IPU

The Inter-Parliamentary Union, established in 1889, is the international organization of Parliaments. The Union is the focal point for worldwide parliamentary dialogue and works for peace and cooperation among people and for the firm establishment of representative democracy. The IPU has close ties with the United Nations and other international intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, which share a similar ideal and objectives. Promoting the concepts of peace and international arbitration, the IPU provided the origins for today’s form of institutionalized multilateral cooperation advocated the establishment of corresponding institutions at the inter-governmental level, which eventually came into being as the United Nations. The IPU has transformed itself from an association of individual parliamentarians into the international organization of the Parliaments of sovereign States. It is a center for dialogue and parliamentary diplomacy among legislators representing every political system and all the main political leanings in the world, constituting a unique platform for observing political opinions and trends around the world. IPU statutory assemblies and specialized meetings serve as a testing ground for new ideas and initiatives leading to important breakthroughs in the search for peace and advancing international co-operation.