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The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) hosted by the Parliament of Uzbekistan successfully concluded its 150th Assembly in Tashkent. This landmark Assembly attracted 1400 delegates, including 740 Members of Parliament and IPU Associate Members from 130 countries.
The presence of 100 Speakers and Deputy Speakers of Parliament underscored the increasing recognition of Parliamentary Diplomacy as a vital complement to traditional international relations, especially at a time of significant geopolitical tensions. Women Members of Parliament comprised 37% of the Parliamentarians at the Assembly, the highest representation at an IPU Assembly since 2022.
The Tashkent Declaration: A call for social development and justice
The global Parliamentary community adopted the Tashkent Declaration on “PARLIAMENTARY ACTION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND JUSTICE,” emphasizing the need for renewed efforts on social development and justice to address ongoing and emerging socio-economic challenges. The succinct Declaration highlights that the global social development agenda, initiated 30 years ago, has only been partially realized. It, therefore, calls for a policy reset to balance market demands with the social bond needs of the people, focusing on three key areas:
- investing in people to lift them from the scourge of tenacious poverty to inclusive prosperity;
- democratizing the economy to benefit those who historically have been marginalized and consequently depriving them of social development equity, particularly the women and youth; and
- strengthening institutions, including through broad participation in the regulation of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, as extrapolated from Sustainable Development Goal 16 which speaks to “peace, justice and strong institutions”.
Given the foregoing, the Declaration urged Parliaments to craft national social development plans and engage in debates ahead of the Second World Summit for Social Development scheduled for November 2025 in Qatar.
Gender equality takes centre stage
Prior to the closing ceremony, the IPU celebrated 40 years of its Forum for Women Parliamentarians, a unique platform driving significant advancements in gender equality and women’s empowerment. Against the backdrop of challenges encountered by women in realising their rights coupled with the stagnation of female Parliamentary representation at 27.2%, the IPU launched its new gender campaign for 2025 under the theme “ACHIEVING GENDER EQUALITY: ACTION BY ACTION”. The campaign aims at mobilizing the global Parliamentary community to accelerate progress in achieving gender equality in politics and society at large.
Some outcomes of the IPU Assembly and meetings
The Assembly adopted two critical resolutions:
- The role of parliaments in advancing a two-State solution in Palestine: This resolution emphasizes the role of parliaments in promoting a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on international law. It calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the lifting of aid blockades, the release of hostages and as well as urging support for humanitarian efforts in compliance with international law and international humanitarian law. It also urges Parliaments to employ their Parliamentary diplomacy to reinforce support for the Two-State solution, in recognition of both Israel and Palestine as co-existing independent sovereign States.
- Parliamentary strategies to mitigate the long-lasting impact of conflicts, including armed conflicts, on sustainable development: This resolution addresses how conflicts hinder accelerated rogress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. It highlights the role of Parliaments in mitigating the negative effects of conflicts, promoting global peace and security as well as ensuring the protection of the environment, infrastructure and human rights. Further, the resolution stresses the criticality of post conflict inclusive governance and reconstruction for which sufficient financial resources must be marshalled.
The Assembly also featured sessions on various ancillary topics, including the role of the BRICS in international relations, tackling weapons of mass destruction, preventing illegal adoptions, addressing the effects of armed conflict on children, advocating for climate action in tackling climate change impacts.
Elections to the IPU Assembly Committees
Several new nominations and elections were also announced to the IPU Statutory Standing Committees, including Ms. Gabriela Morawska-Stanecka (Poland) as IPU Vice-President, Ms. Noor Abugoush (Jordan) as President of the Bureau of Young Parliamentarians, and a second term for Ms. Cynthia López Castro (Mexico) as President of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians.
Zimbabwean legislators also got two berths, namely Hon. Maureen Kademaunga who was elected to serve as a Committee member in the Working Group on Science and Technology representing the Africa Geopolitical Group while Hon. Sengezo Tshabangu was elected to serve on the Committee on Health. In accordance with the IPU Rules of the newly established Committee on Health, members of the Committee are elected in their individual capacity on the basis of their interest, expertise in the subject matter and availability to all Committee Sessions and not as representatives of their Parliaments and Geopolitical Group.
Conclusion
In her pithy concluding remarks, IPU President, Dr. Tulia Ackson, noted that, from the onset, the Assembly carried a sense of significance with the commemoration of the 150 occasions where the world’s Parliamentarians have come together to deliberate on seminal multilateral issues. She also lauded how the IPU has stood the test of time. Yet the mission remains of profound importance, as the world is plagued by a plethora of conflicts and inequalities. Resultantly, the criticality of Parliamentary diplomacy in contemporary times must be given impetus to measure up to the threatening challenges for the need for global peace, security, eradication of poverty and strengthened multilateralism.
IPU Secretary General, Mr. Martin Chungong, also remarked that many delegates had pointed out that they come to IPU Assemblies not just to hear views that chime with their own, but to absorb all sides of the arguments and to be challenged to break free of their eco-chambers as well as looking at the world through different perspicuous eyes. He opined that although Parliamentarians may not always agree on issues under debate, they are still enriched by the IPU Assembly interface in advancing democracy, the observance of human rights, the rule of law and the robust Parliamentary diplomacy in the spirit of solidarity and sound multilateralism.
In her closing remarks after hosting a successful Assembly, a milestone for Uzbekistan as the first central Asian country to execute such a feat, President of the 150th IPU Assembly and Chairperson of the Senate of Uzbekistan, Hon. Tanzila Narbaeva, seminally observed that: “This Assembly underscores Uzbekistan’s Parliamentary leadership on the international stage and reflects confidence in the country’s reform agenda. The Tashkent Declaration will serve as a roadmap for global social progress and justice.” As she declared the closure of the 150th IPU Assembly, she was given a standing ovation for her excellent hosting arrangements.
