The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Parliamentarism is annually celebrated across the globe on 30 June to celebrate Parliaments and the ways in which parliamentary systems of government improve the day-to-day lives of people across the world.
- The day also marks the anniversary of the foundation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the global organization of national parliaments, founded on 30th June 1889.
- 30th June 2023 marks the 134th anniversary of IPU.
The theme of International Day of Parliamentarism 2023 is “Parliaments for the Planet”.
- The 2023 theme focus on climate action and emphasis that ‘climate action starts at home’.
IPU’s campaign for International Day of Parliamentarism 2023:
The IPU-launched campaign “Parliaments for the Planet” to mobilize parliaments and parliamentarians to act on the climate emergency.
The campaign is made up of 2 parts:
i.My parliament- This emphasises parliaments and the people working there to reduce their carbon footprints and transform to green energy.
ii.My planet- To empower parliament to create climate change legislation in the area of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to carry out the Paris Agreement and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Background:
i.The United United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/72/278 on 22nd May 2018 and proclaimed the 30th June of every year as the International Day of Parliamentarism to acknowledge the importance of parliamentary institutions.
ii.The first-ever International Day of Parliamentarism was observed on 30th Jun 2018.
Why 30th June?
30th June was chosen to mark the foundation day of the IPU founded on 30th June 1889 in Paris, France.
History of IPU:
i.The idea for the IPU was laid by William Randal Cremer(England) and Frédéric Passy(France) by setting up an association of MPs which has been transformed into a global organization.
ii.The IPU was instrumental in setting up the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 1899,and helped in laying the foundations for the creation of the League of Nations in 1919 and the United Nations in 1945.
About Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU):
President- Duarte Pacheco
Secretary General- Martin Chungong
Headquartered- Geneva, Switzerland
Members– 79 Member Parliaments and 14 Associate Members.
Slogan– “For democracy. For everyone.”
