26 May 2016

MPs from Middle East to work together on critical water issue - Members of Parliament from the Middle East, including Israel and Palestine, will take
part in a round-table event next week to seek solutions to the critical issue of Middle East water resources.  The MPs will explore scientific and
technological solutions to a range of complex questions including water scarcity, fair distribution, drought, and managing demand in the face of
sudden surges caused by refugee flows.  The event in Geneva from 30 May to 2 June aims to produce a roadmap for a new co-operative project involving
scientific research teams to deal with the water issue, as well as creating a space for science-led discussion and the exchange of expertise within the
region. The round-table meeting comes at a time when there are no active peace talks involving Israel and Palestine.  It is part of a series of
events being organized by IPU through its Committee on Middle East Questions to highlight the role of science and technology in fostering projects which
help create an environment conducive to building peace.

IPU stresses critical role of parliamentary immunity after Turkish vote - IPU has stressed the critical importance of the principle of parliamentary
immunity after a vote in the Turkish Parliament amending the constitution effectively stripped a quarter of the country’s MPs of their immunity. IPU
is concerned that such wholesale lifting of immunity will weaken the parliament.  IPU believes immunity from prosecution while in office is
crucial to protect MPs from politically-motivated allegations.  It stresses that the lifting of immunity should always be agreed by a parliamentary vote
on a case-by-case basis, and should require valid and credible allegations supported by serious evidence. 

UN Secretary-General candidates reach out to world's parliaments - Candidates hoping to succeed Ban Ki-moon as Secretary-General of the United
Nations have stressed their commitment to engaging with IPU and the world’s parliaments – and to helping deliver the new global development agenda - in
their responses to three questions put to them by IPU. The current contenders are Srgjan Kerim of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Vesna Pusić of Croatia, Igor Lukšić of Montenegro, Danilo Türk of Slovenia, Irina Bokova of Bulgaria, Natalia Gherman of Moldova, António Guterres of Portugal, Helen Clark of New Zealand
and Vuk Jeremić of Serbia. 

IPU President visits Russia urging MPs to work for peace - IPU President Saber Chowdhury has visited Russia, thanking MPs there for inviting the organization to hold its autumn 2017 Assembly in St Petersburg and stressing the role of parliaments in creating and maintaining a peaceful world. In a speech to the Council of the Federation, the upper chamber of the Russian Parliament, Mr Chowdhury praised Russia's longstanding membership of IPU and urged MPs to continue working for peace. 

World MPs meet to step up fight against HIV/AIDS - Members of Parliament from around the world will meet at UN Headquarters in New York on 7 June to
drive forward work to tackle HIV/AIDS.  The event coincides with the UN’s High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, which will adopt a new declaration to guide global policy in
the light of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). MPs will play a critical role in the SDGs target of eradicating AIDS by 2030 - shaping
policies, passing laws, overseeing government action and authorizing financial resources. 

IPU Secretary General sets out Gender Champions vision - IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong has stressed the organization's commitment to
working for gender equality and has outlined strategic steps necessary for progress. In an address to the mid-year review of the International Geneva
Gender Champions initiative, Mr Chungong described equality as a key component of better parliaments. He said IPU's strategy to achieve it was
focused on setting targets, monitoring and providing support for women's participation in politics, building the capacity of parliaments and helping
them with advice and training. 

Parliaments' health role to be stepped up after IPU Global Fund address - The power of parliaments and MPs must be harnessed nationally and globally
to deliver better health outcomes for citizens, IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong has told the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis
and Malaria. In the first address of its kind, Mr Chungong stressed the vital role of parliaments and parliamentarians within their own countries in
areas such as devising policies, allocating resources and holding governments to account. The board thanked Mr Chungong for his inspiring
speech, and stressed its commitment to an ongoing partnership with IPU. It pledged to initiate greater parliamentary involvement in country
co-ordinating mechanisms and relevant processes, to maximise the impact on the ground.

Fresh steps to greater autonomy for Afghan Parliament - A delegation of Afghan officials has focused on the next steps for the country’s parliament
on its journey towards greater democracy and self-sufficiency. The group - including the Secretaries General of both chambers of parliament – completed
a three-day workshop at IPU’s headquarters in Switzerland.  The training was the latest stage in a parliamentary strengthening process driven by the
Afghan Parliament itself, supported by IPU and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). 

Swaziland hailed for involving Parliament in UN rights hearing - IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong has praised Swaziland for including an MP
in its delegation to a UN hearing on human rights in the country.  The decision to include Marwick Khumalo followed an initiative by IPU, urging
greater parliamentary involvement in the Universal Periodic Review of human rights in UN Member States. The preliminary hearing in Geneva was told of
Swaziland's efforts to prepare for the full review by the UN Human Rights Council, which meets from 31 October to 11 November. 

Key nutrition role for IPU Secretary General - IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong is to play a significant role in the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN)
Movement, which is catalyzing the global fight against malnutrition. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited Mr Chungong to join the movement’s
Lead Group in recognition of his strong commitment to improving the lives of people who are poor, hungry and vulnerable. The Lead Group supports
countries as they step up their work to end malnutrition, as well as providing strategic oversight and ensuring accountability. 

IPU signs Assembly accord with Bangladesh Speaker - IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong has signed an agreement with the Speaker of the Bangladesh
Parliament, Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, finalizing the decision and process for next spring’s IPU Assembly to take place in Dhaka. The 136th Assembly,
from 1-5 April 2017, will be the first in IPU’s history to take place in Bangladesh. 

Namibia seminar creates plan to boost gender equality - The Namibian Parliament has produced an action plan to promote gender equality through
new and revised laws, and enhanced parliamentary oversight of the country’s international human rights commitments. The proposals follow a seminar
attended by the Ministers of Justice and Gender Equality, MPs and other officials and stakeholders in the capital, Windhoek. The discussions focused
both on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and human rights issues highlighted by the UN in its
Universal Periodic Review (UPR).