Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
The IPU was founded in 1889 and is the largest global parliamentary organisation. The IPU is currently comprised of 179 Member Parliaments, while numerous international and regional parliamentary organisations attend and participate in the annual Assemblies, as permanent observers. The IPU is funded by its Members and has its headquarters in Geneva. The aims of the organisation are the promotion of peace and cooperation among nations, the development of democratic institutions and the consolidation of ascertain participatory democracy through parliamentary dialogue. The IPU developed close cooperation with the United Nations.
The House of Representatives became a member of the IPU in 1978. Since then, the House has participated in all IPU Assemblies and special conferences on matters of international interest, with a four-member delegation, which includes MPs of both genders, in accordance with IPU Statutes and Rules. Currently, the Cyprus delegation to the IPU is composed of Mr. Averof Neofytou MP, head (DISY), Mr Andros Kyprianou (Progressive Party for the Working People - AKEL), Ms Christiana Erotokritou (Democratic Party - DIKO), Mr. Marios Karoyan (DIPA) and Mrs. Alexandra Attalides (Cyprus Greens-Citizens' Cooperation).
The governing bodies of the IPU are, the Assembly (main political body), the Governing Council (policy-making body), the Executive Committee (administrative body) and four Standing Committees, on Peace and International Security, Sustainable Development, Democracy and Human rights and United Nations Affairs. Each Standing Committee elects a Bureau comprised of three representatives from each geo-political group (Africa, the Arab World, Asia-Pacific, Eurasia, Latin America/the Caribbean and the "Twelve-Plus" group). The House o Representatives belongs to the "Twelve-Plus" group, which is made up by the parliaments of the member-States of the Council of Europe, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
Additional bodies, groups and ad hoc committees also convene within the framework of the IPU, of which the three-member “Group of Facilitators for Cyprus”, which replaced the six-member ad hoc Committee for Monitoring the Cyprus problem. During IPU annual Assemblies, joint meetings are held between the Group of Facilitators, the members of the Cyprus delegation and representatives of Turkish-Cypriot political parties. The Group of Facilitators submits to the IPU Governing Council brief oral reports on the results of the meetings. The IPU also convenes the ad hoc Committee on Middle East Questions, the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, etc.
Moreover, the Secretary General of the House participates in meetings of the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (consultative body), which take place during the IPU Assemblies to examine various parliamentary matters and to promote cooperation between the different services of parliaments.