IPU President Saber Chowdhury is the proud recipient of this year’s World No Tobacco Day award. The award, given by the World Health Organization (WHO), recognizes Mr. Chowdhury's contribution to tobacco control at the local, national, regional and international levels. For more on this story, click here.

The Parliament of Zambia has become more open to the public in its operations. This is evidenced by the opening of the Media Centre to the public, relaxed dress code and the public broadcast of Parliamentary business through Parliament Radio and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) Television. The recent signing of the contract between National Assembly and ZNBC to broadcast radio dramas in Chinyanja and Silozi is a further activity to bring Parliament closer to the people.

The National Assembly of Zambia and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) have signed a contract for the production of a series of thirteen (13) radio dramas on the work of Parliament in Silozi and Chinyanja. This was at a signing ceremony that was held at Parliament Buildings on Tuesday, 23rd May 2017.

Hon. Chief Charumbira, Chairman of CAPA; PAP’s newest of 11 permanent committees, gave an engaging lecture to some 20 public service commission Clerks from across the continent. The special learning session took place during the PAP’s 4th Ordinary Session in Midrand.

Senator Edward B. Dagoseh, Chairman of AFROPAC, expressed his eagerness to work with PAP on governance issues in the future, observing that the two bodies shared critical overlaps in accountability through legislative

Some of the world’s leading environmental experts will meet at a Commonwealth conference this week to see how they can take forward an innovative strategy to reverse the human impact of climate change. They are hoping their new approach will influence the debate among world leaders when they meet at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP23, chaired by Fiji in Bonn, Germany this November.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has brought its youth engagement programme to Australia with a CPA Roadshow visit to Taminmin College, a school in Darwin, Northern Territory. The CPA Roadshows highlight the importance of encouraging youth engagement in the political process and the sharing of Commonwealth political values, especially with the 60% of the 2.4 billion population of the Commonwealth who are aged under 30.

A former foreign minister from Ghana, Hanna Tetteh, will lead a team of Commonwealth election observers to The Bahamas for the country’s general election later this month.

This is the first time the Commonwealth will observe elections to The Bahaman parliament. The general election is scheduled for 10 May 2017.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland announced the make up of the observer group after receiving an invitation from the Government of The Bahamas.

ROME, 1 May 2017 – On May 4 -5, 2017, the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) will participate in the International G7/20 Parliamentarians’ Conference in Rome, Italy. The AFPPD delegation is comprised of 13 Members of Parliament from Japan, India, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Thailand, Tonga, Vietnam, Nepal, New Zealand and Tajikistan. All are members of the AFPPD Executive Committee and Co-Chairs of AFPPD Standing Committees.

The IPU now has an official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/InterParliamentaryUnion/. We will be posting regular updates on our activities, so do visit the page and like it. Among other things, you will find a Facebook Live video from the Regional Meeting of Young Parliamentarians of the Asia-Pacific on countering violent extremism .

The Legislative Assembly of Northern Territory in Australia has hosted over 30 Commonwealth Speakers and Members of Parliament for the Mid-Year meetings of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) from 25 to 27 April 2017.