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Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)

Website:

www.ipu.org/
Type:

International Parliamentary Network
Formation:

1889
President:

Tulia Ackson
Location:

Geneva, Switzerland

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The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is an international organization of national parliaments from 180 countries around the world. It has a strategic partnership with the United Nations, has held Permanent Observer Status with the UN since 2002, and has stated it “works closely” with UN bodies and agencies. 1 2

The organization focuses on multiple left-of-center issues including the environment, sustainable development, and gender issues. 3

It states that it “helps parliaments make progress on the Paris Agreement,” a climate change agreement implemented on 12 December 2015 at 21st United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP 21); supports parliaments “implementing” the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals “with a particular focus on health and climate change,” adding that “mobilizing parliaments around the global development agenda is becoming increasingly urgent”; and aims to “increase women’s representation in parliament” via “well-designed quotas and parliamentary caucuses.” 4 5 6 7

Background

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is an international organization of national parliaments from 180 countries around the world. It also consists of 15 associate members, including the Arab Parliament and the European Parliament. 8

The IPU was founded in 1889 by William Randal Cremer, an English Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) and French economist Frederic Passy. Cremer persuaded 234 members of the British parliament to sign a document calling for an arbitration treaty with the United States, while around the same time, Passy called for the French government to do everything possible to settle international conflicts with arbitration. 9

Although the treaty brought forward by Cremer was not approved by the U.S. Senate, his visit garnered support for arbitration, leading to the United States Senate in June 1888 to adopt a proposal to, whenever possible, engage in arbitration during disputes with other governments. 10

Cremer, who heard of Passy’s actions, wrote to the economist suggesting they meet. Passy invited Cremer and any British MPs to meet at the Grand Hotel in Paris on 31 October 1888. 11

Nine British MPs traveled to the meeting and met with 25 members of the French parliament. During this meeting, Passy was elected president, while Cremer was elected vice president. Those present decided to meet again the next year and invited members of parliament around the world who were sympathetic to the cause of arbitration. 12

A conference was organized to be held at the Hotel Continental in Paris in late June 1889. The conference was attended by 55 French and 28 British members of parliament, while five Italian MPs and one representative from the national legislatures of Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, Liberia, Spain, and the United States were also in attendance. 13

The Inter-Parliamentary Union, at the time called the Inter-Parliamentary Conference, was created on June 30, 1889. Passy was elected president and Cremer vice-president. The Inter-Parliamentary Bureau, the headquarters of the organization based in Bern, Switzerland, was created three years after IPU’s inception. 14

The organization’s name changed from the Inter-Parliamentary Conference to the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 1899. 15

The IPU has a strategic partnership with the United Nations, has held Permanent Observer Status with the UN since 2002, and has stated it “works closely” with UN bodies and agencies. 16

Left-of-Center Objectives

The Inter-Parliamentary Union focuses on multiple left-of-center issues including the environment, sustainable development, and gender issues. 17

Climate Change

The organization states that climate change is “killing people and destroying lives, development, peace and security” around the world and that climate action is “the top policy priority for the IPU.” 18

The IPU states that it “helps parliaments make progress on the Paris Agreement,” a climate change agreement implemented on 12 December 2015 at the United Nations’ 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21). The Paris Agreement’s central aim is to ensure the global temperature does not rise more than two degrees Celsius in the 21st century. 19 20

IPU also states that it works “closely with UN partners on climate change,” in particular, the United Nations Climate Change Conference. 21

Sustainable Development

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 policy goals that were adopted by all United Nations (UN) member states in 2015 as a part of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 22

The 2030 Agenda broadly calls for far-left critical race theory-influenced “just, equitable and inclusive societies,” supports the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, aims to reduce conventional energy subsidies, attempts to implement universal health coverage, establishes international cooperation for orderly and regular migration, adopts policies to support the Paris Climate Agreement, establishes an ethic of global citizenship, and implements these objectives as a part of the 17 SDGs. 23

The Inter-Parliamentary Union supports parliaments “implementing the SDGs with a particular focus on health and climate change,” adding that “mobilizing parliaments around the global development agenda is becoming increasingly urgent.” 24

Women in Parliament

The Inter-Parliamentary Union also focuses on women in parliament, stating that it works to “increase women’s representation in parliament and empower women MPs.” IPU states that “women around the world still lack basic human rights and face discrimination and gender-based violence,” adding that “parliaments are no exception.” 25

IPU’s main objectives regarding women in parliament include increasing the number of female MPs via “well-designed quotas and parliamentary caucuses,” and “transforming” parliaments into “gender-sensitive institutions.” 26

References

  1. “Members.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/about-ipu/members.
  2. “Strategic Partnerships.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/about-ipu/strategic-partnerships.
  3. “Impact.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/impact.
  4. “Climate Change.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/impact/climate-change.
  5. “Key aspects of the Paris Agreement.” United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://unfccc.int/most-requested/key-aspects-of-the-paris-agreement.
  6. “Sustainable Development.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/impact/sustainable-development.
  7. “Gender Equality.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/impact/gender-equality.
  8. “Members.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/about-ipu/members.
  9. “History of the IPU.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/about-ipu/history-ipu.
  10. “History of the IPU.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/about-ipu/history-ipu.
  11. “History of the IPU.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/about-ipu/history-ipu.
  12. “History of the IPU.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/about-ipu/history-ipu.
  13. “History of the IPU.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/about-ipu/history-ipu.
  14. “History of the IPU.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/about-ipu/history-ipu.
  15. “History of the IPU.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/about-ipu/history-ipu.
  16. “Strategic Partnerships.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/about-ipu/strategic-partnerships.
  17. “Impact.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/impact.
  18. “Climate Change.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/impact/climate-change.
  19. “Climate Change.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/impact/climate-change.
  20. “Key aspects of the Paris Agreement.” United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://unfccc.int/most-requested/key-aspects-of-the-paris-agreement
  21. “Climate Change.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/impact/climate-change.
  22. “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda.
  23. “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda.
  24. “Sustainable Development.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/impact/sustainable-development.
  25. “Gender Equality.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/impact/gender-equality.
  26. “Gender Equality.” Inter-Parliamentary Union. Accessed July 31, 2024. https://www.ipu.org/impact/gender-equality.
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