Inter-Parliamentary Union

The Inter-Parliamentary Union is an international organization serving to coordinate the activities of the parliaments of the world. The IPU was founded in 1889. IPU Secretary General — Martin Chungong. In accordance with the Statutes of the IPU, a member of the organization is a parliament of a sovereign state.

The governing bodies of the IPU are the IPU Assembly, the Governing Council and the Executive Committee of the IPU.

The work of the IPU is carried out in committees on democracy and human rights, on the civil rights of parliamentarians, the committee of women parliamentarians, geopolitical groups and profile commissions.

The main activities of the Organization are:

— implementation by the world parliaments the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development;

— preservation of security in the conditions of instability, including by early warning of conflicts through instruments of parliamentary democracy;

— promotion of democracy as a basis for sustainable development;

— strengthening the role of the world's parliaments in solving modern global challenges and threats.

Belarusian parliamentarians use the capacities of the Organization for:

— bringing to the colleagues-parliamentarians attitudes on the most topical issues of the international agenda;

— upholding of national interests within the competence of the legislative body of the country;

— organization of contacts at the bilateral level, primarily in the framework of the facilitation of political and economic cooperation.

The Republic of Belarus has been a member of the IPU since 1995.