Switzerland: 125th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union at Bern

The 125th Assembly of the Inter Parliamentary Union was held at Bern, Switzerland from October 16, 2011 to October 19, 2011. Bern was also the headquarters of the IPU from 1892 to 1911.

What is The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)?

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is an international organization established in 1889 by William Randal Cremer (United Kingdom) and Frédéric Passy (France). It was the first permanent forum for political multilateral negotiations. Initially, the organization was for individual parliamentarians, but has since transformed into an international organization of the parliaments of sovereign states. The national parliaments of 157 countries are members of the IPU, and nine regional parliamentary assemblies are associate members. The IPU has permanent observer status at the United Nations.

• President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union is Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia), elected to this post for a three-year mandate on 15 October 2008 at the 183rd session of the Governing Council of the IPU in Geneva.

Bern was also the headquarters of the IPU from 1892 to 1911.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2011