What began in 1889 as a small group of parliamentarians, dedicated to promoting peace through parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue, has since grown into a truly global organization of national parliaments. Today, our membership inches ever closer to being universal, with 179 Member Parliaments ,13 Associate Members, and increasing numbers of parliamentarians from all over the world involved in our work.

Our slogan is “For democracy. For everyone.”

Our vision is “We want a world where every voice counts, where democracy and parliaments are at the service of the people for peace and development.”

Our mission is “The IPU is the global organization of national parliaments. We promote democratic governance, institutions and values, working with parliaments and parliamentarians to articulate and respond to the needs and aspirations of the people. We work for peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality, youth empowerment and sustainable development through political dialogue, cooperation and parliamentary action.”

Our impact

The IPU facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development around the world. Our work revolves around eight strategic objectives:

• building strong democratic parliaments
• advancing gender equality and respect for women’s rights
• protecting and promoting human rights
• contributing to peace-building, conflict resolution and security
• promoting inter-parliamentary dialogue and cooperation
• promoting youth empowerment
• mobilizing parliaments around the global development agenda
• bridging the democracy gap in global governance