Women’s representation in politics remains a challenge

There is still "a long way to go in the United States and in the world, in terms of viewing women as equals when it comes to politics", Representative James McGovern, Co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission observed at a briefing held in Washington on 4 March.   [ Full story ... ]

Female genital mutilation: Men take action

How can the process of putting an end to female genital mutilation be accelerated? According to the IPU, one way is by encouraging men to take action alongside women.   [ Full story ... ]

HIV and AIDS regional initiatives for Asia

During the week of 8-12 December 2009, the IPU Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS held a study visit to Viet Nam and a seminar for the parliaments of the region. The Group was keen to gather practical details about the control of the epidemic in the country and the way the National Assembly had been instrumental in the response.   [ Full story ... ]

Millennium Development Goals’ assessment: your participation is crucial

At the turn of the millennium, the UN and heads of state established a framework of goals for world development. At global and national level it defined targets to be achieved by 2015. The novelty of this was not in the goals themselves but in the idea of having a measurable framework.   [ Full story ... ]

European parliamentarians in the fight against human trafficking

Parliamentarians from some 20 European countries converged on London in February 2010 for a seminar on human trafficking organized by the IPU and the UK Parliament. The seminar was opened by John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons.   [ Full story ... ]

Parliamentary oversight Climate change negotiations Despite all the drum-beating, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen last December failed to produce a binding political agreement. A three-page Copenhagen Accord negotiated in the closing hours of the summit by the leaders of some 20 countries failed to garner unanimous support. [ Full story ... ]

Selected forthcoming IPU events
	122nd IPU Assembly and Related Meetings. BANGKOK (Thailand), 27 March - 1 April 2010
	Regional Seminar for Latin American parliaments on violence against women. CUENCA (Ecuador), 21-23 April 2010
	Third Parliamentary Forum on Shaping the Information Society. GENEVA (Switzerland), 3-5 May 2010
	Parliamentary meeting on the occasion of the UN Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. NEW YORK, 5 May 2010
	Parliamentary meeting on the occasion of the 2010 Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations. RIO DE JANEIRO (Brazil), 27 May 2010
	3rd World Conference of Speakers of Parliament. GENEVA, 19-21 July 2010

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