
addressing climate, conflict and health concerns at the national level. It was moderated by
Mr. F. Ndugulile (United Republic of Tanzania).
Ms. E. Villalobos Prats (World Health Organization, WHO) illustrated the causal pathways through which
climate change directly and indirectly affected health. She highlighted that health was gaining
unprecedented visibility within the context of climate action, building on the first-ever Health Day
organized at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28). However, health
commitments within international climate instruments were often neglected and not reported on. She
presented WHO’s operational framework for building climate resilient and low-carbon health systems,
which could improve the health of communities in a changing climate.
Mr. L. Goguadze (International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, IFRC)
presented the IFRC’s mission and how the organization worked to build the resilience of communities.
He called for a long-term perspective, as changes in perceptions, behaviours and policies were
required. He emphasized that equity, strong participation of local actors and good governance were
essential for ensuring positive health outcomes. He also commended the role of frontline workers in
emergencies.
Ms. H. Muheed (Youth Advocacy Network Sri Lanka and Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child
Health, PMNCH) provided examples of the links between climate change and conflict, as well as an
overview of their impacts on young people, women and girls, including in relation to sexual and
reproductive health and rights. In 2023, PMNCH had convened a
Global Forum for Adolescents,
which
had enabled young people worldwide to define key priorities for their health and well-being.
Mr. W.P. Bako (Burkina Faso) shared the experience of his country on responding to the challenges
posed by climate change and insecurity. He underlined the impacts on natural resources and
agriculture, which posed significant challenges in terms of food security. Population displacements and
changes in disease patterns put strains on the health system. He therefore called on parliaments to
make use of their legislative and budgetary powers to address the issue.
Parliamentarians from Bahrain, India, Norway, Seychelles, Thailand and Zambia took the floor. They
raised issues, among others, in relation to access to information, universal health coverage and
international cooperation.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Elections and appointments
Elections and appointments
1.
Executive Committee
The Governing Council elected the following member to the Executive Committee:
African Group
•
Ms. I.K. Godalena to replace Ms. I.K.N. Sabangu (Democratic Republic of the Congo), who is no
longer a member of parliament. She will complete the latter’s term, which expires in March 2027.
2.
Vice-Presidents of the IPU
The following members of the Executive Committee were designated as IPU Vice-Presidents
representing:
African Group
•
Mr. A. Kharchi (Algeria)
Arab Group
•
Mr. A.R. Al Nuaimi (United Arab Emirates)
Asia-Pacific Group
•
Ms. A. Sarangi (India)
Eurasia Group
•
Ms. S. Mikayilova (Azerbaijan)
Group of Latin America and the Caribbean
•
Ms. B. Argimón (Uruguay)
Twelve Plus Group
•
Ms. D. Avgerinopoulou (Greece)
3.
Bureau of Women Parliamentarians
The Forum of Women Parliamentarians elected the following regional representatives to the Bureau of
Women Parliamentarians:
African Group
•
Ms. Z. Mashaba (Eswatini) (end of term: March 2025)
Arab Group
•
A vacancy remains on the Bureau (end of term: March 2027)
4.
Committee on Middle East Questions
The members elected Mr. H.-J. Talsma (Netherlands) as President of the Committee.
The Governing Council elected the following three members for a four-year term ending in March 2028:
•
•
•
Mr. L.-J. de Nicolaÿ (France)
Ms. M. Aljaghoub (Jordan)
Ms. S. Falaknaz (United Arab Emirates)
5.
Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian Law
The Governing Council elected the following members for a four-year term ending in March 2028:
Asia-Pacific Group
•
Mr. K. Suebsang (Thailand)
Eurasia Group
•
Ms. H. Hakobyan (Armenia)
•
A vacancy remains for this Group
6.
•
Group of Facilitators for Cyprus
Mr. H. Arshakyan (Armenia)
The Governing Council elected one Facilitator for a four-year term ending in March 2028:
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Elections and appointments
7.
High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism
(HLAG)
During the meeting of the Group, the members elected Mr. M. Karlsson (Sweden) as Chairperson and
Ms. M. Guerra Castillo (Mexico) as Vice-Chairperson.
The Governing Council elected the following members for a four-year term ending in March 2028:
African Group
•
Mr. E.J. Mulembwe (Mozambique)
Eurasia Group
•
A vacancy remains for this Group
Twelve Plus Group
•
Ms. R. Garvey (Ireland)
8.
Working Group on Science and Technology
The Governing Council elected the following two members for a four-year term ending March 2028:
Group of Latin America and the Caribbean
•
Ms. M. Seymour (Bahamas)
Twelve Plus Group
•
Ms. M. Cederfelt (Sweden)
Ms. S. Attia (Egypt) was re-elected as Vice-Chair of the Working Group on Science and Technology for
a one-year term.
9.
Bureaux of the Standing Committees
The Standing Committees elected the following members to their respective Bureaux for terms ending
in March 2026:
Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights
The Standing Committee declared the position held by Mr. E. Uwizeyimana (Rwanda) to be vacant, by
virtue of Rule 10.2 of the Rules of the Standing Committees. An election to fill this vacant position will
take place at the next Assembly.
Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs
Eurasia Group
•
Mr. H. Arshakyan (Armenia)
•
A vacancy remains for this Group
Group of Latin America and the Caribbean
•
Mr. M. Salinas (Paraguay)
10.
•
•
Gender Partnership Group
Ms. S. Mikayilova (Azerbaijan) (term ending October 2027)
Mr. A. Almodóbar (Spain) (term ending October 2025)
The Executive Committee appointed the following two members to the Gender Partnership Group:
11.
Rapporteurs
The Standing Committee on Peace and International Security appointed Mr. M.A. Bouchouit (Algeria)
and Mr. J. Buttimer (Ireland) as co-Rapporteurs for the subject item
The role of parliaments in
advancing a two-State solution in Palestine.
As recommended by the Bureau and with a view to
ensuring an inclusive approach, the IPU President will engage in consultations to identify additional
rapporteurs from other geopolitical groups.
The Standing Committee on Sustainable Development appointed Ms. H. Fayez (Bahrain),
Ms. E.T. Muteka (Namibia), and Mr. R. Fogiel (Poland) as co-Rapporteurs for the subject item
Parliamentary strategies to mitigate the long-lasting impact of conflicts, including armed conflicts, on
sustainable development.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Media and communications
Media and communications
The 148th IPU Assembly saw widespread coverage in the media, healthy viewing rates on the live feed,
and strong engagement and substantial increases in follower numbers on social media. Hundreds of
hard copies of IPU publications displayed at the communications booth were also picked up by
delegates, showing there is still a big demand for printed material in parallel to the IPU’s ongoing digital
transformation.
Media
The Communications team issued a media advisory, three press releases and two statements. Over the
week, the 148th IPU Assembly was mentioned in some 3400 media articles – a figure on a par with the
147th IPU Assembly in Luanda at the time of writing but likely to surpass it as more media articles are
published once delegates return home.
The Assembly was also widely covered in the Swiss press thanks to active outreach efforts and
interviews organized with the IPU Secretary General. The team also set up an interview for the IPU
President with the main Chinese news agency Xinhau, which was widely distributed globally.
Livestreaming and video
Some 15,000 people watched the live feed of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, the Governing
Council and the Assembly, significantly higher than the total at the 147th IPU Assembly (some
12,000 views).
The provision of video extracts of plenary speeches during the General Debate was again a popular
service with delegates. By the end of the Assembly, the team had prepared dozens of video clips to
send to individual MPs for their own amplification purposes.
The Communications team also interviewed some 20 parliamentarians to add to the IPU’s two main
video series
A conversation with…
and
My parliament, my planet!.
The team was also able to interview
delegates of some countries for the first time, including Azerbaijan, Japan, Malta and Poland.
Social media
The social media wall continued to be a popular feature, with many parliamentarians joining the digital
conversation using the hashtags #IPU148 and #Parliaments4thePlanet, linked to the IPU’s climate
campaign. Some 550 accounts populated the wall.
The team published 118 tweets on X (formerly Twitter) over the Assembly period, leading to
156,000 impressions (the number of times a post appears on somebody’s feed).
Some 3100 accounts mentioned our X account @IPUParliament, making the Assembly week the
highest week of mentions since the account was launched. We also gained 354 new followers on X.
LinkedIn continued to perform strongly, with an increase of 13% in engagement compared to a normal
week.
On Instagram, the IPU continued its lighter approach by investing more in visuals, stories and reels with
a total of 244 items published. The investment paid off, with 715 new followers and 136,000 impressions
(compared to 74,000 in Luanda).
On Facebook, the IPU reached some 18,000 accounts compared to 13,000 at the last Assembly.
Photography
Two IPU photographers covered 60 sessions and produced hundreds of high-quality photographs that
were curated by the team and downloaded by delegates for national amplification.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Membership
Membership of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
1
Members (180)
Afghanistan**, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Bahamas, 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, Czechia, 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 (The),
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,
Liberia, 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, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles,
Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka,
Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga,
Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Türkiye, 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 (15)
Andean Parliament, Arab Parliament, Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), East African
Legislative Assembly (EALA), European Parliament, Interparliamentary Assembly 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), MERCOSUR Parliament (PARLASUR), Pan-African Parliament, Parliament of the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Parliament of the Central African Economic
and Monetary Community (CEMAC), Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(PABSEC), Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and Parliamentary Assembly of
La Francophonie (APF).
1
*
As at the close of the 148th Assembly.
Non-participating Members (all rights suspended)
** Members participating in the work of the IPU in a non-voting observer capacity
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the 148th Assembly
Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the
148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
1.
2.
3.
Election of the President of the 148th Assembly
Consideration of requests for the inclusion of an emergency item in the Assembly agenda
General Debate on the theme
Parliamentary diplomacy: Building bridges for peace and
understanding
Special accountability segment on the implementation of IPU resolutions and other decisions
Addressing the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous weapon systems and artificial
intelligence
(Standing Committee on Peace and International Security)
Partnerships for climate action: Promoting access to affordable green energy, and ensuring
innovation, responsibility and equity
(Standing Committee on Sustainable Development)
Reports of the Standing Committees
Approval of the subject items for the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security
and for the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development for the 150th Assembly and
appointment of the co-Rapporteurs
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the 148th Assembly
Geneva Declaration
Parliamentary diplomacy: Building bridges
for peace and understanding
Endorsed by the 148th IPU Assembly
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
We, Members of Parliament from around the world, gathered together at the 148th IPU Assembly in
Geneva, Switzerland, reaffirm our commitment to parliamentary diplomacy to address the growing
challenges to peace and international security.
We are meeting at a time of great turbulence and instability. From the resurgence of conflicts and
geopolitical tensions, the increase in social polarization and a looming new global arms race, to the
devastating impacts of climate change and the dangers posed by artificial intelligence – the multi-
faceted and intractable challenges we face underscore the urgency for a collective, forward-looking and
durable response that learns from the past and goes beyond conventional solutions. As we navigate this
intricate landscape, it becomes increasingly evident that addressing these complex challenges
demands a shared global commitment to building a resilient foundation for lasting peace, rooted in the
upholding of human rights and democratic principles.
We conclude this Assembly recognizing the potential of parliamentary diplomacy, grounded in dialogue,
mutual respect and the achievement of common goals, as an important means to build trust, promote
cooperation, share good practices, and enhance the contribution of parliaments and parliamentarians to
building lasting world peace. We recognize that the tools of parliamentary diplomacy include bilateral
and multilateral associations, such as inter-parliamentary institutions, staff exchanges and friendship
groups. We welcome the work of the IPU to help foster political dialogue conducive to peacebuilding
and the peaceful resolution of conflict, and encourage the IPU to continue its efforts in this regard. We
also call upon the IPU to support and accompany a return to the rule of law in countries, many of them
on the African continent, which have undergone an unconstitutional dissolution of parliament.
As representatives of the people, we parliamentarians are keenly aware of our responsibility to build
bridges of understanding among nations, bring peace to citizens and find consensus on how to
overcome joint hurdles. Parliamentarians further have an active role to play in ensuring that efforts to
negotiate peace processes, treaties and other international agreements are rooted in the needs of the
people, taking into account traditional wisdoms and values. In addition, we recognize that
parliamentarians are uniquely positioned to ensure compliance with the rule of law and international
norms, which are essential prerequisites for restoring the conditions for peaceful coexistence and
alleviating the growing fragmentation of societies and the multilateral system.
We condemn all human rights violations arising during conflict as well as all breaches of the basic rules,
principles and core tenets of international law, in particular international humanitarian law. In this regard
we must pay particular attention to the situation of young people who, when faced with disruption in their
formative years, risk growing up as a lost generation, and to recognizing the vital role that women can
and should play in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Parliamentary diplomacy is a crucial tool in
empowering parliamentarians to actively promote and safeguard these rights and standards at the
national level, as well as to advance democratic principles and human rights standards worldwide
Furthermore, we seek to prioritize the safeguarding of human rights by emphasizing the importance of
ratifying and effectively implementing international humanitarian law and human rights instruments at
the national level as a critical step in ensuring that those entitled to protection genuinely benefit from it.
Likewise, we agree to work to disseminate international humanitarian law as widely as possible to the
population as a whole, to provide gender-sensitive training to armed and security forces on this subject
and to step up the accountability of these forces for their actions.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the 148th Assembly
We strongly reiterate our commitment to upholding the rule of law, both domestically and internationally,
as the cornerstone of conflict prevention and resolution, as well as our belief in dialogue and diplomacy
as an indispensable tool to achieve enduring peace. We urge all States, especially those parties to an
armed conflict, to adhere strictly to the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, with no
exceptions. Additionally, we advocate for increased recourse to the International Court of Justice and
other international judicial institutions as essential mechanisms for the peaceful resolution of disputes
between nations.
We condemn the recent surge in identity-based hatred around the world, particularly religious hatred,
and regret the political polarization that is helping to drive this phenomenon. We advocate for holistic
dialogue processes that involve representatives of religions, beliefs and faith-based organizations to
effectively complement existing efforts to mitigate violence and promote peace, inclusion and
understanding. We commit to continuing our work to achieve the recommendations outlined in the
Marrakesh Communiqué, the outcome document of the IPU’s Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith
Dialogue, held in June 2023.
There is a close link between peace and development. The deterioration of peace and the escalation in
the frequency and severity of conflicts within and between countries jeopardizes development gains and
the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. Vulnerable, marginalized and underrepresented
members of society, such as women, youth, children, the elderly, the poor, indigenous people,
minorities, and persons with disabilities, are disproportionately impacted by conflict, which further
exacerbates pre-existing inequalities, such as unequal access to socio-economic and political rights.
One such manifestation of this is in the radicalization by extremist groups of at-risk and often under-
employed youth in fragile, conflict-affected States, undermining national security.
Our focus should be on tackling the underlying causes of conflict, which are often rooted in economic
inequality and discrimination against entire groups. The well-being of the most vulnerable is a good
litmus test for the health of society at large. Therefore, it is imperative to address the specific needs of
at-risk members of the population by embracing inclusive solutions that simultaneously preserve their
dignity, reduce their exposure to the detrimental impacts of conflict and provide the conditions for them
to realize their socioeconomic potential. We should therefore increase our focus on human security,
which encompasses citizens’ protection by prioritizing essential needs such as food, health care and
environmental security, and on guaranteeing equal rights for all, as the main path to fostering both
peace and development.
We must monitor the early warning signs of potential conflicts both locally and nationally and take
adequate action to prevent escalation, foster dialogue and cooperation, and ensure compliance with
international humanitarian and human rights law. In this vein, we recognize our responsibility to promote
conflict prevention through a focus on disarmament, reducing military spending, shifting budget priorities
to better address the root causes of conflict, and holding governments to account – including by
challenging their use of emergency powers to wage war. We also need to work towards the
demilitarization of cyberspace and artificial intelligence, so that they can instead be used to open up
spaces for scientific breakthroughs, international cooperation and peace.
Since parliamentarians are well-placed to play the role of impartial mediators, to facilitate dialogue to
prevent or de-escalate conflict or to restore peace, we also pledge to redouble our efforts to resolve
conflicts through the exercise of parliamentary diplomacy. We reaffirm our commitment to preventing a
relapse of large-scale disputes in post-conflict situations, including through enacting, overseeing and
monitoring the implementation of peace agreements and ensuring they are accompanied by adequate
funding for basic health care services, mental health support, transitional justice and institutional
reforms. We further commit to addressing past and current discord through bolstering citizen
engagement and ensuring that perspectives from the full breadth of civil society and civic institutions are
heard.
We are committed to fostering the more substantial involvement of women and youth in politics and
leadership roles, including in the military and security sectors. We commit ourselves to the effective
implementation of the women, peace and security, and youth, peace and security agendas of the UN
Security Council by ensuring that peace processes, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and conflict
prevention integrate a gender perspective and guarantee the equal and meaningful participation of
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the 148th Assembly
women and youth. We also will strive to take all necessary measures to prevent and combat all forms of
violence against women and girls, especially against women in politics, as well as conflict-related
gender-based violence and violence against minority and marginalized groups. Moreover, we commit to
providing assistance to survivors of such violence, recognizing the importance of inclusivity and gender-
sensitive approaches in creating a more equitable and secure environment.
Today’s challenges transcend borders and demand a collective global response. As members of
parliament, we agree on the importance of restoring trust in multilateralism. Further, it is only through
international cooperation and upholding the rule of law that we can address growing risks, build
solidarity and, through a common security approach, find lasting solutions to establish a shared sense
of security, where all nations feel safe, leading to a more secure world for future generations. Essential
to the credibility and success of all these efforts is ensuring that the attention and resources devoted to
responding to global challenges are commensurate with their severity and not motivated by geopolitical
interests, bearing in mind the equal rights, dignity and value of each human life.
Finally, as we mark the 135th anniversary of the IPU, we reconfirm our commitment to
inter-parliamentary dialogue and cooperation, and we emphasize the IPU’s unique role as the
parliamentary counterpart to the United Nations. As we look ahead to the UN Summit of the Future in
September 2024, we call on all Member Parliaments to help advance UN reform and to further
strengthen the parliamentary dimension of the work of the UN. In turn, we shall take this Declaration
back to our respective parliaments, disseminate the outcome of our collective work to our national
authorities, and seek to mark the International Day of Parliamentarism (30 June, which coincides with
the anniversary of the IPU) through a dedicated event in our respective parliaments.
As parliamentarians, we commit to lead the way towards a more peaceful world, pursuing tenacious,
evidence-based and original approaches, and drawing on the experiences of all members of the global
parliamentary community. We therefore pledge to do our utmost, individually and collectively, to protect
and promote peace for all.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the 148th Assembly
IPU Leadership Statement on
the situation in Gaza
Issued at the 148th IPU Assembly
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
In view of the worsening situation in Gaza, we call for urgent action to alleviate the suffering of the
people in the region, including women, children and the elderly, who have been caught up in the
fighting.
On behalf of the global parliamentary community, we call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
We reiterate our demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
We appeal to the relevant authorities on all sides to expand the flow of essential humanitarian aid to
reach those in need in Gaza.
We reiterate our utter condemnation of any violence against civilians and stress the need for respect for
international humanitarian law.
Tulia Ackson, IPU President, and
Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary General
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the 148th Assembly
Addressing the social and humanitarian impact
of autonomous weapon systems
and artificial intelligence
Resolution adopted by consensus* by the 148th IPU Assembly
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
The 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,
Acknowledging
that, while the applications of emerging technologies open up opportunities
for the development of humanity, they may also pose significant challenges to peace and international
security and may raise new questions about the role of humans in warfare, that regulation of autonomy
in the context of weapon systems requires a holistic understanding of its effects, and that human
decision-making and control must take account of all ethical, legal, humanitarian and security
implications,
Affirming
that any discussion on autonomous weapon systems (AWS) is subject to
international law, particularly the Charter of the United Nations and international humanitarian law (IHL),
Noting
the lack of an agreed definition of autonomous weapon systems, and
recalling
the
proposal of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in which the term “autonomous
weapon systems” encompasses any weapon system with autonomy in its critical functions, which
means that it can select (i.e. search for, detect, identify or track) and attack (i.e. use force against,
neutralize, damage or destroy) targets without human intervention,
Recognizing
that the preservation of human control and judgment stands as a critical factor
in ensuring legal compliance and effectively addressing the ethical concerns that arise from the
deployment of AWS,
Gravely concerned
that AWS that have full autonomy in their critical functions could be
able to select and attack targets without human intervention,
Concerned
that the lack of control and explicit regulation at the international level around
the use of AWS could allow operators to violate international law, in particular the Charter of the United
Nations and IHL, without accountability, potentially infringing on the fundamental human rights
enshrined in national, regional and international legal frameworks, due to the absence of human
judgement and supervision and the lack of opportunities for timely intervention or mechanisms for
deactivation over the use of force,
Deeply concerned
about the possible negative consequences and impact of AWS on
global security and regional and international stability, including the risk of an emerging arms race,
lowering the threshold for conflict and proliferation, including to non-State actors, as outlined in United
Nations General Assembly resolution 78/241 on lethal autonomous weapon systems,
Concerned
that advancements in sophisticated military technologies, including artificial
intelligence (AI) and algorithmic data processing, may increase the risk of a new arms race, lowering the
threshold for conflict and proliferation, including to non-State actors, and putting peace and international
security at even greater risk, but
acknowledging
that a ban on research would be unrealistic, not least
when so much of the research in this field is conducted by both military and civilian players and AI still
has a very important role to play in civilian life,
Alarmed
by the possibility that AWS have the potential to become future weapons of mass
destruction as they combine two properties unique to such weapons: mass harm and lack of human
control to ensure they do not injure civilians,
Conscious
that human rights instruments guarantee the right to life, dignity and integrity of
persons,
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Deeply concerned
that AWS could be used by armed groups and other non-State actors to
undermine national, regional and global security, causing profound social and humanitarian impact,
Alarmed
by the evidence that individual recognition algorithms, including facial recognition
and automated decision algorithms have native embedded bias that is already propagating gender and
race discrimination and perpetrating injustices against socio-economically disadvantaged people, the
vulnerable and people with disabilities, and that AWS could be deliberately programmed to target
people bearing certain “markers” or identities including race, gender or patterns of behaviour, and to
apply force without human intervention, potentially leading to disproportionate harm to specific groups,
locations or communities,
Recalling,
without prejudice to Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, the
fundamental rule under IHL according to which the right of Parties to a conflict to choose their means
and methods of warfare is not unlimited, as stated in Article 35 (1) of the Additional Protocol I (AP I) to
the Geneva Conventions of 1949 relating to the protection of victims in international armed conflicts,
and as provided for by customary international law, as well as the obligation stated in Article 36 of AP I,
which requires States to conduct reviews of the study, development, acquisition or adoption of all new
weapons, means and methods of warfare in order to determine whether their use is prohibited by IHL or
any other rule of applicable international law,
Mindful
that, for decades, the international community has been actively keeping track of
the emerging issues of AWS, marked by key milestones in AWS regulatory governance, including the
report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions in
2010, which brought the issue of lethal autonomous robotics and the protection of life to the
international spotlight and that, since 2013, the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on
Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to be
Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW), a key IHL instrument, have been holding
discussions on the issue and, in 2016, established an open-ended Group of Governmental Experts
(GGE) on emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS),
Recognizing
the GGE as a key international forum at which a framework around LAWS is
being developed,
Noting
the fact that, during its 2023 meetings, the GGE underscored the need to anticipate
technological advancements in LAWS, urging strict adherence to IHL throughout the life cycle of these
systems, highlighting the need for limitations on targets and operational parameters, coupled with
appropriate training and instructions for human operators, and firmly stating that any LAWS-based
system unable to comply with international law should not be deployed,
Acknowledging
the adoption of resolution 78/241 by the United Nations General Assembly
in December 2023, which, inter alia, requests that the Secretary-General of the United Nations submit a
substantive report on the subject reflecting the full range of views received from Member and observer
States on ways to address the related challenges and concerns such systems raise from humanitarian,
legal, security, technological and ethical perspectives, and on the role of humans in the use of force,
and invite the views of international and regional organizations, the ICRC, civil society, the scientific
community and industry,
Recognizing
that, since 2018, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has consistently
maintained that AWS are politically unacceptable and morally repugnant and has called for their
prohibition under international law, and that when presenting his
New Agenda for Peace
ahead of the
Summit of the Future in 2024, he further called on States to adopt by 2026 a legally binding instrument
to prohibit AWS that function without human control or oversight and to regulate all other types of AWS,
Recognizing also
that the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or
arbitrary executions, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, the
United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights, the ICRC, civil society, including through the Stop
Killer Robots Campaign, the scientific community, and academia have joined the call by the Secretary-
General of the United Nations for a global prohibition on AWS,
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Noting
that the landmark joint appeal made in 2023 by the United Nations
Secretary-General and the President of the ICRC underlined the urgency for States to negotiate a new,
binding international law on AWS to set clear prohibitions and restrictions on AWS by 2026,
Mindful
that many States and groups of countries have already been calling for the
establishment of a legally binding instrument to regulate, limit and/or prohibit the use of AWS, and, at
the same time,
cognisant
of the need for a unanimous decision, i.e. that all States agree to follow the
proposed limitations,
Recognizing
that urgent, concrete action is needed to develop international approaches,
particularly given that weapon systems with varying degrees of autonomy have already been used in
various conflicts,
Considering
the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations,
international human rights law, and IHL and its founding principles of humanity, dictates of public
conscience and ethical perspectives,
Reaffirming
that, because IHL requires commanders and the users of weapons to be able
to anticipate and limit their effects, weapon systems must be predictable, and that the potential “black
box” effect arising from the integration of AI technologies could hinder compliance with these
obligations,
Gravely concerned
that the longer States wait to regulate AWS, the more likely the flow
and proliferation of such systems will continue on the market,
Stressing
the need to study an international regulatory framework for the use of AI to
regulate the harmful use of this technology,
Highlighting
that parliaments will have a significant role to play in raising awareness on the
social, humanitarian, legal and ethical implications of the use of AWS, and in supporting governments
with inputs to draft the text for an instrument to regulate such systems,
1.
Urges
parliaments and parliamentarians to actively and urgently engage in the debate to
address the threat to peace and security posed by AWS;
Strongly urges
parliaments to develop comprehensive national legislation to establish
regulatory frameworks governing the development, deployment and use of AWS, once
international agreement has been reached on a definition of “autonomous weapon system”
and on the distinction between full and partial autonomy as well as consensus on the use
and content of the term “meaningful human control”, taking
into account all their ethical,
legal, humanitarian and security implications and
including the prohibition of AWS that
function without human control or oversight, and which cannot be used in compliance with
IHL;
Calls on
parliaments to urge their governments to continue working through international
forums, including the United Nations and the GGE, on an instrument, governance
framework and regulations on autonomy in weapon systems, to ensure compliance with
international law, including IHL, and ethical perspectives, as well as the prevention of the
peace and security impact that autonomy in weapon systems entails;
Suggests
that parliaments encourage their governments to share their views with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations on ways to address challenges and concerns
raised by AWS in accordance with resolution 78/241 adopted by the United Nations
General Assembly in December 2023 and
A New Agenda for Peace,
which recommends
multilateral efforts for a legally binding instrument on LAWS and other types of AWS
by 2026;
Recommends
that parliaments and parliamentarians work with relevant stakeholders,
including the defence industry, civil society and academia, to understand, evaluate and
create safeguards in relation to both AI and AWS, including weapon system designers,
particularly regarding their compliance with existing law and with any developments to the
law that may occur in the future;
2.
3.
4.
5.
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6.
Encourages
parliaments to regularly assess and evaluate the application of new
technologies, to avoid these technologies creating a unilateral pressure on all citizens that
grants disproportionate powers to the parties when operating without proper oversight, and
to address the risks posed by facial recognition systems, including hardware, software and
algorithms, including to prevent gender and racial bias, that may be integrated into AWS;
Urges
parliaments and parliamentarians to play a crucial role in holding governments
accountable regarding AWS, in ensuring quality in their governance, notably regarding the
imperative of retaining human control over the use of force, and transparency in their
design, development, operation, regulation and oversight, and in triggering concrete action
by governments and societies more broadly;
Calls on
parliaments to encourage governments to engage actively in the ongoing
discussions on LAWS at the GGE and to take all necessary efforts to support the GGE’s
work;
Also calls on
parliaments to strongly urge their governments to establish robust frameworks
for data protection to govern the development, deployment and use of AWS, emphasizing
the critical importance of safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring ethical and responsible
use of information;
Urges
parliaments to ensure the establishment of effective mechanisms to conduct
investigations, prosecution and punishment for violations of IHL arising from the use of
weapons with autonomous functionalities, thereby upholding individual responsibilities and
ensuring accountability for any breaches of ethical and legal standards;
Also urges
parliaments to request that their governments clearly define their own
responsibilities and those of the private sector and civil society with regard to AWS, and
adopt legislation that incorporates regulatory frameworks and safeguards to ensure that
such systems do not fall into criminal hands or into the hands of non-State actors that
operate outside the law, and that such laws are fully in line with international human rights
obligations;
Encourages
parliaments and parliamentarians to stimulate exchange of relevant good
practices between States, with due regard for national security regulations and commercial
restrictions on private information;
Recommends
that parliaments and parliamentarians: (a) allocate budgets to fund plans,
programmes, projects and actions to raise awareness of the need to prevent, regulate,
monitor and enforce human rights and safeguards related to AWS; (b) advocate for the
incorporation of comprehensive educational programmes on AI and autonomous systems
within national curricula at appropriate educational levels to promote widespread
understanding of both the potential benefits and the risks associated with these
technologies, including their ethical, legal, humanitarian and security implications;
Calls for
the adoption of measures to ensure the inclusion of a gender and intersectional
perspective based on United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), in
discussions of AWS and military AI strategies;
Calls on
relevant parliamentary networks and IPU permanent observers to include AWS on
their agendas and to inform the IPU of their work and findings on the issue;
Invites
the IPU, through its relevant Standing Committee and specialized bodies, to keep
abreast of the issue and organize at the 151st Assembly a panel discussion, inviting relevant
parliamentary networks and IPU permanent observers to participate, aimed at taking stock of
the situation in advance of the 2026 deadline set by the Secretary-General of the United
Nations to adopt a legally binding instrument on AWS;
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
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17.
Suggests
that the IPU Secretariat compile and analyse a set of parliamentary good practices
and stocktaking related to the use of AI in the security and military sectors and derived from
the discussion within the IPU framework and other subsequent IPU activities, including
measures to remove bias in the algorithms that underpin AI systems that are capable of
autonomous analysis and actions;
Urges
the Secretary General of the IPU to share the present resolution and further reports
and publications related to AWS with the Secretary-General of the United Nations for
inclusion in the report mentioned in resolution 78/241 adopted by the United Nations
General Assembly in December 2023;
Invites
the IPU to regularly hold sessions for parliamentarians to discuss the latest
developments with AWS and AI and reassess their impacts in the military domain,
particularly with regard to specific concerns on human rights violations, meaningful human
control over the use of force and the ethical implications of these technologies;
Encourages
parliaments to implement their strategies to exercise more effective
parliamentary oversight functions and ensure that technological development, such as AI,
is only deployed to assist humans in certain tasks, without compromising meaningful
human control and intervention whenever it is needed.
18.
19.
20.
*
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
India, Iran (Islamic Republic of)
and the
Russian Federation
expressed their opposition to the entire text of
the resolution.
China
and
Lithuania
expressed a reservation on the entire text of the resolution.
Australia, New Zealand
and the
United Kingdom
expressed reservations on several paragraphs.
Cuba
and
France
expressed a reservation on the use of the term “autonomous weapon systems (AWS)”
without mentioning the characteristic of lethality (i.e. lethal autonomous weapon system – LAWS).
Türkiye
expressed reservations on preambular paragraphs 13, 17, 18, 20 and 21, and operative
paragraphs 2, 4 and 16.
Republic of Korea
expressed reservations on preambular paragraphs 18 and 19, and operative
paragraph 16.
Canada
expressed reservations on preambular paragraph 3 and operative paragraph 2 on the grounds that
they are too prescriptive for national governments.
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Partnerships for climate action: Promoting access to
affordable green energy, and ensuring innovation,
responsibility and equity
Resolution adopted by consensus
*
by the 148th IPU Assembly
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
The 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,
Recalling
the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement to strengthen the global response to climate change, as well as
the outcomes of the United Nations Climate Change Conferences (COPs), which underline the urgent
need for immediate, deep, rapid and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions across
all applicable sectors based on available means of implementation, including through increased use of
low-emission and renewable energy, just energy transition partnerships, and other multilevel and
cooperative actions in the light of national circumstances,
Recalling also
the IPU resolution
Climate change – Let us not cross the line,
adopted at the
139th IPU Assembly in October 2018, the
Parliamentary action plan on climate change
endorsed by the
IPU Governing Council at its 198th session in March 2016, and the COP28 Parliamentary Meeting
outcome document of December 2023,
Noting
the importance of strengthening partnerships between all countries, parliaments,
public and private institutions (governmental, non-governmental and inter-parliamentary), and civil
society (especially vulnerable groups) to combat climate change, and that without such cooperation to
facilitate climate action, the impacts of climate change will be inevitable at all levels,
Recalling
the
COP28 UAE Consensus,
which has the potential to become a benchmark for
partnerships for climate action by laying out a response to the global stocktake, putting forward a plan to
close implementation gaps by 2030, calling on Parties to transition away from fossil fuels in a just,
orderly and equitable manner to reach net zero, recognizing the crucial need to scale up adaptation
finance, and introducing targets to triple renewable energy capacity globally and double the global rate
of energy efficiency improvements by 2030,
Recalling also
the ultimate objective of the UNFCCC to achieve stabilization of greenhouse
gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic
interference with the climate system,
Considering
that the Paris Agreement has established mechanisms and procedures
allowing countries to define their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change;
expressing appreciation
that all Parties to the
Paris Agreement have communicated NDCs that demonstrate progress towards achieving the Paris
Agreement temperature goal; and
noting
that more ambitious mitigation targets in NDCs are needed to
reduce emissions rapidly,
Noting
the launch, during the COP26 meeting in Glasgow, of the Global Methane Pledge,
which is based on solid scientific data and contains a commitment to reduce global methane emissions
by at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030,
Noting also
that, presently, more than 155 countries have signed the Global Methane
Pledge, and
recognizing
that only by drastically reducing methane emissions in the current decade will it
be possible to stay on track to avoid the average temperature rise in the atmosphere exceeding the
1.5°C target,
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Bearing in mind
that, despite making up only 16% of greenhouse gases, methane is
responsible for approximately a third of global warming and traps 80 times more heat than carbon
dioxide, although it dissipates in the atmosphere within decades, rather than centuries as is the case for
carbon dioxide, and
recognizing
both forestry activity, thanks to its vital importance in capturing carbon
dioxide, and the production of renewable raw materials for construction, such as wood and its
derivatives, as strategic for the sustainable development of countries,
Acknowledging
that the right to a clean and healthy environment, including the right to have
the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations, is a fundamental right
enshrined in both national and international laws,
Considering
that parliaments play a fundamental role in the oversight and control of
government policies on environmental matters as well as in budgetary allocations and enacting
legislation, monitoring the implementation of corresponding legislation and regulations, and ensuring
alignment between national policies and international commitments,
Considering also
that many parliamentary initiatives address the need for urgent financing
and climate action, including the parliamentary platforms taking shape for climate action against
methane emissions,
Acknowledging
that reducing carbon emissions is critical in dealing with climate change
and mitigating environmental damage, and that renewable energy that does not degrade ecosystems
provides a cleaner and more sustainable means to meet energy demand, bringing environmental
sustainability and offering the further advantage of being able to provide power to even the most
underprivileged people living in the remotest areas,
Acknowledging also
that armed conflicts instigated by States or non-States have a
considerable impact on the climate, causing the release of significant amounts of carbon dioxide and
other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, leading to the destruction of ecosystems that currently
store carbon and absorb and remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and resulting in ecocide,
Acknowledging further
that the deployment of renewables in the power, heat and transport
sectors is one of the main enablers of keeping the rise in average global temperatures within reach of
1.5°C, that the need to encourage the deployment of renewable energy has increased in recent years,
that more cities, regions and countries, both developed and developing, are promoting and adopting
policies to deploy renewable energy, and that concrete and easily-measured environmental goals are
paramount in this respect,
Emphasizing
the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas
emissions in line with 1.5°C pathways, as expressed in the decision on the first global stocktake at
COP28, by tripling renewable energy capacity globally and doubling the global average annual rate of
energy efficiency improvements by 2030 as well as through accelerating zero- and low-emission
technologies and transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems,
Welcoming
the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration, which emphasizes accelerating
clean, sustainable, just, affordable and inclusive energy transitions through various pathways, as a
means of enabling strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth and achieving climate objectives,
and which calls for recognition of the needs, vulnerabilities, priorities and different national
circumstances of developing countries and support of strong international and national enabling
environments to foster innovation, voluntary and mutually agreed technology transfer, and access to
low-cost financing,
Recognizing
the need expressed in the decision on the first global stocktake at COP28 for
States to contribute to global climate change efforts by accelerating zero- and low-emission
technologies, including renewables, nuclear, abatement and removal technologies, and low-carbon
hydrogen production,
Recognizing also
the importance of the agreement reached at COP27 to provide loss and
damage funding for vulnerable countries hit hard by floods, droughts and other climate disasters, and
welcoming
the subsequent operationalization of the global fund for loss and damage at COP28,
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Recognizing further
the role of developed countries in providing support to and enhancing
cooperation with developing countries in transitioning to low-carbon, low-emission economies;
emphasizing
the imperative to significantly scale finance to meet the urgent and evolving needs of
developing countries, including access to technology and low-cost financing;
advocating
a collective
approach for technology transfer and development, knowledge sharing, and cultivating innovative
solutions as crucial to fostering socially just, sustainable and effective progress; and
emphasizing
that
every nation is responsible for creating an attractive investment climate that can draw in both domestic
and international capital to speed up change,
Noting
that developed countries, as the largest contributors to carbon dioxide and
greenhouse gas emissions, should bear the greatest responsibility,
Noting also
that the world’s population is growing at an unprecedented rate and that this
has resulted in a dramatic increase in energy demand globally, at a rate likely to be even more rapid
than population growth,
Aware
that, in an effort to meet this ever-increasing energy demand and address the issue
of global warming, breakthrough advances have been made in the design of technologies that can
control emissions and harness power from renewable and alternative energy sources, but their costs
remain unaffordable to many developing countries,
Recognizing
the need to promote and encourage new technologies to scale up integration
of battery energy storage systems, aimed at enabling greater integration of variable renewable energy
sources and fulfilling the dynamic energy requirements of a growing population,
Encouraging
the harmonization of zero- and low-carbon hydrogen standards with the goal
of fostering worldwide collaboration, facilitating trade and igniting innovation, which holds the capacity to
unlock economies of scale, promote technology transfer and development, expedite the transition
towards cleaner energy sources, and reach the full potential of renewable energy,
Welcoming
the collaborative initiatives on universal energy access from civil society
organizations for increased deployment of green energy technologies to bring energy access, ensure
energy security and drive energy transition,
Recognizing
the crucial role of grid interconnections, resilient energy infrastructure and
regional/cross-border power systems integration in enhancing energy security, fostering economic
growth, and facilitating universal energy access for all, in an affordable, reliable and sustainable
manner,
Highlighting
that climate change impacts individuals and communities differently, with
women, youth, the elderly, persons with disabilities, the populations of small island developing States,
indigenous groups and communities in vulnerable situations often bearing the brunt of its
consequences, and
calling for
coordinated efforts to ensure that actions to address these challenges
reflect a comprehensive and equitable approach to climate action, including through the promotion of
just transition pathways,
Recognizing
that women and girls are uniquely affected by the damaging effects of climate
change and that steps should be taken to support women’s leadership and decision making in climate
change mitigation and adaptation efforts, resilience-building and sustainable natural resource
management,
Acknowledging
that youth are the most important and dynamic segment of the population
in a society, that they are agents of change, entrepreneurs and innovators, and that, through education,
science and technology, they are scaling up their efforts and using their skills to accelerate climate
action, taking account of their common needs, such as access to quality education to prepare them for
the jobs of tomorrow, the availability of decent work, equality among men and women, and a planet that
is healthy, clean and sustainable,
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Bearing in mind
that promoting climate culture and harnessing the perspectives, new ideas
and energy of young people constitute vital components in the broader efforts to address key issues
affecting people of all ages, such as achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), peace and
security, the right to education, health and social protection, gender equality, equal socioeconomic and
political opportunities, and fighting climate change,
Acknowledging
the importance of investments in sustainable, healthy lifestyles, just and
sustainable energy transitions, and accelerating progress with and achievement of the SDGs, especially
in developing countries, as well as in the context of the fight to eradicate poverty in all its forms and
dimensions,
Recognizing
that sustainable and responsible consumption, production and trade, coupled
with environmentally friendly life choices and lifestyles such as zero-waste approaches, are key to
achieving the SDGs, including climate goals and inclusive economic growth,
Recognizing also
the leadership of subnational governments in accelerating and scaling up
climate mitigation and adaptation action through the implementation of local and regional climate plans
and actions, while effectively engaging citizens and industry in the transformative process towards
responsible consumption and production,
Envisaging
a comprehensive transformation in energy efficiency measures and global
reduction in consumption, with the ambitious target of doubling the global annual rate of energy
efficiency improvement by 2030 in a nationally determined manner, taking into account the UNFCCC
and Paris Agreement and different national circumstances, pathways and approaches to foster a
sustainable and responsible energy landscape on a global scale, and
acknowledging
that the global
transition provides opportunities for and poses challenges to sustainable development, economic
growth and eradication of poverty, and thus requires a coherent, just transition in different sectors of
the national economy,
Recognizing
the importance of accelerating the development, transfer, deployment, and
dissemination of technologies, and of adopting policies to transition towards zero- and low-emission
energy systems, including, inter alia, renewables, nuclear, abatement and removal technologies such as
carbon capture and utilization and storage, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors, and
emphasizing
the
need to make these technologies available and as affordable as possible to all,
Highlighting
the importance of addressing environmental challenges through united climate
actions and partnerships to safeguard the planet for present and future generations,
1.
Emphasizes
that global warming is a collective challenge requiring strengthened
international cooperation and multilateral processes under the aegis of the UNFCCC
framework, based on the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities
as outlined in Article 3.1 of the Convention and Article 2.2 of its Paris Agreement; and
underscores
the need for added international support for developing countries;
Encourages
parliaments to ensure a transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems in
a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade to achieve
the goal of net zero emissions;
Stresses
the importance of enhancing a clean energy mix in line with 1.5°C pathways,
including zero- and low-emission and renewable energy, at all levels as part of diversifying
energy mixes and systems, in line with national circumstances and recognizing the need
for support towards just transitions; particularly for workers whose jobs are affected by the
transition away from fossil fuels;
Affirms
support for promoting reliable, diversified, sustainable and responsible supply
chains for energy transitions, including for critical minerals and materials through
responsible sourcing practices and international cooperation;
Reaffirms
parliaments’ steadfast commitment, in pursuit of the objectives of the UNFCCC,
to tackle climate change by strengthening the full and effective implementation of the Paris
Agreement and its temperature goals, reflecting equity and the principle of common but
differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national
circumstances;
2.
3.
4.
5.
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6.
Encourages
parliaments to urge their respective governments to undertake policy
measures to combat climate change, promote renewable, zero- and low-emission energy,
implement various schemes and initiatives, including based on the COP28 global
stocktake, and establish regulatory frameworks to support green energy initiatives to the
benefit of the people;
Calls on
parliaments to actively commit to collective climate action to cut methane
emissions, and ensure that:
(a) NDCs explicitly include reductions of methane emissions,
(b) legislative initiatives in national parliaments reduce methane emissions in the energy
and waste management sectors,
(c) best practices in agriculture are promoted, such as sustainable agriculture and
livestock farming as strategic economic activities,
(d) resources are allocated, including funding for research, technology development and
implementation of methane emissions reduction strategies;
7.
8.
Also calls on
parliaments to monitor whether government policies are effectively aligned
with the commitments and emission reduction goals established in the Global Methane
Pledge and the International Energy Agency’s 75% reduction goal;
Further calls on
parliaments to ensure that international funding in the coming years
focuses on aid, investments and deployment of innovative green technologies to reduce
methane emissions, namely by:
(a) detecting and repairing methane emissions from oil, gas and coal production and
distribution, upgrading obsolete equipment, reducing flaring and venting waste, and
applying drastic emissions controls,
(b) implementing better livestock and manure management practices,
(c) investing in waste management (household and industrial), as well as waste
reduction, requiring landfills to strictly control methane emissions, and diverting
organic waste to valorization processes such as composting, protein extraction and
energy production;
9.
10.
Recognizes
that the unprecedented global energy crisis underlines the urgency to rapidly
transform energy systems to be more secure, reliable and resilient, including by
accelerating the clean, equitable, affordable and just transition to renewable, zero- and low-
emission energy;
Encourages
the collective actions and efforts to triple renewable energy capacity globally
through existing targets and policies, as well as to demonstrate similar ambition with
respect to other zero- and low-emission technologies, including, inter alia, renewables,
nuclear, abatement and removal technologies such as carbon capture and utilization and
storage, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors, and low-carbon hydrogen production, in line
with national circumstances;
Encourages
parliaments to urge their respective governments to meet their international
commitments to contribute to global climate change efforts by accelerating zero- and low-
emission technologies, including renewables, nuclear, abatement and removal
technologies, and low-carbon hydrogen production;
Urges
parliaments to press their governments to create international, national, regional and
local enabling environments and partnerships to foster innovation, voluntary and mutually
agreed upon technology development and transfer, and access to low-cost financing,
including capacity-building, grant-based finance and non-debt instruments, taking into
account the needs, vulnerabilities, priorities and different national circumstances of
developing countries;
Also urges
parliaments to press their governments to allocate specific budgetary resources
for climate action initiatives, focusing on the implementation of sustainable, zero- and low-
emission development strategies, and to prioritize capacity-building to empower all nations,
particularly those facing significant socio-economic challenges and the adverse effects of
climate change;
11.
12.
13.
14.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the 148th Assembly
15.
Encourages
parliaments to establish a parliamentary mechanism to systematically monitor
and report, through an evidence-based approach, the progress of climate-related
legislation and the mainstreaming of green budgeting in parliamentary procedures, to
ensure transparency and accountability of the climate actions taken;
Encourages
national parliaments to cooperate with other regional and international
parliaments on knowledge exchange and the transfer of best practices, policy standards
and legislation regarding climate action for sustainable development and clean technology
transfer and development;
Recommends
that the IPU, other inter-parliamentary institutions and platforms, and
national parliaments closely engage with relevant international climate stakeholders
including the UNFCCC finance architecture and its climate technology framework as a
means to strengthen parliamentary exposure and awareness on climate issues;
Urges
parliaments to cooperate with the public and private sectors to create a conducive
environment for investing in clean energy technologies and infrastructure, capacity-building
and technology transfer and development, as well as to promote greater public-private
partnership at the regional and international level, and to deliver a more people-centred
energy transition and climate-resilient development for all;
Calls upon
parliaments to urge their governments to work towards facilitating access to
low-cost financing for developing countries, for existing as well as new and emerging clean
and sustainable energy technologies, and for supporting just and sustainable energy
transitions;
Recognizes
the role of parliamentarians in raising awareness of climate change issues and
of the fact that children and youth will be significantly affected in the future by climate
change, and
calls on
governments to include youth in all climate negotiations;
Encourages
parliaments to ensure the meaningful and equal participation of women in
climate action, including gender-responsive implementation of climate goals;
Applauds
the initiative of the IPU to engage parliaments and parliamentarians in its
Parliaments for the Planet
campaign, which highlights that parliaments and
parliamentarians can be agents of change by contributing to ensure a just, inclusive,
equitable and sustainable transition through collective, individual and institutional efforts;
Encourages
national parliaments to take stronger climate action by implementing the IPU
climate change tools, such as the
10 actions for greener parliaments,
to align their work
with greening initiatives, to take greater part in NDC processes and to call for more
ambitious climate action plans and goals that focus on people-centred and community-led
adaptation and a just and equitable energy transition at all levels;
Recognizes
that climate equity is impossible when entities responsible for climate damage
are not held accountable;
Emphasizes
the importance of considering climate change-related damages within
reparation mechanisms arising from internationally wrongful acts and of acknowledging
that major past, present and future large emitters have a great responsibility in this respect;
Highlights
the need to define ecocide as unlawful or wanton acts committed with
knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or
long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
*
-
-
-
India
and
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
expressed their opposition to the entire text of the resolution.
China
expressed reservations on preambular paragraphs 7 and 8, and operative paragraphs 7, 8 and 25.
Türkiye
expressed reservations on operative paragraphs 24, 25 and 26.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the 148th Assembly
Raising awareness of the International Court of Justice provisional measures
for Israel in relation to Palestinians in Gaza, and of the need
for urgent action on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza
Results of the roll-call vote on the request of the delegation of South Africa
with the support of the Arab Group and the African Group
for the inclusion of an emergency item
Results
Affirmative votes................................ 904
Negative votes .................................. 470
Abstentions ....................................... 237
Country
Yes
No Abst.
Country
Total of affirmative and negative votes .. 1,374
Two-thirds majority................................. 916
Yes
No Abst.
Country
Yes
No Abst.
Georgia
11
Paraguay
Absent
16
Germany
19
Peru
15
10
Ghana
15
Philippines
20
15
Greece
13
Poland
15
8
Guinea
Absent
Portugal
13
11
Guinea-Bissau
11
Qatar
9
14
Guyana
10
Republic of Korea 17
12
Hungary
10
Romania
13
13
Iceland
10
Russian
20
Absent
India
23
Federation
11
Indonesia
22
Rwanda
Absent
21
Iran (Islamic
19
San Marino
10
Republic of)
13
Sao Tome and
10
Iraq
16
Principe
Absent
Ireland
4
8
Saudi Arabia
15
8
5
Israel
12
Serbia
Absent
Italy
10
Seychelles
10
8
Japan
20
Sierra Leone
Absent
Jordan
13
Singapore
12
11
Kazakhstan
Absent
Slovakia
Absent
22
Kenya
17
Slovenia
11
10
Lao People's Dem. 12
Somalia
Absent
14
Republic
South Africa
17
13
Latvia
11
South Sudan
Absent
10
Lebanon
8
Spain
16
13
Lesotho
11
Sri Lanka
Absent
14
Liechtenstein
10
Suriname
10
15
Lithuania
11
Sweden
13
13
Luxembourg
10
Switzerland
12
2
6
5
Madagascar
14
Syrian Arab Rep.
14
23
Malawi
13
Thailand
18
14
Malaysia
15
Timor-Leste
11
13
Maldives
10
Tonga
10
5
6
Mali
10
Trinidad & Tobago
Absent
13
Malta
8
Tunisia
13
19
Mexico
10 10
Türkiye
19
12
Monaco
Absent
Turkmenistan
Absent
11
Mongolia
Absent
Uganda
16
Absent
Montenegro
10
Ukraine
16
10
Morocco
15
United Arab
12
20
Mozambique
15
Emirates
11
Namibia
11
United Kingdom
18
11
Nepal
15
United Republic of 18
Absent
Tanzania
Netherlands
13
20
Uruguay
11
New Zealand
12
Absent
Uzbekistan
Absent
Nigeria
22
12
Viet Nam
Absent
Norway
12
18
Yemen
13
Oman
11
Absent
Zambia
13
Pakistan
22
Zimbabwe
13
11
Palestine
12
N.B. This list does not include delegations present at the session which were not entitled to vote pursuant to the
provisions of Articles 5.2 and 5.3 of the Statutes. Parliaments participating in the IPU in a non-voting observer
capacity in accordance with the decision of the 209th session of the Governing Council in Nusa Dua do not
appear on this list.
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belgium
Benin
Bolivia
(Plurinational
State of)
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Chad
Chile
China
Côte d'Ivoire
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
DR of the Congo
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominican Rep.
Ecuador
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia (The)
Absent
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the 148th Assembly
Call for urgent action regarding the conflict in the Middle East
Results of roll-call vote on the request of the delegations of Denmark, France,
Hungary, Ireland, Portugal, Sweden and United Kingdom
for the inclusion of an emergency item
Results
Affirmative votes ................................778
Negative votes ...................................471
Abstentions ........................................362
Country
Yes
No Abst.
Country
Total of affirmative and negative votes .. 1,249
Two-thirds majority ................................ 833
Yes
No Abst.
Country
Yes
No Abst.
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belgium
Benin
Bolivia
(Plurinational
State of)
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Chad
Chile
China
Côte d'Ivoire
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
DR of the Congo
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominican Rep.
Ecuador
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia (The)
Absent
16
10
15
8
10
14
12
Absent
11
21
13
Absent
5
8
1
13
8
11
22
10
14
13
10
13
14
15
13
11
20
14
6
13
12
11
Absent
10
20
11
11
Absent
20
2
18
Absent
10
Absent
11
2
3
13
5
19
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic
Republic of)
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Lao People's Dem.
Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Mexico
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestine
11
19
15
13
Absent
11
10
10
10
23
22
19
16
12
12
10
20
13
Absent
17
12
11
8
11
10
11
10
14
13
15
10
10
8
20
Absent
Absent
10
15
15
11
15
13
12
22
10
2
11
22
12
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Republic of Korea
Romania
Russian
Federation
Rwanda
San Marino
Sao Tome and
Principe
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
Syrian Arab Rep.
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago
Tunisia
Türkiye
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab
Emirates
United Kingdom
United Republic of
Tanzania
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Viet Nam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Absent
15
20
15
13
9
17
13
20
Absent
10
10
15
Absent
10
Absent
12
Absent
11
Absent
17
Absent
16
Absent
7
3
13
12
14
18
11
10
Absent
13
19
Absent
16
16
12
18
18
11
Absent
Absent
13
13
13
N.B. This list does not include delegations present at the session which were not entitled to vote pursuant to the
provisions of Articles 5.2 and 5.3 of the Statutes. Parliaments participating in the IPU in a non-voting observer
capacity in accordance with the decision of the 209th session of the Governing Council in Nusa Dua do not
appear on this list.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the 148th Assembly
Free, fair and transparent elections without prohibitions: Towards an orderly
and peaceful democratic transition in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Results of the roll-call vote on the request of the delegations of Argentina,
on behalf of the delegations of Argentina, Guyana, Peru and Uruguay
for the inclusion of an emergency item
Results
Affirmative votes................................ 225
Negative votes .................................. 760
Abstentions ....................................... 626
Country
Yes
No Abst.
Country
Total of affirmative and negative votes ..985
Two-thirds majority.................................657
Yes
No Abst.
Country
Yes
No Abst.
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belgium
Benin
Bolivia
(Plurinational
State of)
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Chad
Chile
China
Côte d'Ivoire
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
DR of the Congo
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominican Rep.
Ecuador
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia (The)
Absent
16
10
15
8
11
14
12
13
Absent
11
21
13
Absent
5
8
8
11
22
10
14
13
10
13
14
15
13
11
23
14
13
3
8
13
19
12
11
Absent
10
20
11
11
Absent
20
Absent
12
18
Absent
11
2
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic
Republic of)
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Lao People's Dem.
Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Mexico
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestine
11
19
15
13
Absent
7
4
10
10
10
23
22
19
16
12
12
10
20
13
Absent
17
12
11
8
11
10
11
10
14
13
15
10
10
8
10
Absent
Absent
7
15
15
11
15
13
12
22
12
11
22
12
3
10
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Republic of Korea
Romania
Russian
Federation
Rwanda
San Marino
Sao Tome and
Principe
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
Syrian Arab Rep.
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago
Tunisia
Türkiye
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab
Emirates
United Kingdom
United Republic of
Tanzania
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Viet Nam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Absent
15
20
15
13
9
17
13
20
Absent
10
10
15
Absent
10
Absent
12
Absent
11
Absent
17
Absent
16
Absent
5
13
12
14
18
11
10
Absent
13
19
Absent
16
16
12
18
18
9
2
Absent
Absent
13
13
13
5
N.B. This list does not include delegations present at the session which were not entitled to vote pursuant to the
provisions of Articles 5.2 and 5.3 of the Statutes. Parliaments participating in the IPU in a non-voting observer
capacity in accordance with the decision of the 209th session of the Governing Council in Nusa Dua do not
appear on this list.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the 148th Assembly
Report of the Standing Committee on
Democracy and Human Rights
Noted by the 148th IPU Assembly
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
The Committee held two sittings, on 25 and 26 March 2024.
The two sittings were chaired by Mr. A. Torosyan (Armenia), Vice-President of the Bureau of the
Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights, substituting for Bureau President
Ms. J. Mahmood (Maldives), who was absent due to the election campaign in her country.
Debate on the draft resolution to be adopted at the 149th Assembly on
The impact of artificial
intelligence on democracy, human rights and the rule of law
On 25 March 2024, the preparatory debate provided an opportunity to gather Committee members’
perspectives, share experiences of actions taken by parliaments and make suggestions on the content
of the resolution.
The debate was introduced by the co-Rapporteurs of the resolution, Ms. M. Rempel Garner (Canada)
and Ms. N. Lugangira (United Republic of Tanzania), who observed that recent major advances in
artificial intelligence (AI) and its rapid application across political, economic and social spheres pose
immediate risks to democracy, human rights and the rule of law that must be urgently addressed by
legislators around the world.
The debate also benefited from opening remarks from Mr. T. Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General
of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Mr. P. Sibal, Programme Specialist, Digital
Policies and Digital Transformation Section, UNESCO, representing the two lead organizations on AI
within the UN system. The experts drew attention to the work on an international governance framework
for AI that is taking place within the United Nations Secretary-General’s AI Advisory Body. They also
flagged certain resources published by their organizations, such as UNESCO’s
Recommendation on the
Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.
The main message from the debate was very clear. Delegates see the many potential benefits that AI
can bring, such as creating new economic opportunities, accelerating medical research, and identifying
actions to mitigate climate change. But the more than 30 delegates who took the floor also expressed
many concerns about the potential risks of AI, ranging from democratic instability to ethical concerns,
threats to global peace and security, unease around data protection, the revolutionization of warfare
and, particularly alarmingly, potential extinction-level events.
As an example, AI-generated “deep nudes” are already a new battleground in the fight against the
exploitation of women and online harassment. AI-generated deep fakes have also greatly increased the
risk of misinformation, and of manipulation of elections.
Delegates posed several questions for further consideration: What will the development of AI mean
regarding our ability to trust each other, and our confidence in what we see and hear? How do we limit
the risks of negative uses of AI? What can parliaments do to safeguard people’s rights and ensure that
this technology helps us build the society we want? These are pressing questions that the co-
Rapporteurs will seek to address as they draft the resolution, which will be discussed at the 149th
Assembly in October 2024.
Debate on
Sustainable actions to improve the life conditions of people with disabilities,
including their chances for education and work opportunities
On 26 March 2024, the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights held a debate to discuss
existing challenges and share good practices on how parliaments can advance the inclusion of people
with disabilities in society, in particular securing their chances for good quality education and work
opportunities.
The debate was held in two parts. The first part consisted of a set of interventions from a panel, followed
by a question-and-answer session. The second part was an open debate in which delegates shared
their national experiences and potential solutions to enhance the life conditions of people with
disabilities.
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The Committee was joined in part 1 by Ms. G. Oforiwa Fefoame, Chairperson of the UN Committee on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee), Ms. N. Shabani, Disability Focal Point at the
UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office, Mr. C. Lohr, Member of Parliament from Switzerland,
and Mr. J.I. Pérez Bello, Senior Human Rights Advisor at the International Disability Alliance (IDA).
Panellists highlighted the important role parliaments can play to advance implementation of the UN
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), by ensuring laws, policies and budgets
advance the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the community and seek to remove all forms of
discrimination and stigma based on disability. This includes addressing the multiple and intersectional
forms of discrimination based, inter alia, on age, sex, gender and social origin. This can be achieved
through the close consultation and active involvement of persons with disabilities in all decision-making
processes. Parliaments should also duly utilize guidance by the CRPD in their work, such as the CRPD
Committee’s concluding observations adopted following the review of their own State party report, as
well as the Committee’s general comments on specific areas or provisions of the CRPD.
As far as the rights of children with disabilities in education is concerned, the aim should be to achieve
inclusive education and avoid as much as possible their institutionalization. Inclusive education requires
coordinated efforts, training of professionals, awareness-raising, support to families and an
individualized approach. Staffing can prove challenging, and the training of trainers can be of greater
importance than focusing on the qualification of professionals.
Delegates discussed the use of digital tools as an enabler of inclusion of people with disabilities, which
can be a game changer if well-designed and tailored to each person’s specific needs. Such tools must
be accompanied by support services and a regulatory framework. In the absence of such a whole
ecosystem approach, such tools may in fact widen disparities and expose persons with disabilities to
abuse.
When asked about how to ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are prioritized, panellists
indicated that political will is a determining factor. Holistic laws and dedicated budgets must be
developed, including but not limited to, the areas of health and education — and their impact must also
be regularly monitored. Political party quotas can prove effective in enhancing access to decision-
making bodies, including parliament, for people with disabilities. This brings much-needed perspectives
to the decision-making table and sets a good example to society. Also, the need to ensure a strong
focus on disability in the context of the Summit of the Future was highlighted, as it needs to be
considered as a public issue and a societal matter.
In part 2, delegates shared good practices in legislating for the rights of persons with disabilities and the
non-discrimination principle and embedding such provisions in their constitutions. In many cases,
national dialogues have been held, and dedicated national mechanisms have been put in place to
ensure multistakeholder engagement and to devise policies in a consultative manner. Financial
compensation mechanisms have also been put in place to encourage employers to recruit persons with
disabilities.
Recommendations were also made during the debate, in particular to the IPU, which was encouraged to
1) develop a handbook for parliamentarians on the CRPD, following a similar format to the IPU
handbooks on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW) published in collaboration with the UN in 2003 and 2023, 2) continue to foster exchanges
among parliamentarians on the topic, and 3) explore the possibility of setting up a dedicated working
group on persons with disabilities.
In total, 25 delegations contributed to the debate, for a total of 29 speakers (13 men and 16 women).
At the end of its second sitting, pursuant to Rule 10.2 of the Rules of the Standing Committees, the
Committee decided to declare vacant the seat held in its Bureau by Mr. E. Uwizeyimana (Rwanda).
Mr. Uwizeyimana had not been included in the delegation from his country at the 148th Assembly and
therefore had not taken part in Bureau meetings for more than two consecutive sessions, nor had he
been replaced by another member from the same country.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Agenda, resolutions and other texts of the 148th Assembly
Report of the Standing Committee
on United Nations Affairs
Noted by the 148th IPU Assembly
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
The Committee met on 26 March 2024 in two sittings. The President, Mr. D. McGuinty (Canada),
opened the session by welcoming all present and by introducing the new IPU anti-harassment policy.
He then invited participants to adopt the agenda of the session as well as the summary record of the
preceding session (Luanda, October 2023). Having heard no objections, the Chair proceeded with the
agenda as adopted.
The new United Nations Youth Office: Ensuring a deeper engagement with young people
The Chair introduced the topic by recalling the needs of youth as a key group that ought to be at the
centre of policy-making for peace and development. He then introduced Dr. F. Paullier, Assistant
Secretary General for Youth Affairs and head of the new UN Youth Office. 48 delegations were present,
of which 18 participated in the debate with questions and comments from the floor.
Dr. Paullier, who had been just three months in the job, introduced the new Youth Office, its mandate,
and basic approach to facilitating youth access to debates and processes throughout the entire
UN system. He noted that the Office had been established by a resolution of the General Assembly but
that the initial impetus to create it had come from civil society groups who had long been asking for
youth voices to be heard at the UN. Consistent with its Charter that starts with the phrase “We the
peoples…”, the UN is pursuing a networked organizational model whereby youth and other key
constituencies get to contribute their perspectives to various deliberative processes led by member
States.
Dr. Paullier highlighted the fact that the world’s demographics have changed dramatically over the last
few decades, with the largest number of young people ever recorded. He noted the paradox of some
countries ageing while others are populated disproportionately by young people, and how this is causing
both challenges and opportunities.
One of the objectives of the new Youth Office is to help the UN system carry forward the Youth 2030
plan as a common youth engagement blueprint adjustable to the different mandates of each UN system
agency as well as to the geographic distribution of young people (urban vs. rural) within different
national contexts. The plan includes a specific focus on young parliamentarians as a key constituency
that can help advance youth concerns across the entire policy spectrum.
The underlying theme of the Youth 2030 plan and of the Youth Office is about achieving
meaningful
youth participation, understood as much more than providing input from the outside but as a way of
effectively mainstreaming youth concerns directly within policies for climate, education, employment and
the like. In practical terms, meaningful participation proceeds in three steps: consultation, participation
and accountability. Bringing the voices of youth to bear in the policy-making process will help restore
young people’s trust in the UN and in government in general.
Dr. Paullier highlighted the Summit of the Future, taking place later in 2024, as an important opportunity
for the UN and member States to build on current commitments on youth. The Summit’s outcome,
known as the Pact for the Future, will include a chapter on youth. In addition, there will be a more in-
depth annex called the Declaration on Future Generations.
The following points emerged from the ensuing debate with delegates:
Many parliaments have instituted good practices for youth engagement that need to be scaled up and
shared with other parliaments. It is not true that young people are not interested in politics. First and
foremost, parliaments need to be more inclusive of young people, which is what the IPU’s campaign
I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament!
is all about.
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Having been turned off by formal processes, youth are finding outlets in protest movements, civil society
organizations and social media. New digital technologies and social media present an opportunity for
young people to make themselves heard and to connect to one another, but they also come with risks of
exploitation and disinformation. Parliamentarians need to address these risks urgently and with the
participation of young people themselves.
Employment and labour policy in general is a key concern for youth who are struggling to find good
jobs. Part of the problem in some countries is that schooling is not sufficiently geared to the needs of the
marketplace. The advent of AI and other such new developments pose a challenge to young people and
indeed to workers at large, as they may result in a net loss of jobs in the economy.
The question of employment generation also illustrates a bigger problem of reconciling the needs of
young people with those of older people. In this regard, many participants stressed the need for
inter-generational dialogue as a mainstay of the youth agenda. Older people have much to share with
the younger generation that can help communities and societies thrive.
Finally, most participants expressed strong support for the new Youth Office and encouraged
Dr. Paullier on the journey ahead. The Office will no doubt become a hub for the IPU and parliaments to
help bring more young parliamentarians closer to UN processes. At the same time, Dr. Paullier and his
team were encouraged to make use of the extensive IPU network of members of parliament to
disseminate information and engage parliaments in the work of the Office.
The United Nations’ humanitarian work: How sustainable is it?
The President introduced the topic of this discussion on challenges that the UN faces in its humanitarian
work, including lack of funding.
The President noted that the UN was dealing with a growing number of conflict theatres, natural
disasters and other emergencies, requiring an unprecedented humanitarian effort. He introduced the
panel, made up of representatives from four UN system entities responsible for humanitarian work:
Ms. G. Connell, Chief, Assessment, Planning and Monitoring Branch, UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs; Mr. G.C. Cirri, Director, Geneva Global Office, World Food Programme;
Ms. M. Lorenzo, Director, Representative Office for Europe, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); and Mr. M. Manly, Head of Donor Relations and Resource
Mobilization Service, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The four presenters spoke almost in unison about the tremendous strain under which the UN
humanitarian system finds itself at present as a result of concurrent crises. Besides the headline
grabbing crises in Ukraine and Gaza, there are crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and
elsewhere, the vast majority in low or middle-income developing countries. The case of Gaza however
was particularly grave because the civilian population under attack there had nowhere to flee.
A principal concern expressed was the inadequate funding to support humanitarian assistance, which
mostly comes from unstable voluntary sources. Paradoxically, while global military expenditure has now
reached a record-breaking US$2.3 trillion per year, the UN is being asked to deliver assistance to
millions of people on a budget of just a few billion dollars.
Despite inadequate funding, the UN’s humanitarian system is not broken. Workers continue to provide
support to refugees, malnourished or starving populations, civilians caught in the crossfire of war, and
many others in need, making the most of each dollar. A key point about this work is that much of it could
be spared if greater efforts were made upstream at the political level to prevent conflicts and other crisis
situations. In fact, humanitarian crises are almost always the result of policy failure, for which
governments are not held accountable. Parliamentarians have a key oversight role to play in all
humanitarian crises and in addressing their root causes.
The UN system’s humanitarian work is grounded in key principles of neutrality, impartiality and
independence. The case for humanitarian assistance – whether in cash or in kind – is easily made: it is
a testament to our shared humanity and moral obligation to one another; it reduces future costs to the
international community by forestalling possible social unrest and more conflict; and it props up donor
countries’ standing on the world stage.
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The following points emerged from the ensuing debate with delegates:
The UN’s humanitarian work deserves high praise and full support by parliamentarians in both donor
and recipient countries. Parliamentarians should ensure that such good work is never politicized or
weaponized by parties in conflict or other nations pursuing their strategic objectives. Some participants
openly denounced the hypocrisy of those who are arming aggressors and assisting victims at the same
time. Others spoke against the risks involved in the “privatization” of humanitarian work.
Many participants spoke about the specific case of Gaza and expressed their solidarity with UNRWA for
the tremendous work it is doing there despite impossible conditions. They denounced the collective
punishment to which the people of Gaza had been subjected and called on the international community
to demand a ceasefire that would allow for humanitarian assistance to be delivered urgently and at the
required scale.
Several speakers highlighted the bilateral assistance (hospitals, food supplies, etc.) that their countries
are providing in various crisis situations, including Gaza. It was noted that such assistance should aim
not just at meeting immediate needs, but also at building resilience to prevent new crises, with
investments in key institutions and infrastructure.
Parliamentary motion on Security Council reform
The President introduced a motion calling for parliamentary action to speed up the decades-long effort
to reform the Security Council as the chief United Nations deliberative body in matters of international
security. He explained that he had originally prepared the motion and circulated it to the Bureau for
input. The present draft had been approved by the Bureau and members were now invited to adopt it.
A member from Pakistan spoke in favour of the motion while expressing a reservation to it. A member
from Japan expressed his full support for the motion. Having run out of time and hearing no objections,
the Chair declared the motion adopted.
Elections to the Bureau of the Standing Committee
At the end of the session, the President announced that two new members had been nominated by their
respective geopolitical groups to the Bureau: Mr. H. Arshakyan of Armenia, and Mr. M. Salinas of
Paraguay. The two members were then elected by acclamation.
With all agenda items completed, the President thanked all participants and declared the session
closed.
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Reform of the United Nations Security Council
Motion adopted by the IPU Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs
(Geneva, 26 March 2024)
The IPU Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs is committed to seeing reform of the United
Nations Security Council.
In the context of diminishing trust in the UN multilateral system, the Committee is deeply concerned by
the current stalemate at the UN, where reform of the Security Council has been on the agenda for
decades with no end in sight.
Despite widespread acknowledgment that the composition of the Security Council does not reflect the
geopolitical realities of the 21st century, Member States remain deeply divided on, among other things,
the question of expanded membership, the criteria by which new members should be considered, and
possible limits to the use of the veto power by current and future permanent members.
The Committee welcomes resolution 76/262 of the General Assembly, which makes Permanent
Members accountable to the General Assembly whenever they make use of their veto power to block a
resolution of the Security Council. However, as recent experience demonstrates, this measure is not
strong enough to prevent misuse of the veto.
Without effective Security Council reform, the Committee believes that the overall effort to make the
multilateral system more democratic and accountable to the people will be severely hampered. The
Committee looks to this year’s Summit of the Future as an opportunity to demonstrate meaningful
progress in order to restore trust and faith in multilateralism when global cooperation is most needed.
Building on the briefing on Security Council reform held at the 147th Assembly (Luanda, Angola,
October 2023) and reflecting on possible parliamentary action to advance the current discussions, the
Committee urgently calls upon each IPU Member Parliament to:
1.
Engage with its government leadership and its Permanent Representatives to the United Nations
to obtain regular updates about proposals for reforming the Security Council as well as progress
made in this regard;
Demand that the reform process is undertaken democratically, inclusively and transparently, and
with an eye to the Summit of the Future in September 2024 as a decisive turning point;
Prepare for the ratification of UN Security Council reform, pursuant to any final General Assembly
approval and in accordance with national procedures; and
Engage in parliamentary processes, such as debates, committee hearings and resolutions, to
influence the intergovernmental process leading up to the Summit of the Future in order to ensure
that the voices of parliamentarians are reflected in its outcome document, the Pact for the Future.
2.
3.
4.
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Composition of the Preparatory Committee for the
Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament
Noted by the IPU Governing Council at its 213th session
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
Composition of the Preparatory Committee for the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament
(July/August 2025), as per the nominations received from the geopolitical groups and the IPU Executive
Committee.
The Preparatory Committee of the Summit of Women Speakers will be composed of the women
members of the Preparatory Committee of the Speakers Conference and, as ex-officio members, the
President of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians and a female representative of the Board of the
Forum of Young Parliamentarians.
President of the Preparatory Committee
Dr. Tulia Ackson
President of the IPU
Members
African Group
Mr. Brahim Boughali
Ms. Carolina Cerqueira
Mr. Adama Bictogo
Mr. Godswill Akpabio
President
Speaker
Speaker
President
National People's Assembly, Algeria
National Assembly, Angola
National Assembly, Côte d'Ivoire
Senate, Nigeria
House of Representatives, Morocco
Shura Council, Qatar
House of Representatives, Australia
Parliament, Bangladesh
National People’s Congress, China
National Assembly, Armenia
National Assembly, Azerbaijan
Senate, Argentina
National Assembly, Guyana
Chamber of Deputies, Mexico
Senate, Canada
House of Representatives, Malta
Arab Group
Mr. Rachid Talbi El Alami
Speaker
Ms. Hamda bint Hassan Al-Sulaiti Deputy Speaker
Asia Pacific Group
Mr. Milton Dick
Ms. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury
Mr. Zhao Leji
Eurasia Group
Mr. Alen Simonyan
Ms. Sahiba Gafarova
Speaker
Speaker
Chairman
Chairman
Chairwoman
Group of Latin America and the Caribbean
Ms. Victoria Eugenia Villarruel
President
Mr. Manzoor Nadir
Speaker
Ms. Marcela Guerra Castillo
Speaker
Twelve Plus Group
Ms. Raymonde Gagné
Mr. Angelo Farrugia
Speaker
Speaker
Representatives of the Executive Committee
Ms. Nelly Butete Kashumba Mutti Speaker
Mr. Agustín Almodóbar
Senator
Ex-officio
Members of the Preparatory Committee
Ms. Cynthia López Castro
Mr. Dan Carden
Ms. Maja Riniker
President
President
First Vice-President
Bureau of Women Parliamentarians
Board of the Forum of Young MPs
National Council, Switzerland
(President of the National Council in
2025 and President of the 2025 Summit
of Women Speakers)
IPU Standing Committee
on United Nations Affairs
National Assembly, Zambia
Senate, Spain
Mr. David McGuinty
President
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Representative of the UN Secretary-General
Mr. Courtenay Rattray
Chef de Cabinet of the UNSG
* * * * * *
Mr. Martin Chungong
Secretary General of the IPU
Report on the work of the IPU Task Force on the
peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine
Noted by the IPU Governing Council at its 213th session
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
Since its establishment in March 2022, the IPU Task Force on the peaceful resolution of the war in
Ukraine has endeavoured to promote political dialogue in support of peacebuilding efforts, including by
working with the delegations of Ukraine and the Russian Federation to identify possible ways to ease
the humanitarian consequences of the war. The IPU Task Force deplores the fact that the war is raging
on, with countless victims on both sides, and has continued to advocate for a return to the negotiating
table. In the meantime, Task Force members have sought to engage in parliamentary diplomacy and
focus on small steps that can eventually lead to dialogue, better understanding and possible positive
humanitarian outcomes.
During the 146th IPU Assembly in Manama, both sides agreed, in principle, to focus on four issues
identified as common ground in the various proposed peace plans: (1) nuclear safety, (2) food security,
(3) access to, treatment and exchange of prisoners of war, and (4) safety of ecologically vulnerable
sites. At its eleventh meeting in October 2023, in the context of the 147th IPU Assembly in Luanda, the
Task Force agreed to include a fifth point of discussion: the subject of conflict-displaced children. In
particular, the Task Force expressed a willingness to address the challenge raised in United Nations-
verified reports of separated children who find themselves stranded across the Russian-Ukrainian
border or along the lines of military control in the conflict zone without their parents or legal guardians.
As a follow-up to its eleventh meeting, the Task Force collected information on this issue from the
delegations of both Ukraine and the Russian Federation. It received several communications providing
competing accounts of the situation of conflict-displaced children. The Task Force has noted that while
both Ukrainian and Russian officials acknowledge that thousands of children have been displaced from
Ukraine to the Russian Federation or Russian-controlled territories since the beginning of the war, the
explanations differ (abduction vs. humanitarian evacuations).
On 14 March 2024, the Task Force held an online briefing alongside the IPU Committee to Promote
Respect for International Humanitarian Law, with a special focus on children and with contributions by
experts from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Committee on the
Rights of the Child (CRC), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons. During
this session, the Task Force was briefed on the need for more political support to bolster international
mechanisms to reunite children and parents.
The Task Force held its twelfth meeting on 25 March 2024 during the 148th IPU Assembly and held
follow-up hearings with the delegations of Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The parties agreed to
deepen cooperation with the IPU on the issue of conflict-displaced children, share further information as
requested, and work to develop more concrete and structured procedures to support family
reunifications. In this context, the Task Force is looking to address the situation of identified displaced
children on a case-by-case basis through its discreet good offices. Two years after its first field visit to
Ukraine and the Russian Federation, the Task Force also discussed the possibility of conducting a
second mission to Kyiv and Moscow, which was welcome by both parties.
The Task Force is committed to continuing its efforts to help bring about a peaceful resolution to the war
in Ukraine.
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Report of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians
Noted by the IPU Governing Council at its 213th session
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
1.
The 37th session of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians was held on 23 March 2024. It
brought together 262 participants, including 141 parliamentarians (129 women and 12 men) from
91 countries and representatives from various international organizations.
2.
The First Vice-President of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians, Ms. F. Ilimi Haddouche
(Algeria), chaired the session in the absence of the President of the Bureau of Women
Parliamentarians, Ms. C. López Castro (Mexico). The President of the IPU, Dr. T. Ackson, welcomed
participants to the Forum and to the 148th IPU Assembly.
3.
As the IPU Gender Partnership Group had not met prior to the Forum meeting, the IPU Secretary
General, Mr. M. Chungong, took the floor to announce the implementation at the Assembly of the IPU's
new policy to prevent and address harassment, including sexual harassment. He also provided
information on the gender balance of delegations to the 148th Assembly, and expressed his satisfaction
that the IPU currently had a perfectly gender-balanced Executive Committee.
Initiatives taken to promote gender equality
4.
Ms. S. Sirivejchapun (Thailand) summarized the work of the 50th session of the Bureau of
Women Parliamentarians, which had taken place in Luanda in October 2023, and of its 51st session
held immediately prior to the Forum meeting.
5.
Participants were informed of the IPU’s recent and future activities on the issue of gender
equality. Ms. Z. Hilal, Secretary of the Forum, presented the key highlights of the IPU report,
Women in
Parliament in 2023.
Ms. V. Riotton (France) reported on the parliamentary meeting and other events
organized during the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), held in
March 2024 in New York. Ms. F. Ilimi Haddouche (Algeria) presented a report on a regional online
conference organized with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
(ESCWA) held in January 2024, on promoting equal sharing of care responsibilities to remove barriers
to women's full economic empowerment. Finally, Ms. A. Nassif Ayyoub (Egypt), Second Vice-President
of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians, reported on the webinar for African parliaments entitled
Preventing and responding to violence against women in parliaments,
organized in November 2023.
Contributions to the work of the 148th Assembly from a gender perspective
6.
In order to contribute to the work of the Assembly, participants examined, from a gender
perspective, the draft resolution of the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security entitled
Addressing the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous weapon systems and artificial
intelligence.
The debate was opened with a presentation by the resolution’s co-Rapporteurs,
Ms. L. Crexell on behalf of Ms. M. Stolbizer (Argentina) and Mr. C. Lacroix (Belgium), and a
presentation by Ms. S. Mohan, associate researcher on gender and disarmament, security and
technology at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). The debate continued
in plenary, presided by Ms. A. Nassif Ayyoub (Egypt) and with Ms. L. Reynolds (Australia) as
Rapporteur.
7.
The discussions highlighted concerns and fears about autonomous weapon systems that could
lead to a world where weapons could kill people without any human intervention, based solely on
algorithms. Participants stressed that this was all the more worrying given that the algorithms that
underpin artificial intelligence (AI) systems already incorporate gender norms and biases. Therefore,
action is urgently needed to remove these biases from all AI algorithms and datasets by applying a
gender perspective. Women's participation in decision-making processes related to the development,
regulation and use of AI and autonomous weapon systems is also urgently needed. The challenge is
daunting, given that only 8% of software developers are women, and that women make up only a tiny
proportion of the armed forces in most countries, which highlights the need to encourage girls and
women to study STEM subjects. The discussion also focused on the need for national laws, policies and
an international instrument to regulate military AI systems and autonomous weapons, including from a
gender perspective.
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8.
The debate resulted in the formulation of two amendments to the Standing Committee’s draft
resolution. The proposed amendments were incorporated into the text of the draft resolution,
strengthening its gender perspective.
Panel discussion on
Women peacebuilders advancing sustainable peace
9.
During the panel discussion, participants examined how parliamentarians can improve the
implementation of the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda and work with women peacebuilders
to promote inclusive and gender-sensitive processes that are more likely to lead to sustainable peace.
10. The discussions opened with a keynote address by Ms. P. Patten, UN Special Representative of
the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict; followed by presentations by Ms. A. Quiñones,
Head of Human Rights and Development, UN Women Geneva Office; Mr. T. Greminger, Executive
Director, Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP); and Ms. M. Cabrera Balleza, CEO, Global Network
of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP). Video testimonials from two women peacebuilders were also shown.
11. The intensification of armed conflict around the world and conflict-induced displacement expose
women and girls to a heightened risk of gender-based sexual violence. In this context, participants
deplored the fact that although progress is being made in implementing the WPS agenda, the parties
negotiating conflict resolution continue to exclude women, and peace processes remain an almost
exclusively male domain. The discussions highlighted the fact that for peace to be sustainable, it is
essential that women play an important role and participate on an equal footing in peacebuilding.
Women's contributions are essential in conflict zones, peace processes, peacekeeping, peacebuilding
and security efforts. Without the inclusion of women in post-conflict reconstruction processes, there will
be no justice or full reparations. Participants called for women peacebuilders who are on the front line of
conflict, have access to information on the ground and are in close contact with victims and survivors of
violent conflict and humanitarian emergencies, to be present at the negotiating table and participate in
decision-making processes on peace and security. By working with parliamentarians, women
peacebuilders can also inform and influence better policies more effectively to implement the WPS
agenda.
Election to the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians
12.
The Forum elected Ms. Z. Mashaba (Eswatini) to fill the vacant seat of the African Group.
Bureau of Women Parliamentarians
13. The Bureau held meetings on 23 and 27 March 2024. The meeting of 23 March was dedicated to
the Forum’s discussions, and the meeting of 27 March took stock of the results of the 148th Assembly
from a gender perspective and dealt with the Forum’s future work.
Report of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians
Noted by the IPU Governing Council at its 213th session
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
The Forum of Young Parliamentarians was held on 24 March 2024. It brought together almost
130 participants, including 70 parliamentarians (29 young women and 41 young men) from 60 countries,
as well as representatives from organizations. The meeting was presided over by Mr. D. Carden (United
Kingdom), President of the Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians.
In the opening session of the Forum, the President of the Board drew attention to the lack of opportunity
for young parliamentarians to take active roles in parliamentary diplomacy and called for this to be
rectified. He also called on parliaments to help further implement United Nations Security Council
resolution 2250 (2015) on youth, peace and security. The IPU President, Dr. T. Ackson, reaffirmed her
commitment to promote inclusivity during her tenure and to elevate youth voices in the IPU and in
parliaments. Young MPs were well-positioned to advocate for the promotion and protection of the
human rights of young men and women, especially in times of conflict. IPU Secretary General,
Mr. M. Chungong, highlighted that the youth movement at the IPU was continuing to grow. He noted
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that there was a greater proportion of young MPs at Assemblies and expressed his hope that their
participation would reach even greater heights. He welcomed the presence of the UN Assistant
Secretary-General (ASG) for Youth Affairs, Dr. F. Paullier, and expressed the IPU’s support for this new
role and the promise it holds for the further promotion of youth within the United Nations.
The young MPs updated the Forum on recent developments in promoting youth participation in their
respective countries and parliaments. This included the formalization of youth caucuses, such as in
Thailand; the adoption of new youth quotas, such as in Ecuador; and the increase of youth participation
in political parties, such as in Nepal. Young MPs also highlighted the importance of implementing
pledge 2 of the
I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament!
campaign to lower the age of eligibility to hold office,
as had been done in Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay and Türkiye. Despite these positive developments,
alarm was raised over rising violence against young MPs, including assassination and death threats by
drug cartels and criminal groups, sexism and gender-based violence against young women, and online
violence and harassment on social media. Such violence deters young people from getting involved in
politics and must be addressed.
Contributing to the work of the 148th Assembly, participants examined the theme of the General
Debate,
Parliamentary diplomacy: Building bridges for peace and understanding,
from a youth
perspective. The ASG for Youth Affairs, Dr. F. Paullier, praised the IPU and young MPs as allies in the
youth, peace and security agenda. He called on young MPs to support the agenda in parliamentary
commissions to hold governments accountable, to create youth bodies in parliament, to advocate for the
adoption of national action plans for peace, and to promote the
I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament!
campaign. In their remarks, young MPs stressed the important roles of young people in fostering peace
dialogues and engaging in peace processes. They stressed that there can be no lasting peace without
youth participation and leadership in democracy and peacebuilding. They called for increased focus and
funding to advance youth rights and provide education and employment opportunities to young people
in conflict-affected situations, and pledged to take up these tasks.
Discussing the two draft resolutions considered at the Assembly,
Addressing the social and
humanitarian impact of autonomous weapon systems and artificial intelligence,
and
Partnerships for
climate action: Promoting access to affordable green energy, and ensuring innovation, responsibility
and equity,
the young MPs were briefed on the youth overview reports submitted during the resolutions’
drafting processes to contribute a youth perspective. The young MPs highlighted the importance of
increased education on autonomous weapon systems, including through awareness raising on social
media. They also called for greater investments in green energy, including through the implementation
of smart grids, and pledged to continue their work on climate action.
In preparation for the 149th IPU Assembly to be held in Geneva in October 2024, the Forum appointed
a member of the Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, Mr. F. Fakafanua (Tonga), to prepare
a youth overview report on the proposed resolution
The impact of artificial intelligence on democracy,
human rights and the rule of law.
The Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians had met earlier that day. It took stock of youth
participation at the 148th Assembly and looked forward to the review process to amend the Statutes
and Rules of the IPU to lower the age limit to 40 years old to be considered a young MP. The Board
also welcomed preparations underway for the forthcoming Tenth Global Conference of Young
Parliamentarians, which will take place in Armenia from 12 to 14 September 2024. The Conference will
focus on preserving education and employment for youth at all times, to ensure no lost generations. The
Board also approved the establishment of a youth hub within the Centre for Innovation in Parliament,
which would now begin outreach efforts to interested members.
Finally, the members of the Board took stock of the work carried out in the first half of their mandate,
which was very productive thanks to the Board’s strong drive and sense of responsibility, and the vitality
of the results reached in reinforcing youth participation in climate action and in building linkages with
youth movements and organizations. Looking ahead to the second half of their mandate up to March
2025, members agreed to redouble efforts to aim higher to have younger MPs at IPU Assemblies and
promote the
I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament!
campaign. They also provided guidance on future
Empowerment Series briefing topics and resolved to continue meeting with youth groups and
movements in different sectors.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union –Reports, decisions and other texts of the Governing Council
Report of the Committee on Middle East Questions
Noted by the IPU Governing Council at its 213th session
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
Since the last Assembly, the Committee on Middle East Questions has met three times, on 5 February,
24 March and 26 March 2024, with at least seven members in attendance at each sitting. Members
emphasized the importance of the Committee as a unique global forum with representatives from Israel
and Palestine. Its prominent role in encouraging dialogue underlines its pertinence in the current crisis,
and in the search for a path towards peace. At its sitting on 24 March 2024, Committee members
elected Mr. H.-J. Talsma (Netherlands) as President of the Committee.
At its sitting on 5 February 2024, the IPU President praised members for ensuring that their parliaments
and the world at large were paying attention to issues in the Middle East. The Committee President at
the time of the sitting, Mr. H. Julien-Laferrière (France), emphasized the importance of finding points of
consensus in the Committee and in the IPU to pursue the common goal of establishing peace in the
region.
The Committee President briefed members on the recent events in Israel and Palestine, notably the
conflict in the Gaza Strip and the hostages remaining in Gaza. The humanitarian situation in Gaza was
dire. Among other problems, more than half of all housing units in the area had been destroyed or
damaged; all of Gaza’s population was at imminent risk of famine; and only a third of Gaza’s hospitals
were still functioning. The briefing also updated members on international and regional efforts for a
ceasefire and hostage release agreement. Committee members expressed their concern about a
possible Israeli offensive on Rafah, and the possible humanitarian ramifications of such an invasion.
Members emphasized the importance of Palestinian and Israeli representatives sitting at the negotiating
table to discuss the future. The Committee heard from Mr. D. Danon (Israel) and Mr. M. Hadid
(Palestine) regarding the situation in Gaza.
At the same sitting, the IPU President briefed Committee members on her mission to Israel and
Palestine from 25 to 29 November 2023. One of the key issues raised in her meeting with Palestinian
representatives was funding from tax collection in Palestine. Taxes were collected by Israel but were not
being released to the Palestinian authorities. In the IPU President’s meeting with Israeli representatives,
the concern was raised that if the tax revenues were made available, they would be disbursed to the
families of people who had killed Israelis. The meetings with both sides provided the IPU President with
many insights that the Committee could benefit from. It was important, in assessing the conflict, to
remember that those who had been killed in Israel and Gaza were not just statistics, but human souls
that had been lost. The Committee had a crucial role to play as a platform for dialogue, listening to both
sides’ concerns, and considering how to move towards establishing a lasting peace.
Committee members affirmed their desire to visit the region to assess the situation on the ground and
find out how they could contribute to peacebuilding efforts. The Israeli and Palestinian representatives
both assured the Committee that such a mission would be welcome. At its sitting on 24 March 2024, the
Committee agreed that they would like to, if possible, visit the region in one mission, and as soon as
possible. Members suggested holding a visit in coordination with the United Nations Senior
Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza and the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian AffairsAt its sitting on 5 February 2024, the Committee heard an appeal
from Mr. M. Hadid (Palestine) for humanitarian aid to support the Palestinian people during the current
crisis. The international parliamentary community must think about how to relieve and support the more
than two million Palestinians in Gaza who have no shelter, no food, no education, no homes, no schools
and no future.
At its sitting on 5 February 2024, the Committee agreed to publish a communiqué outlining its
recommendations from the meeting. The communiqué reiterated the IPU’s appeal for immediate and
unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip. It appealed to IPU Member Parliaments to work with
their governments and other entities to that end. The Committee called for the immediate cessation of
hostilities and implored the global parliamentary community to concentrate its efforts on stopping further
bloodshed. Members further agreed that it was imperative to receive assurances about the release of all
remaining Israeli hostages. They stressed the importance of dialogue as a tool for peacebuilding and
thanked the representatives of the Knesset and the Palestinian National Council who had attended the
meeting.
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At its sittings on 5 February and 26 March 2024, the Committee heard from a representative of the UN
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on recent developments.
Members were updated on current events in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as on the Agency’s
response to allegations against some of its staff, and the investigation being carried out by the UN
Office of Internal Oversight Services. UNRWA was committed to fully cooperating with the investigation.
Nonetheless, the withdrawal of funding to UNRWA in light of these allegations was putting the lives of
2.2 million people in Gaza at even further risk, as well as of millions of others dependent on UNRWA
assistance in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic.
The representative appealed to the Committee to urge countries that had suspended funding to
reconsider their decision. The Committee stressed the importance of a comprehensive investigation into
the allegations, while recognizing that UNRWA must be able to continue delivering critical aid to the
millions of Palestinians who depend on it and acknowledging UNRWA’s role in providing stability in the
region. UNRWA called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages; the adequate, safe
and unimpeded access of humanitarian aid into Gaza; and for all parties to the conflict to adhere fully to
international humanitarian law. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is marked by insufficient access to
food, water and medical supplies, with about one-third of children in the northern part of Gaza severely
malnourished and at risk of starvation. Members agreed that political support for UNRWA was
imperative, and that its collapse would jeopardize the entire humanitarian effort.
The Committee highlighted the importance of addressing the mental health recovery of children and
individuals in Gaza, which was identified as a significant challenge, underscoring that violence
perpetuates further violence.
The Committee discussed the inability of IPU Member Parliaments to adopt an emergency item
resolution on Gaza for the second time. It was emphasized that the resolution proposed by South Africa
and the resolution proposed by Denmark shared four main principles: an immediate ceasefire, the
release of all hostages, opening access for humanitarian assistance, and respecting international law.
The entire global parliamentary community had reached a consensus on these principles, with
unanimous support. The only point of contention revolved around the issue of Palestinian detainees.
The Palestinian delegation said that it was unjust to distinguish between the Israeli hostages held by
Hamas and the more than 4,000 Palestinian detainees held by Israel without judicial charges since
7 October 2023.
Report of the Committee to Promote Respect
for International Humanitarian Law
Noted by the IPU Governing Council at its 213th session
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
The Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian Law (IHL) met on 26 March 2024.
Review of specific areas of humanitarian concern
The Committee heard an update on
recent developments with regard to situations involving IHL and
refugee protection issues
which it has been monitoring over the past few years. It paid particular
attention to three situations of concern: Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and
Sudan.
Regarding the situation in Afghanistan, the Committee highlighted that life-saving efforts have become a
priority for support agencies involved in the country. The Committee recalled that, in 2024,
23.7 million people were in need of urgent humanitarian assistance to survive. As of 30 June 2023, a
total of 1,619,145 Afghan refugees had been displaced to neighbouring countries since the Taliban
takeover, and some 3.25 million had been internally displaced. The situation of women has not
improved, in particular given the decision by the Taliban in January 2024 to enforce a stricter dress
code, which has caused numerous women to be arbitrarily deprived of their liberty. The Committee also
paid particular attention to the situation of Afghan parliamentarians who were in danger and were
seeking refuge. There are currently 38 former members of the Afghan Parliament, 12 parliamentary
staff, and their families who remain in danger in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries. The
Committee called on IPU Member Parliaments to consider providing refuge to those colleagues by
looking at opportunities in their own countries. It learned of the action carried out by
Operation Snow
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Leopard
and encouraged members to reach out to this initiative (by email to
[email protected])
if they were able to provide support. The Committee also stressed
the importance of addressing the root causes of displacement in this context.
The Committee acknowledged the current situation in the DRC, which had worsened since
January 2024, with armed clashes across the country (especially in the North Kivu province). There are
currently 6.1 million people internally displaced in the DRC, in addition to over 500,000 refugees and
asylum-seekers fleeing from other neighbouring countries. This displacement crisis is one of the largest
in the world and second only to Sudan. The Committee pointed out the need to draw more attention to
the situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) globally, but especially in the DRC. Between July
and December 2023, 23.4 million people were experiencing acute food insecurity in the country, with
2.8 million children in a situation of acute malnourishment. The Committee called on parliamentarians to
raise awareness of the situation in DRC, draw attention to the plight of IDPs and consider encouraging
the provision of support to humanitarian organizations working to protect these populations within the
country.
The Committee also noted with concern the dire situation in Sudan, especially since the armed conflict
that had broken out in April 2023. This conflict had displaced nearly six million people within Sudan by
October 2023, and driven over 1.4 million people into five neighbouring countries – the Central African
Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan. Half of Sudan’s population now requires
humanitarian aid and protection. Sudan currently faces the largest internal displacement crisis in the
world and the most significant child displacement crisis, with more than three million children displaced
inside and outside the country. As of March 2024, Sudan’s Humanitarian Response Plan has received
only 4% of its target funding. The Committee made a plea for parliamentarians to raise awareness on
this situation and call on their governments to provide support for humanitarian assistance to the
country.
The Committee expressed a strong and urgent call for armed conflicts to stop, for IHL to be respected
and for humanitarian assistance to be provided to affected civilians, including refugees and internally
displaced populations.
Parliamentary commitments towards ending statelessness
The Committee discussed parliamentary efforts towards ending statelessness. This engagement builds
on the IPU pledges made in the context of the Global Refugee Forum in 2023 to mobilize parliaments
towards universalization of the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the
1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
The Committee acknowledged the progress made in this area since the launch of the
#IBelong
Campaign in 2014. The Committee also learned about the
Global Alliance to End Statelessness
(which
will be launched in October 2024) – a multistakeholder platform with the vision of a world without
statelessness in which everyone enjoys the right to a nationality. The Committee also expressed
concern regarding gender discriminatory nationality laws, especially in the Middle East and Africa, and
lack of birth registration, as causes leading to statelessness. Providing universal birth registration was
put forward as a solution to tackle some of these concerns.
2024 marks the 70th Anniversary of the 1954 Convention. The Committee called on IPU Member
Parliaments to look at the ratification status with regard to both the 1954 and 1961 Conventions and
consider accession; review current legal frameworks with a view to address provisions that can lead to
statelessness; raise awareness on the situation of stateless women and men; and consider joining the
Global Alliance. The Committee also recommended that its members work as champions within their
geopolitical groups and report on progress with accession to the two Statelessness Conventions at the
Committee’s next session.
Parliamentary commitments under the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention
The Committee discussed work towards the universalization and domestic implementation of the
Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC). It took note that only 33 States were not yet parties to
the Convention and of the objective to have several further ratifications by the Fifth Review Conference
of the APMBC, which will take place in November 2024 in Cambodia.
The Committee also reviewed a checklist of proposed actions for parliaments to take towards
universalization and national implementation of key obligations under the Convention. The Committee
called on parliamentarians to: begin by championing discussions about the Convention in parliament;
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speak out against anti-personnel mines; contribute to raising awareness of the impact of such weapons
and encourage the stigmatization of their use; if their country was not yet a State Party, assess the
reasons why not and consider ratification; if they have a National Committee on IHL, engage with it on
the topic; and review the status of the Convention at the domestic level, especially in terms of
implementing legislation and stockpile destruction.
The Committee also agreed to hold its open session at the next IPU Assembly in October 2024 on the
topic of disability and armed conflict (including in connection with the use of anti-personnel mines) to
mark the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the APMBC.
75th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions
The Committee discussed various priorities related to the implementation of IHL in view of the
75th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions. It acknowledged that this anniversary would be an
opportunity to look at contemporary warfare and reinforce engagement towards respect for IHL.
The Committee made a special plea for IPU Member Parliaments to work towards the universalization
of IHL treaties, especially with regard to the two 1977 Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions,
and support efforts to assess the level of implementation of the Geneva Conventions and the Additional
Protocols in their respective countries. In addition, the Committee called on parliamentarians to be more
vocal on IHL issues, including by making IHL a flagship priority domestically, promoting it to their
constituents and making other States accountable on their obligations under IHL.
Finally, the Committee agreed to include the situation of the Al-Hawl refugee camp in the Syrian Arab
Republic on the agenda of the Committee’s next session in October 2024, due to related IHL and
refugee protection concerns.
Report of the Advisory Group on Health
Noted by the IPU Governing Council at its 213th session
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
The IPU Advisory Group on Health met on 23 March 2024, with five out of nine members in attendance,
as well as technical partners from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Partnership for Maternal,
Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and
UNAIDS.
The Group discussed its main areas of work, namely women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health,
global health security, and universal health coverage. The work plan for this year focuses on the sexual
and reproductive health and rights of vulnerable and marginalized populations. Particular attention will
be devoted to the political space for health; girls’ health; and health in emergencies.
The Group was briefed by the WHO on the ongoing negotiations on an international instrument on
pandemic preparedness. The Group’s discussion highlighted the importance of reaching an agreement
and of engaging stakeholders in the process. It further noted the current challenging context, with many
crises affecting national health systems and limiting countries’ capacities to respond to emergencies.
The Advisory Group discussed the preliminary results of a study looking at parliamentary strategies and
practices to make parliaments more responsive to the health needs of women, children and
adolescents. The Group recalled its visit to WHO the previous day and noted the shrinking political
space for addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights. It committed to engaging parliaments
and parliamentarians during IPU Assemblies on key issues affecting gender equality and the right to
health.
As the focal point for accountability for implementation of the 2019 IPU resolution on universal health
coverage, the Advisory Group called on its technical partners to provide monitoring tools to better track
progress and gaps in the implementation of universal health coverage at the national level.
Upcoming activities of the Advisory Group include a series of podcasts to communicate and raise
awareness on the Group’s priority themes. The Group agreed to work with the WHO to hold an event
during the World Health Assembly in May, and to hold a side event at the 149th IPU Assembly.
Ms. Luna Morales (Cuba) expressed interest in hosting a visit of the Advisory Group to her country.
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Finally, the Group welcomed the signature by the IPU of a new memorandum of understanding with the
WHO during this Assembly to further strengthen the two organizations’ long-standing partnership, as
well as the IPU’s ongoing collaboration with PMNCH on women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health.
Report of the High-Level Advisory Group on
Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism (HLAG)
Noted by the IPU Governing Council at its 213
th
session
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
On 23 March 2024, the IPU High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism
(HLAG) convened its sixteenth meeting. Welcoming all participants, the IPU Secretary General
underscored the pivotal role of the HLAG, particularly in the Sahel region, where countries face
persistent threats from terrorism. Noting the escalation of terrorism and instability in the region in recent
years, he emphasized the critical nature of the HLAG’s work. He also addressed the financial aspect of
the IPU’s programme on counter-terrorism and prevention of violent extremism (CTPVE), urging
members of the HLAG to collaborate on fundraising efforts to sustain its activities. Additionally, he
expressed his optimism regarding recent discussions held with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates
on fundraising.
During the meeting, the members elected Mr. Mattias Karlsson from Sweden as the new Chairperson
and Ms. Marcela Guerra Castillo from Mexico as the Vice-Chairperson. Both will serve a one-year term,
with eligibility for re-election for an additional year.
Discussions centred on the situation in the Sahel and the implementation of outcomes from the Second
Global Parliamentary Summit on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism:
The Global Response to
the Call of the Sahel.
The HLAG reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the objectives outlined in the
Call of the Sahel,
with a particular focus on fostering development and economic growth to create
opportunities for youth employment. Recognizing the abundant natural resources in these countries,
members agreed on the importance of promoting investment to support development efforts. Members
also stressed the need for security assistance while emphasizing respect for the sovereignty and
objectives of the Sahel nations.
A key recommendation from the Second global Parliamentary Summit on Countering Terrorism and
Violent Extremism held in October 2023 was to establish an ad hoc mechanism within the HLAG to
coordinate, monitor and follow up on the second phase of the
Call of the Sahel.
This mechanism will
oversee studies, projects and development initiatives in the Sahel countries. Members agreed on the
importance of launching this ad hoc group within the HLAG, comprising five facilitators from among the
members of the group who will be responsible for each of the five priority areas: communities, security,
environment, development and education. The members asked the Secretariat to prepare a
comprehensive proposal outlining the structure and functions of this group.
The Secretariat provided an update on financing, indicating ongoing fundraising efforts. Several
countries, including Algeria, Bahrain, China and the United Arab Emirates, along with the King Hamad
Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence in Bahrain, have expressed interest in supporting the CTPVE
programme. Some countries have shown interest in supporting specific activities, while others, such as
Algeria, have expressed enthusiasm for supporting the implementation of the
Call of the Sahel.
China
has confirmed its commitment to renew its support for the CTPVE programme in its entirety.
Additionally, consultations with Saudi Arabia are scheduled in the near future.
Furthermore, the Secretariat informed attendees about a proposal that the President of the Forum of
Women Parliamentarians had received from the Qatari-UNOCT parliamentary group (the Programme
Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism) to hold a conference on
the role of women in counter-terrorism in Mexico City. The members raised objections to this proposal,
citing the lack of consultation with the HLAG, which serves as the global parliamentary focal point for
counter-terrorism and related activities. Moreover, concerns were expressed regarding the activities of
the Qatari-UNOCT parliamentary group more generally, which intersect with the mandate of the IPU as
an international organization representing parliaments and regional parliamentary assemblies
worldwide.
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Inter-Parliamentary Union - Reports, decisions and other texts of the Governing Council
Report of the Working Group
on Science and Technology
Noted by the IPU Governing Council at its 213th session
(Geneva, 27 March 2024)
Two sittings of the Working Group were held, online on 22 January 2024 and in Geneva on
25 March 2024. At least ten members attended each of these meetings in person or virtually.
During its sitting on 22 January 2024, the Working Group members discussed the progress made with
their initiative to produce an IPU Charter on the Ethics of Science and Technology. Members agreed to
circulate the first agreed draft of the Charter to the IPU membership at the 148th IPU Assembly in
Geneva with a view to gathering feedback and input. Members also agreed to submit the Charter to the
relevant bodies of the United Nations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) at a later stage to gather expert feedback to allow finalization of the Charter in
advance of its presentation at the 149th Assembly for formal adoption. The Chair briefed the members
on progress with the survey on understanding parliamentarians’ use of scientific research and circulated
it among them for feedback and finalization, so that it could be launched in the course of the
148th Assembly.
During its sitting on 25 March 2024, the Working Group was briefed by the Chair on his participation in
the Munich Security Conference, held from 16 to 18 February 2024, where he promoted the Working
Group and its various initiatives and activities. The Chair also represented the Working Group in
meetings held on 19 and 20 March 2024 relating to CGIAR’s Montpellier Process, which is addressing
the complex challenges of the polycrisis and is dedicated to designing transformative pathways across
climate, biodiversity, health and food systems, by bringing evidence into the broader policy process.
The Working Group members were encouraged to participate in the Ninth UN Multi-Stakeholder Forum
on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals on 9 and 10 May 2024
in New York. Members suggested coordinating their participation to promote and advance their ongoing
work on the IPU Charter on the Ethics of Science and Technology.
The members also discussed other ongoing projects of the Working Group, including the Science for
Peace Schools’ first edition on water, and the recommendations document that was produced following
the Science for Peace Parliamentary Meeting on
Water security and insecurity: Rebuilding peaceful
coexistence with science,
held in cooperation with the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science
and Education (ICISE) from 11 to 13 September 2023 in Quy Nhon, Viet Nam. They emphasized the
importance of aligning the programme of the upcoming Parliamentary Meeting on the occasion of the
10th World Water Forum with the outcome of the Science for Peace Parliamentary Meeting in order to
build on the work of the experts and MPs that had participated in the event and avoid unnecessary
duplication of effort.
In order to align the activities of the Working Group with the proposed IPU Charter on the Ethics of
Science and Technology as well as the ongoing work of the Standing Committee on Democracy and
Human Rights on the draft resolution on
The impact of artificial intelligence on democracy, human rights
and the rule of law,
members discussed the possibility of holding the next Science for Peace
Parliamentary Meeting on the subject
Understanding artificial intelligence: Ethics and the Charter,
in
September 2024, in cooperation with ICISE in Quy Nhon, Viet Nam.
Building on the Working Group members’ desire to put together a parliamentary toolkit providing
practical assistance and guidance to parliamentarians on ways to engage with the scientific community,
members reviewed the structure and content of the toolkit in its latest form, which was based on the
pilot projects that they had conducted in their respective parliaments and the input received from the
mapping exercise that had been circulated to parliamentary administrators and staff.
In this regard, the Working Group members highlighted the dominance of scientific information from the
Global North, as well as the importance of investment in science and research in developing countries
and of establishing parliamentary committees to oversee scientific issues and budgets. They also
shared examples of initiatives from their respective parliaments focused on science, technology and
innovation, and stressed their parliaments’ need for capacity-building and skills development.
The Working Group members expressed their surprise at the resolution of the Council of the European
Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) that had been adopted on 15 December 2023, terminating
the Russian Federation's cooperation agreement with CERN. A field visit of the Working Group
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members to CERN had been scheduled to take place on 26 March 2024. However, the CERN team
refused to welcome the Russian member of the Working Group, given that CERN considers that her
participation would not be compatible with the decisions made by the CERN Council on the Russian
Federation, which were based on respect for international sanctions and CERN’s obligations towards its
Host States.
In this regard, the Working Group members held an urgent meeting in the evening to discuss the issue
and collectively agreed to not participate in the CERN visit as a Group as long as the Russian member
was excluded. The members asserted that CERN’s decision in that regard was not aligned with the
IPU’s values and principles of inclusivity, including the important role of multilateralism in addressing
global challenges, advocating for international cooperation and collaboration among nations and
parliaments, and fostering dialogue and cooperation among parliamentarians from different countries
and political backgrounds.
Finally, the Working Group re-elected Ms. S. Attia (Egypt) as its Vice-Chair and agreed on its work plan
for 2024.
Statistics of the Gender Partnership Group
Status of participation of women delegates at the 148th Assembly of the IPU
(at 27 March 2024)
Composition of delegations of IPU Members attending the last eight IPU statutory meetings
(October 2019 - present)
Meeting
Total
delegates
Total/percentage
of women
delegates
252
217
228
196
153
198
287
221
35.8
36.2
34.5
35.4
38.9
38.9
38
30.7
Total
delegations
Total/percentage
of all-male
delegations
(2 or more)
15
11.4
10
21
14
13
10
8
15
8.3
16
12.6
14.4
9.3
6.2
11.4
Total all-female
delegations
(2 or more)
2
3
3
4
3
3
2
0
Total single-
sex delegations
(2 or more)
17
13
24
18
16
13
10
15
Total single-member
delegations
(male and female)
10
8
5
9
11
10
4
17
Geneva (27/03/24)
Luanda (10/23)
Manama (03/23)
Kigali (10/22)
Nusa Dua (03/22)
Madrid (11/21)
Virtual Gva (05/21)
Belgrade (10/19)
703
600
661
553
393
509
755
719
142
128
136
120
101
117
133
149
Single-sex, multi-member delegations of IPU Members present in Geneva (status on 27 March 2024)
Geneva Mar24
Luanda Oct23
Manama Mar23
Kigali Oct22
Nusa Dua Mar22
Madrid Nov21
Virtual May 21
Belgrade 10/19
Women MPs
Women MPs
Women MPs
Women MPs
Women MPs
Women MPs
Women MPs
Women MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
N°
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Country
Brazil
Denmark
Gabon
Greece
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Latvia
Mali
Malta*
Paraguay*
Qatar*
Slovenia
Spain
Tonga
Turkmenistan
Vanuatu
Yemen*
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
7
5
3
4
2
5
0
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
0
2
4
7
5
3
4
2
5
2
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
4
2
1
1
1
1
2
0
1
0
0
1
1
1
0
3
6
3
0
4
5
1
2
3
absent
7
1
2
1
absent
absent
4
5
7
4
1
5
7
1
3
3
7
2
3
2
0
1
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
4
6
6
2
1
3
absent
3
2
3
1
7
2
5
2
1
absent
4
6
7
2
2
4
4
2
3
1
7
3
6
2
1
4
0
2
0
1
4
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
2
3
5
absent
absent
3
2
1
4
1
6
absent
absent
absent
6
1
2
2
4
9
3
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
4
2
1
5
1
6
6
0
absent
2
absent
3
2
1
2
absent
1
1
2
absent
3
absent
absent
absent
5
5
3
3
1
2
1
1
3
4
3
2
1
1
2
0
0
0
1
0
2
5
0
5
3
5
2
absent
0
3
absent
3
2
5
1
4
absent
absent
absent
5
8
5
6
3
2
3
3
2
6
1
6
2
2
1
0
2
1
0
1
1
2
2
0
5
0
2
1
absent
4
4
absent
2
1
2
2
4
0
6
absent
2
absent
8
4
3
5
4
4
2
2
3
5
2
8
2
8
1
2
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
10 11
3
5
4
5
3
4
1
1
absent
2
2
2
3
1
1
1
1
5
6
3
4
3
4
1
1
2
2
absent
8
8
73
Total
 IPU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 9: Results 148th Assembly
2861144_0075.png
Inter-Parliamentary Union - Reports, decisions and other texts of the Governing Council
Single-member delegations of IPU Members present in Geneva (status on 27 March 2024)
Geneva Mar24
Luanda Oct23
Manama Mar23
Kigali Oct22
Nusa Dua Mar22
Madrid Nov21
Virtual May 21
Belgrade 10/19
Women MPs
Women MPs
Women MPs
Women MPs
Women MPs
Women MPs
Women MPs
Women MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Men MPs
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
Total
N°
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Country
Argentina*
Bosnia and Herzegovina*
Bulgaria
Dominican Republic*
Ecuador
Lebanon*
Luxembourg
Rwanda
Slovakia
Trinidad and Tobago
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
0
absent
1
1
0
1
absent
absent
absent
1
1
absent
absent
3
2
1
4
2
0
absent
absent
absent
4
1
absent
absent
1
1
0
2
absent
4
2
5
2
2
0
absent
absent
absent
absent
absent
absent
3
3
absent
absent
2
6
absent
absent
1
0
absent
3
2
absent
absent
1
0
absent
absent
0
1
5
1
2
0
1
2
1
absent
1
absent
1
2
1
0
1
absent
absent
4
1
2
4
1
1
3
4
1
0
2
2
5
absent
absent
absent
4
2
1
1
absent
1
9
1
0
0
1
8
3
1
3
3
3
2
2
1
absent
absent
absent
2
1
0
1
absent
* Delegations subjected to sanctions at the 148th Assembly, pursuant to Art. 10.4 and 15.2.c of the IPU Statutes, for being
composed exclusively of representatives of the same sex for two consecutive Assemblies.
*****
49th session of the Gender Partnership Group
Geneva (Switzerland), 27 March 2024
Delegations with 40 to 60% of women parliamentarians
The Gender Partnership Group promotes gender parity within the delegations of IPU Member
Parliaments to the Assemblies and has decided to give visibility to those that are composed of
a minimum of 40% and maximum of 60% of each gender.
The countries below are ordered according to the percentage of women parliamentarians in their
delegations at the 148th IPU Assembly.
There are a total of 43 gender-balanced delegations out of 142 delegations (30.3%) of IPU members
attending the 148th IPU Assembly (as at 27 March 2024).
Delegations with 40 to 49.9% women parliamentarians (11):
Albania
Austria
Finland
Peru
Syrian Arab Republic
Indonesia
Australia
Azerbaijan
Burundi
Cameroon
Canada
Chad
Egypt
Guyana
Hungary
Israel
Philippines
Kenya
Poland
France
Sweden
United Arab Emirates
54.5%
55.6%
55.6%
57.1%
57.1%
57.1%
40.0%
40.0%
40.0%
40.0%
40.0%
41.7%
Democratic Rep. Of Congo
South Africa
United Rep. of Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
42.9%
42.9%
42.9%
42.9%
44.4%
Delegations with 50% women parliamentarians (20):
Italy
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Monaco
Mongolia
Namibia
Republic of Korea
San Marino
Serbia
Uzbekistan
Angola
Estonia
Ireland
Netherlands
Norway
Saudi Arabia
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
Delegations with 50.1 to 60% women parliamentarians (12)
74
Total
4
2
2
2
3
1
 IPU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 9: Results 148th Assembly
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Inter-Parliamentary Union - Reports, decisions and other texts of the Governing Council
Calendar of future meetings and other activities
Approved by the IPU Governing Council at its 213rd session
(Genève, 27 March 2024)
Fifth Expert Roundtable on the Common Principles for
Support to Parliaments
Parliamentary Meeting at the 10th World Water Forum
Regional seminar for the Caribbean Parliaments
GENEVA (Switzerland)
28 March 2024
BALI (Indonesia)
19 - 22 May 2024
PORT OF SPAIN
(Trinidad and Tobago)
27 – 29 May 2024
GENEVA (Switzerland)
28 – 31 May 2024
GENEVA (Switzerland)
May 2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
Uzbekistan
May 2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
Information seminar on the structure and functioning of the
Inter-Parliamentary Union for French-speaking participants
Workshop for members of Parliamentary Human Rights Committees
from English-speaking countries that have recently or will soon be
reviewed by the Human Rights Council – Organized in collaboration
with CPA and OHCHR
Parallel Session of the Parliamentary Segment of the Asian Women’s
Forum:
Expanding Women's Economic Participation and
Opportunities: The Role of Parliament.
Event hosted and organized by
the Parliament of Uzbekistan, with the support of the IPU and other
partners
Meeting of the IPU Executive Committee
June 2024
(Venue and dates to be
confirmed)
WROXTON
(United Kingdom)
July 2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
NEW YORK (USA)
16 July 2024
Armenia
12 – 14 September 2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
Viet Nam
September 2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
GENEVA (Switzerland)
September/October 2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
GENEVA (Switzerland)
13 – 17 October 2024
Azerbaijan
November 2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
Brazil
November 2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
KIGALI (Rwanda)
November 2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
Saudi Arabia
December 2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
17th Workshop of Parliamentary Scholars and Parliamentarians,
co-sponsored by the IPU and the Centre for Legislative Studies,
University of Hull, United Kingdom
Parliamentary Forum at the UN High-Level Political Forum on
Sustainable Development
Tenth IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians
Second Science for Peace School
54th Session of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary
Conference on the WTO
(in the context of the WTO Public Forum)
149th Assembly and related meetings
Parliamentary meeting at COP29
14th G20 Speakers’ Summit (P20)
Parliamentary event at the SUN Movement Global Gathering
Parliamentary Track at the Internet Governance Forum 2024
75
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Inter-Parliamentary Union - Reports, decisions and other texts of the Governing Council
Parliamentary roundtable on statelessness and nationality laws
GENEVA (Switzerland)
December 2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
December 2024
(Venue and dates to be
confirmed)
Geneva (Switzerland)
2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
BEIJING (China)
2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
GENEVA (Switzerland)
2024
(Date to be confirmed)
GEORGETOWN (Guyana)
2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
Thailand
2024
(Venue and dates to be
confirmed)
Caribbean
2024
(Venue and dates to be
confirmed)
Mexico
2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
2024
Venue and dates to be
confirmed
2024
Venue and dates to be
confirmed
2024
Venue and dates to be
confirmed
2024
Venue and dates to be
confirmed
2024
Venue and dates to be
confirmed
Virtual
2024
(Series dates to be
announced)
Virtual – preparation for
COP29
2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
Virtual
2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
Third Summit of Parliamentary Committees of the Future (to be
co-organized with a Parliamentary Committee of the Future)
Workshop for members of Parliamentary Human Rights Committees
from French-speaking countries that have recently or will soon be
reviewed by the Human Rights Council
Sixth Interregional Seminar on Parliamentary Capacity-building and
the Further Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals
Meeting for parliamentarians on global coalition for social justice
organized in collaboration with the International Labour Organization
(ILO)
Regional workshop for parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from
Latin America and the Caribbean, co-organized with the World Trade
Organization (WTO)
Regional meeting on Health Security for Asia
Regional workshop for parliaments and State Audit Institutes
co-organized with the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI)
Regional seminar on climate action and sustainable development for
parliaments of Latin America and the Caribbean
World e-Parliament Conference 2024
Third regional seminar for African Parliaments on Achieving the SDGs
Regional workshop on promoting the rights of the child for the
parliaments of the East and South Asia region or for the parliaments of
West Africa
Capacity-building regional workshop on countering terrorism and
violent extremism for the African Group
Capacity-building regional workshop on countering terrorism and
violent extremism for the Eurasia Group
Series of workshops on human security and common security with
partners including the International Peace Bureau and the
World Academy on Art and Science
Joint event with UNFCCC on climate finance
Briefing on the outcome of the Abu Dhabi Parliamentary Conference
on the WTO and the MC13
76
 IPU, Alm.del - 2023-24 - Bilag 9: Results 148th Assembly
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Inter-Parliamentary Union - Reports, decisions and other texts of the Governing Council
Series of workshops on disarmament, arms control and
non-proliferation as well as military expenditures, co-organized with
partners including Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and
Disarmament (PNND) and the Parliamentary Forum for Small Arms
and Light Weapons
African regional dialogue on climate action co-organized with UNEP
Virtual
2024
(Series dates to be
announced)
Virtual
2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
Virtual
2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
Virtual
Regular webinars
throughout 2024
Joint online event on the SDGs with the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (ECE), and the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
Series of briefings for parliaments of countries that will be reviewed in
2023 and early 2024 by the UN Human Rights Council under its
Universal Periodic Review; by the UN Committee on the Rights of
Child; by the UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All
Migrant Workers and Members of their Families; and by the UN
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Webinar series on public engagement in the work of parliament, in
follow-up to the 2022 Global Parliamentary Report
Webinar series on digital transformation in parliaments, organized by
the IPU’s Centre for Innovation in Parliament
Global empowerment series: Briefings and training courses for
young parliamentarians
Series of regional and global virtual workshops on gender equality and
women’s empowerment
Virtual
Regular webinars
throughout 2024
Virtual
Regular webinars
throughout 2024
Virtual
2024
(Quarterly)
Virtual
2024
(Series dates to be
announced later)
Virtual
2024
(Dates to be confirmed)
Virtual
2024
Regular webinars
Mexico
February 2025
(Dates to be confirmed)
TASHKENT (Uzbekistan)
5 – 9 April 2025
ROME (Italy)
19 – 21 June 2025
GENEVA (Switzerland)
Late July/early August 2025
(dates to be confirmed)
2025
Venue and dates to be
confirmed
2025
Venue and dates to be
confirmed
2025
Venue and dates to be
confirmed
Information Seminar on the structure and functioning of the
Inter-Parliamentary Union for Spanish-speaking participants
Webinar series on types of audits organized in cooperation with
INTOSAI Development Initiative
Annual Conference of Women Parliamentarians
150th Assembly and related meetings
Second Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue
Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, preceded by the
Fifteenth Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament
Fourth regional seminar for the Twelve Plus Group on achieving
the SDGs
Capacity-building regional workshop on countering terrorism and
violent extremism for the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean
(GRULAC)
Regional workshop on promoting the rights of the child for the
parliaments of the East and South Asia region or for the parliaments of
West Africa
77
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Inter-Parliamentary Union – Reports, decisions and other texts of the Governing Council
Agenda of the 149th Assembly
(Geneva, 13 to 17 October 2024)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Election of the President of the 149th Assembly
Consideration of requests for the inclusion of an emergency item in the Assembly agenda
General Debate
Special accountability segment on the implementation of IPU resolutions and other decisions
The impact of artificial intelligence on democracy, human rights and the rule of law
(Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights)
Reports of the Standing Committees
Approval of the subject item for the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights at the
151st IPU Assembly and appointment of the Rapporteurs
Amendments to the IPU Statutes and Rules
6.
7.
8.
78