The readmission of Fiji into the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has been welcomed by the Organization as a significant step forward in ongoing efforts to cement democracy in the country and in IPU’s engagement with parliaments from Pacific Ocean Island nations.
 
The formal readmission at the opening session of IPU’s 133rd Assembly in Geneva today increases the Organization’s membership to 167 national parliaments.
 
Fiji had first joined IPU in 1997. However, a military coup in 2006, the fourth since 1970, had led to the dissolution of parliament and Fiji’s formal expulsion from the Organization in 2007. Parliamentary elections in 2014 ended an eight-year transition period and paved the way for Fiji to re-join the global organization of national parliaments.
 
“We are delighted to have Fiji back in the IPU fold. It will not only allow Fijians to have a voice in international decision-making through their elected representatives, but it also underlines IPU’s commitment to supporting parliaments in the Pacific region to be more effective in fulfilling their democratic mandate,” says IPU President Saber Chowdhury.
 
IPU members also accorded Observer status to Liberal International and Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (PNND).
 
More than 670 MPs from 134 countries, including 94 Speakers and Deputy Speakers of Parliament are attending the 133rd IPU Assembly, which concludes on 21st October.  The many facets and challenges of migration, counter-terrorism, and the threat to democracy and individual privacy in the digital age are among key issues being addressed by the Assembly.