Saturday 5th April 2025 – The Right Honourable Ms. Nelly Butete Kashumba Mutti, SC., MP, FAPRA, Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, has been unanimously elected as the Vice President of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) representing the Africa Geopolitical Group, at the 295th Session of the Executive Committee at the ongoing 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and Related Meetings in Taskent, Uzbekistan.

Speaker Mutti was elected as Vice President among two other possible contenders from Algeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who are also Africa’s Representatives on the IPU Executive Committee.
Speaker Mutti has since pledged to ensure that Africa’s interests are well represented in the IPU. She added that, as Vice President of the IPU representing the Africa geopolitical group, she would strive to foster African unity on several positions brought before the IPU Executive Committee. Speaker Mutti noted with concern that Africa‘s issues do not see the light of day because, in most cases, Africa is divided when it comes to voting on Emergency matters before the IPU.

The IPU is a global organisation of National Parliaments established in 1889 with six geopolitical groups namely, Africa, the Arab World, Asia-Pacific, Eurasia, Latin America/the Caribbean and the "Twelve-Plus" group which is made up mostly of European Nations, alongside other Western States including Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The geopolitical groups responsibilities include, preparing and coordinating positions on key issues on the agenda at each Assembly, and reviewing vacancies on IPU committees and groups.  Geopolitical groups also consult among their members and propose candidates. 

The IPU uses the geopolitical groups to ensure fair representation of all parts of the world within IPU structures. Speaker Mutti was in October, 2023 during the 147th IPU Assembly held in Angola, elected to the Executive Committee of the IPU as a representative of the SADC Group.