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STATUTES 1 OF THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION

Adopted in 1976, entirely revised in October 1983, amended in October 1987, September 1988, March 1989, April 1990, September 1992, September 1993, April 1995, April 1996, September 1998, April 1999, October 2000 and April 2001

Clear here to see the latest version of the Statutes.

Contents:


I. NATURE, PURPOSE AND COMPOSITION

ARTICLE 1

1. The Inter-Parliamentary Union is the international organisation of the Parliaments of sovereign States.

2. As the focal point for world-wide parliamentary dialogue since 1889, the Inter-Parliamentary Union shall work for peace and co-operation among peoples and for the firm establishment of representative institutions. To that end, it shall:

(a) Foster contacts, co-ordination and the exchange of experience among Parliaments and parliamentarians of all countries;

(b) Consider questions of international interest and express its views on such issues with the aim of bringing about action by Parliaments and their members;

(c) Contribute to the defence and promotion of human rights, which are universal in scope and respect for which is an essential factor of parliamentary democracy and development;

(d) Contribute to better knowledge of the working of representative institutions and to the strengthening and development of their means of action.

3. The Union, which shares the objectives of the United Nations, supports its efforts and works in close co-operation with it. It also co-operates with the regional inter-parliamentary organisations, as well as with international, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations which are motivated by the same ideals.

ARTICLE 2

The Headquarters of the Inter-Parliamentary Union shall be at Geneva.

ARTICLE 3

1. Every Parliament constituted in conformity with the laws of a sovereign State whose population it represents and on whose territory it functions may request affiliation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. A National Group representing any such Parliament and which is already affiliated at the time of the approval of these Statutes 2 may choose to remain a Member of the Union.

2. In a federal State, only the federal Parliament may request to be a Member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

3. Every Member of the Union shall adhere to the principles of the Union and comply with its Statutes.

4. International parliamentary assemblies established under international law by States which are represented in the Union may, upon their request and after consultation with the relevant Members of the Union, be admitted by the Inter-Parliamentary Council as Associate Members.

ARTICLE 4

1. The decision to admit or readmit a Parliament shall be taken by the Inter-Parliamentary Council, to which requests for affiliation or reaffiliation are communicated by the Secretary General. The Council takes its decision on prior advice given by the Executive Committee, which shall consider whether the conditions mentioned in Article 3 are fulfilled, and report thereon.

2. When a Member of the Union has ceased to function as such or is three years in arrears in the payment of its contributions to the Union, the Executive Committee shall consider the situation and express an opinion to the Inter-Parliamentary Council. The Council takes a decision on the suspension of the affiliation of that Member to the Union.

ARTICLE 5

1. Each Member and each Associate Member of the Union shall make an annual contribution to the expenses of the Union in accordance with a scale approved by the Inter-Parliamentary Council (cf. Financial Regs., Rule 5).

2. A Member of the Union which is in arrears in the payment of its financial contributions to the organisation shall have no votes in the statutory bodies of the Inter-Parliamentary Union if the amount of its arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two full years. The Inter-Parliamentary Council may, nevertheless, permit such a Member to vote if it is satisfied that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the Member of the Union. Prior to examining this question, the Council may receive a written explanation from the Member concerned. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 10.2 of the Statutes, such a Member shall not be represented by more than two delegates at meetings convened by the Union.

ARTICLE 6

1. All Members or Associate Members of the Union shall have their own Rules governing their participation in the Union's work. They shall make all structural, administrative and financial provisions required to ensure effectively their representation in the Union, the implementation of the decisions taken and to maintain a regular liaison with the Secretariat of the Union to which they shall send, before the end of January of each year, a report of their activities, including the names of their officers and the list or the total number of their members.

2. It is the sovereign right of each Member of the Union to decide on the manner in which it organises its participation in the IPU.

ARTICLE 7

It is the duty of the Members of the Union to submit the resolutions of the Union within their respective Parliament, in the most appropriate form; to communicate them to the Government; to stimulate their implementation and to inform the Secretariat of the Union, as often and fully as possible, particularly in its annual reports, as to the steps taken and the results obtained (cf. Conference, Rule 39.2).


II. ORGANS

ARTICLE 8

The organs of the Inter-Parliamentary Union are: the Inter-Parliamentary Conference, the Inter-Parliamentary Council, the Executive Committee and the Secretariat.


III. INTER-PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE

ARTICLE 9

1. The Inter-Parliamentary Union shall meet in Conference twice a year.

2. The place and date of each session shall be determined by the Inter-Parliamentary Council (cf. Conference, Rule 4.2).

3. In exceptional circumstances, the Inter-Parliamentary Council may decide to change the place and date of the Conference or not to hold it. In an emergency, the President of the Council may take such a decision with the consent of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE 10

1. The Conference shall be composed of parliamentarians designated as delegates by the Members of the Union, including if possible at least one woman if the Member has women parliamentarians.

2. The number of members of Parliament appointed as delegates to the Conference by a Member of the Union shall in no case exceed eight in respect of Parliaments of countries with a population of less than one hundred million inhabitants, or ten in respect of Parliaments of countries with a population of one hundred million inhabitants or more.

ARTICLE 11

1. The Conference shall be opened by the President of the Council or, in the absence of the President, by the Vice-President of the Executive Committee designated in conformity with Rule 5.2 of the Rules of the Executive Committee.

2. The Conference shall choose its President, Vice-Presidents and Tellers.

3. The number of Vice-Presidents shall be equal to that of the Members of the Union represented at the Conference.

ARTICLE 12

The Inter-Parliamentary Conference debates issues which, under the terms of Article 1 of the Statutes, fall within the scope of the Union, and makes recommendations expressing the views of the organisation on these questions.

ARTICLE 13

1. The Conference is assisted in its work by Study Committees, whose numbers and terms of reference are determined by the Council (cf. Art. 21(f)).

2. Study Committees shall normally prepare reports and draft resolutions for the Inter-Parliamentary Conference.

3. Study Committees may also be instructed by the Council to study an item included in the latter's agenda and make a report to that organ.

ARTICLE 14

1. The agenda of the Conference shall be approved by the Inter-Parliamentary Council on the recommendation of the Executive Committee (cf. Conference, Rule 10).

2. The Conference may include one supplementary item in its agenda (cf. Conference, Rule 11); in the exceptional circumstances provided for in Rule 11.2 (b) of its Rules, it may add an emergency supplementary item.

ARTICLE 15

1. Only delegates present in person shall have the right to vote.

2. The number of votes to which each Member of the Union is entitled shall be calculated on the following basis:

(a) Each Member of the Union shall have a minimum of ten votes;

(b) Each Member of the Union shall have the following additional number of votes in relation to the population of its country:

From 1 to 5 million inhabitants 1 vote
From more than 5 to10 million inhabitants 2 votes
From more than 10 to 20 million inhabitants 3 votes
From more than 20 to 30 million inhabitants 4 votes
From more than 30 to 40 million inhabitants 5 votes
From more than 40 to 50 million inhabitants 6 votes
From more than 50 to 60 million inhabitants 7 votes
From more than 60 to 70 million inhabitants 8 votes
From more than 80 to 100 million inhabitants 9 votes
From more than 100 to 150 million inhabitants 10 votes
From more than 150 to 200 million inhabitants 11 votes
From more than 200 to 300 million inhabitants 12 votes
From more than 300 million inhabitants 13 votes

3. A delegation may split its votes so as to express the diverse views of its members. No one delegate may record more than ten votes.

ARTICLE 16

1. Voting at the Conference shall be by roll call, except when the decision before the Conference meets with no opposition.

2. For the election of officers, voting shall be by secret ballot if at least twenty delegates so request.


IV. INTER-PARLIAMENTARY COUNCIL

ARTICLE 17

1. The Council shall normally hold two sessions a year (cf. Council, Rule 5).

2. The Council shall be convened in extraordinary session by the President if the latter or the Executive Committee deems this necessary, or a quarter of the Council's members so request.

ARTICLE 18

1. The Inter-Parliamentary Council shall be composed of two representatives from each Member of the Union. The term of office of a member of the Council shall last from one Conference to the next.

2. All the members of the Council must be sitting members of Parliament.

3. In case of the death or resignation of a representative or a representative's inability to attend, the Union Member concerned shall appoint a substitute.

ARTICLE 19

1. The Inter-Parliamentary Council shall elect its President for a period of three years (cf. Council, Rules 6, 7 and 8).

2. The retiring President shall not be eligible for re-election for three years and shall be replaced by a person belonging to another Parliament. An endeavour will be made to ensure a regular rotation between the different geo-political Groups.

3. The election shall take place during the second Conference of the year. If, for exceptional reasons, the Conference cannot be convened, the Council may nevertheless hold the election.

4. In case of the resignation, loss of parliamentary mandate or death of the President, the functions of President shall be exercised by the Vice-President of the Executive Committee appointed by the latter, until the Council has elected a new President. The same provision shall apply in the case of the suspension of the affiliation of the Member of the Union to which the President of the Council belongs.

ARTICLE 20

1. The Inter-Parliamentary Council determines and guides the activities of the Union and controls their implementation in conformity with the purposes defined in the Statutes.

2. The Council shall adopt its agenda. A provisional agenda shall be established by the Executive Committee (cf. Council, Rule 12). Any member of the Council may submit supplementary proposals to this provisional agenda (cf. Council, Rule 13).

ARTICLE 21

The Inter-Parliamentary Council shall have, in particular, the following functions:

(a) To decide on the admission and readmission of Members of the Union, as well as on the suspension of their affiliation, in accordance with Article 4 of the Statutes;

(b) To decide the place and date of the Inter-Parliamentary Conference (cf. Art. 9.2 and Conference, Rule 4);

(c) To approve the agenda of the Inter-Parliamentary Conference, on the recommendation of the Executive Committee (cf. Conference, Rule 10);

(d) To propose the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Conference;

(e) To decide on the holding of all other Inter-Parliamentary meetings by the Union, including the creation of ad hoc committees to study specific problems; to determine the modalities thereof and to express its opinion on their conclusions;

(f) To set the number and terms of reference of the Study Committees of the Conference (cf. Art. 13.1);

(g) To set up ad hoc or special committees and working groups to assist it in its work while ensuring geopolitical, geographical (regional and sub-regional) and gender balance in their composition;

(h) To determine the categories of observers at IPU meetings and their rights and responsibilities and to decide which international organisations and other bodies shall have observer status at the Union's meetings on a regular basis (cf. Conference Rule 2; Council, Rule 4; Committees, Rule 3), in addition to inviting on an occasional basis observers that may contribute to the study of a particular item on the Conference agenda;

(i) To adopt annually the work programme and budget of the Union and to establish the scale of contributions (cf. Financial Regs., Rules 3 and 5.2);

(j) To approve, each year, the accounts for the preceding fiscal year on the recommendation of two Auditors whom it shall appoint from among its members (cf. Council, Rule 41; Financial Regs., Rule 12; Secretariat, Rule 12);

(k) To authorize the acceptance of donations and legacies (cf. Financial Regs., Rule 7);

(l) To elect the members of the Executive Committee (cf. Council, Rules 37, 38 and 39);

(m) To appoint the Secretary General of the Union (cf. Art. 25.1; Secretariat, Rule 3);

(n) To adopt its own Rules and to express its opinion with regard to proposals to amend the Statutes (cf. Council, Rule 45).

ARTICLE 22

A Meeting of Women Parliamentarians shall be held on the occasion of each session of the Inter-Parliamentary Conference and shall report on its work to the Inter-Parliamentary Council. This Meeting shall establish its own Rules which shall be approved by the Inter-Parliamentary Council. The Meeting is assisted by a Co-ordinating Committee whose Rules it shall approve.


V. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

ARTICLE 23

1. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council and twelve members belonging to different Parliaments and the President of the Co-ordinating Committee of the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians.

2. The President of the Council shall be ex-officio President of the Executive Committee. Twelve members shall be elected by the Inter-Parliamentary Council; not less than ten shall be elected from among the members of the Inter-Parliamentary Council to which they shall continue to belong during their mandate. At least two of the members elected must be women.

3. In elections to the Executive Committee, consideration shall be given to the contribution made to the work of the Union by the candidate and the Member of the Union concerned, and an endeavour will be made to ensure an equitable geographical distribution.

4. The term of office of members of the Executive Committee other than the President shall be four years. At least two members shall retire in rotation each year. A retiring member shall not be eligible for re-election for two years and shall be replaced by a member belonging to another Parliament. The President of the Co-ordinating Committee of the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians shall serve a two-year term which can be renewed once.

5. If a member of the Executive Committee dies, resigns or ceases to be a parliamentarian, the Member of the Union concerned shall appoint a substitute to serve until the next session of the Council, when an election shall be held. This member shall complete the term of office of the predecessor. If the President of the Co-ordinating Committee of the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians dies, resigns or ceases to be a parliamentarian, the First Vice-President or Second Vice-President, as the case may be, will complete the term of office of the predecessor.

6. If the President of the Co-ordinating Committee is already a member of the Executive Committee or belongs to the same Parliament as one of the twelve members, she shall be replaced by the First Vice-President of the Co-ordinating Committee, or the Second Vice-President should the First Vice President be a member of the Executive Committee or belong to the same Parliament as one of the twelve members.

7. If a member of the Executive Committee is elected President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council, the Council shall elect a member to fill the vacant seat. In such a case, the question shall be included automatically in the agenda of the Council. The term of office of the new member shall be four years.

8. Members of the Executive Committee shall not simultaneously hold office as President or Vice-President of a Study Committee.

ARTICLE 24

1. The Executive Committee shall be the administrative organ of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

2. The Executive Committee shall have the following functions:

(a) To consider, whenever a Parliament makes a request for affiliation or reaffiliation to the Union, whether the conditions mentioned in Article 3 of the Statutes are fulfilled, and to inform the Inter-Parliamentary Council of its conclusions (cf. Art. 4);

(b) To summon the Council, in case of emergency (cf. Art. 17.2);

(c) To fix the date and place of Council sessions and establish the provisional agenda;

(d) To give an opinion on the insertion of supplementary items in the agenda of the Council;

(e) To propose to the Council the annual work programme and budget of the Union (cf. Financial Regs., Rule 3.4);

(f) To inform the Council at its sessions about the activities of the Executive Committee, through a report by the President;

(g) To recommend to the Council the agenda of the Conference, taking into account the proposals made by Members of the Union;

(h) To control the administration of the Secretariat as well as its activities in the execution of the decisions taken by the Conference or by the Council and to receive, for this purpose, all reports and necessary information;

(i) To examine candidates for the post of Secretary General with the aim of submitting a proposal to the Council; to establish the terms of office of the Secretary General appointed by the Council;

(j) To request the Council to grant supplementary credits, should the budgetary credits voted by the Council appear to be insufficient to cover the expenditure required for the execution of the programme and the administration of the Union; in case of urgency, to grant these credits with the reservation that it shall inform the Council of such action at the latter's next session;

(k) To designate an External Auditor entrusted with auditing the accounts of the Union (cf. Financial Regs., Rule 12);

(l) To set the scales of the salaries and allowances of staff members of the Secretariat of the Union (cf. Staff Regs., Section IV);

(m) To adopt its own Rules;

(n) To carry out all the functions which the Council delegates to it in accordance with the Statutes and Rules.


VI. SECRETARIAT OF THE UNION

ARTICLE 25

1. The Secretariat of the Union comprises the totality of the staff of the organisation under the direction of the Secretary General of the Union (cf. Staff Regs., Rule 2), who shall be appointed by the Council (cf. Art. 21 (m)).

2. The functions of the Secretariat shall be the following:

(a) To be the permanent Headquarters of the Union;

(b) To keep records on the Members of the Union and endeavour to foster new requests for affiliation;

(c) To support and stimulate the activities of the Members of the Union and to contribute, on the technical level, towards the harmonization of these activities;

(d) To prepare the questions to be considered at the Inter-Parliamentary meetings and to distribute the necessary documents in due time;

(e) To provide for the execution of the decisions of the Council and of the Conference;

(f) To prepare proposals for a draft work programme and budget for the consideration of the Executive Committee (cf. Financial Regs., Rule 3.2, 3.3 and 3.7);

(g) To collect and disseminate information concerning the structure and functioning of representative institutions;

(h) To maintain the liaison between the Union and other international organisations and, in general, its representation at international conferences;

(i) To maintain the archives of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.


VII. ASSOCIATION OF SECRETARIES GENERAL OF PARLIAMENTS

ARTICLE 26

1. The Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments shall be a consultative body of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

2. The activities of the Association and those of the organs of the Inter-Parliamentary Union competent in the study of parliamentary institutions are complementary. They shall be co-ordinated by means of consultations and close collaboration at the stages of preparation and implementation of projects.

3. The Association shall be administered autonomously. The Union shall make an annual contribution towards the budget of the ASGP. The Rules which the ASGP establishes shall be approved by the Inter-Parliamentary Council.


VIII. AMENDMENTS TO THE STATUTES

ARTICLE 27

1. Any proposal to amend the Statutes shall be submitted in writing to the Secretariat of the Union at least three months before the meeting of the Conference. The Secretariat will immediately communicate all such proposals to the Members of the Union. The consideration of such proposed amendments shall be automatically placed on the agenda of the Conference.

2. Any sub-amendments shall be submitted in writing to the Secretariat of the Union at least six weeks before the meeting of the Conference. The Secretariat will immediately communicate all such sub-amendments to the Members of the Union.

3. After hearing the opinion of the Council, expressed through a simple majority vote, the Conference shall decide on such proposals by a two-thirds majority vote.


  1. In these Statutes, whenever the words "parliamentarian", "President", "Vice-President", "delegate", "representative", "member" and "observer" are used, they should be construed as referring to both women and men.

  2. April 2001

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