• The 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is being held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from April 5 to 9. 

• All IPU statutory bodies, including the Governing Council, Standing Committees, Committees on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, as well as the Forum of Women Parliamentarians and the Forum of Young MPs, are attending the event.

• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is leading a high-level Indian parliamentary delegation to the meeting.

• Delivering the keynote address on the theme ‘Parliamentary Action for Social Development and Justice’, Birla observed that in recent years, the Indian Parliament has passed several legislations that promote social justice and security and encourage the inclusion of all sections of society. 

• During a session, the IPU welcomed the National Assembly of Belize as its 182nd Member Parliament, further expanding the organisation’s global reach and bringing it one step closer to universal membership.

• The IPU Forum of Women Parliamentarians is celebrating its 40th anniversary at the 150th IPU Assembly.

• Initially an informal women’s global caucus, the first of its kind in 1985, the IPU Forum of Women Parliamentarians has since evolved into a powerful platform for women MPs worldwide, driving significant advancements in gender equality and women’s rights.

Key facts about Inter-Parliamentary Union:

• The Inter-Parliamentary Union is a global organisation of national parliaments.

• The IPU was created in 1889, in an era when there were no established means for governments or parliaments to work together internationally. William Randal Cremer from England and Frederic Passy from France set up an association of MPs which has been transformed into the thriving global organisation of today.

• It was founded in 1889 as the first multilateral political organisation in the world, encouraging cooperation and dialogue between all nations. 

• The slogan of IPU is “For democracy. For everyone”.

• The IPU is inching ever closer to universal membership, with 182 Member Parliaments out of the 193 countries in the world – from huge nations like China, India and Indonesia, to the tiny States of Cabo Verde, San Marino and Palau.

• The IPU facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers Parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development around the world. It also defends the human rights of parliamentarians through a dedicated committee made up of MPs from around the world. 

• It also has 15 Associate Members – mostly parliaments drawn from groups of nations, or similar bodies. They include the Arab Parliament, the European Parliament and other parliamentary organisations in Africa and the Americas.

• IPU is financed primarily by members out of public funds. 

• The headquarters of IPU is in Geneva, Switzerland.

• India’s Najma Heptulla was the IPU president for the period 1999-2002. She was the first woman to be elected as president of the IPU.

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