The Honorable Chairman Senate of Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, met with the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Dr. Tulia Ackson reaffirming Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to strengthening parliamentary democracy, multilateralism, and global cooperation through active engagement with the IPU.
At the outset, the Chairman Senate conveyed warm greetings and expressed deep appreciation for the IPU’s historic role as the global voice of parliaments and a guardian of parliamentary democracy. He underscored that Pakistan regards the IPU as a vital platform for advancing dialogue, rule of law, inclusive governance, and constructive parliamentary engagement across regions.
Chairman Gilani reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong and long-standing partnership with the IPU, highlighting the active participation of Pakistan’s Parliament in IPU Assemblies, Standing Committees, and General Debates.
The Chairman particularly recalled his participation in the 150th IPU Assembly held in Tashkent in April 2025, where Pakistan contributed meaningfully to deliberations on peace and security, sustainable development, climate action, and strengthening multilateral cooperation. He noted that sustained high-level exchanges between Pakistan and the IPU leadership over successive years reflect the depth, maturity, and continuity of this important partnership.
Highlighting Pakistan’s proactive parliamentary role, Chairman Gilani referred to the successful hosting of the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference (ISC) in Islamabad in November 2025, which brought together delegations from different countries and culminated in the unanimous adoption of the Islamabad Communiqué. He noted that the Conference reinforced the inseparable linkage between peace, security, and sustainable development and demonstrated Pakistan’s growing stature as a trusted partner in parliamentary diplomacy.
On democratic governance and rule of law, the Chairman emphasized the Senate of Pakistan’s role in fostering inclusive legislation, safeguarding minority rights, ensuring provincial representation, and strengthening oversight and accountability mechanisms.
Discussing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Chairman Gilani recalled that Pakistan adopted the 2030 Agenda through a unanimous parliamentary resolution in 2016, anchoring the SDGs in national policy through parliamentary ownership. He acknowledged the IPU’s global leadership in promoting SDG localization and expressed interest in enhanced cooperation in SDG-aligned legislation, public finance oversight, and evidence-based lawmaking.
On climate change, the Chairman underscored that Pakistan remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate impacts, recalling the devastating floods of 2022 and subsequent extreme weather events. He called for closer collaboration with the IPU in building parliamentary capacity on climate-responsive legislation, disaster risk reduction, and climate resilience.
The Chairman also commended the IPU’s leadership in advancing gender equality and women’s political empowerment. He noted Pakistan’s constitutional provisions for reserved seats for women in Parliament and key legislative measures protecting women’s rights. He further highlighted the Benazir Income Support Programme as a flagship social protection initiative contributing significantly to poverty reduction and women’s economic empowerment.
On human rights and global peace, Chairman Gilani appreciated the impartial work of the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians and reiterated Pakistan’s support for dialogue, diplomacy, and peaceful conflict resolution. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s principled position on the right to self-determination of the people of IIOJ&K in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and underscored Pakistan’s unwavering support for the establishment of a viable and sovereign State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds as its capital.
Looking ahead, the Chairman proposed more structured and institutionalized engagement between Pakistan’s Parliament and the IPU, including regular dialogues, technical assistance, capacity-building initiatives, parliamentary modernization, and staff-level exchange programs. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to work closely with the IPU to strengthen democracy, multilateralism, sustainable development, and people-centered governance.
The President of the IPU appreciated Pakistan’s active and constructive role within the organization and welcomed continued cooperation to advance shared objectives of democratic governance, peace, and global parliamentary solidarity.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to deepening collaboration between Pakistan’s Parliament and the Inter-Parliamentary Union in pursuit of a more just, inclusive, and peaceful international order.
The Chairman Senate also met with the Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Mr. Martin Chungong, and reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to parliamentary diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, and enhanced institutional linkages between parliamentary secretariats.
He acknowledged the IPU’s valuable support to parliamentary institutions, particularly in strengthening the capacity of parliamentary secretariats in developing countries.
Chairman Gilani underscored that Pakistan’s Parliament attaches great importance to its longstanding membership of the IPU and views the organization as an essential bridge between national parliaments. He emphasized that professional, efficient, and non-partisan parliamentary secretariats are indispensable for effective parliamentary diplomacy and for ensuring that the voices of the people are meaningfully reflected in global decision-making processes.
Highlighting Pakistan’s consistent engagement with the IPU, the Chairman recalled sustained high-level interactions with IPU leadership in recent years, which have reinforced institutional continuity and cooperation. He reaffirmed that the Senate Secretariat remains fully committed to ensuring Pakistan’s effective and well-coordinated participation in IPU activities, including timely follow-up on resolutions, correspondence, and capacity-building initiatives.
During the meeting, Chairman Senate emphasized the Senate Secretariat’s role in supporting inclusive legislation, minority protection, and provincial representation through robust committee servicing, research briefs, procedural guidance, and documentation. He noted that parliamentary tools—such as debates, questions, motions, resolutions, and points of public importance—are effectively processed and tracked by the Secretariat to enhance oversight and legislative effectiveness.
On the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Chairman Gilani highlighted the Secretariat’s support to parliamentary SDG taskforces through research, coordination with relevant agencies, and organization of hearings. He expressed interest in closer cooperation with the IPU Secretariat on practical tools, reporting formats, and staff-level training to further integrate SDGs into parliamentary practice.
Addressing climate change, the Chairman recalled the devastating floods of 2022 and 2025 in Pakistan and emphasized the importance of strong research and committee support in enabling effective parliamentary scrutiny of climate governance. He appreciated the IPU’s guidance in this area and expressed interest in practical toolkits, briefing templates, and training modules tailored for parliamentary administrations.
Chairman Gilani also commended the IPU’s efforts toward gender-responsive parliamentary institutions and stressed the importance of gender-sensitive policies within parliamentary secretariats, including recruitment, promotions, work-life balance, and protection against harassment. He proposed enhanced staff-level cooperation and participation in IPU programmes focused on women’s empowerment and institutional strengthening.
Looking ahead, the Chairman proposed more structured and regular contacts between the Senate Secretariat and the IPU Secretariat, particularly in planning participation in IPU Assemblies, delegation preparation, and follow-up to outcomes. He also expressed interest in collaboration on parliamentary modernization, digitalization, AI-supported services such as automated transcription and research assistance, and strengthening in-house research and documentation capacities.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to multilateralism and parliamentary cooperation, Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani conveyed the Senate Secretariat’s readiness to explore concrete, time-bound initiatives with the IPU Secretariat in areas including capacity-building, digital transformation, research support, and committee servicing.
The IPU Secretary General appreciated Pakistan’s active engagement with the Union and acknowledged the constructive role of the Senate of Pakistan in advancing democratic values and inclusive governance at the international level.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to further deepen cooperation between Pakistan’s Parliament and the IPU in pursuit of effective, transparent, and people-centered parliamentary institutions worldwide.
