The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), in close collaboration with the United Nations, is pleased to announce that the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament will take place from 29 to 31 July 2025 at the Palais des Nations, United Nations Office at Geneva.
Established in 2000 by the IPU, the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament brings together the highest level representatives of parliaments and the United Nations every five years. Previous Conferences have played an important role in strengthening the parliamentary dimension of global governance and bridging the democracy gap in international affairs.
During the Conference, the world’s top legislators are expected to engage with leaders from international organizations, academia, civil society and the media.
Programme highlights
29 July 2025: Start of the General Debate on A world in turmoil: Parliamentary cooperation and multilateralism for peace, justice and prosperity for all, and panel 1 on women’s and youth participation in parliament.
30 July 2025: Panels on innovating for peace, achieving the SDGs by 2030, parliaments’ role in shaping the digital future, and anti-discrimination action.
31 July 2025: Interactive debate with multiple stakeholders on “networked” global governance, and adoption of the final declaration.
Women Speakers of Parliament
The Conference will be preceded by the 15th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament on 28 July 2025 organized in collaboration with the Swiss Parliament. The Summit will take place at the headquarters of the International Labour Organization.
Media accreditation for the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament
The United Nations Information Service in Geneva is responsible for the accreditation of media representatives to the Palais des Nations.
Journalists permanently accredited with UN Geneva do not need to request additional accreditation.
Media representatives accompanying parliamentary delegations should register at this link by selecting “Media Accreditation” and submitting all required documents including, inter alia, a valid passport from a State recognized by the United Nations General Assembly, and a letter of assignment on official letterhead from the Publisher/Assignment Editor or Bureau Chief of their media organization. They may also wish to use a copy of the Note Verbale from the Mission of their country in lieu of the requested letter of assignment (see below).
Other representatives of bona fide media organizations without a UN Geneva media badge should also register at this link by selecting “Media Accreditation”, and submitting all required documents including, inter alia, a valid passport from a State recognized by the United Nations General Assembly, and a letter of assignment on official letterhead of their media organization from the Publisher/Assignment Editor or Bureau Chief. Other requirements are listed on the accreditation webpage.
Should representatives of bona fide media organizations be travelling with official delegations, the latter are kindly requested to submit to the UN Information Service, through their UN Missions in Geneva, a Note Verbale listing those representatives and indicating their full names and affiliated media outlets. Please send the Note Verbale to the following email address: accreditation-media@un.org.
N.B.: Each delegation with a participating dignitary may take one official photographer and one official cameraperson to the Conference. The latter do not represent a bona fide media organization but are affiliated to the dignitary, and will receive a UN “Delegation-Media” badge. These individuals will need to register using the general registration platform and should choose “Member or Observer State” under Representation Type. Their names will have to be listed in the Note Verbale by the Mission requesting accreditation to the conference for their delegates.
World Conference of Speakers of Parliament : Overview
- The IPU convened the first-ever World Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments in 2000. The parliamentary leaders met in the United Nations General Assembly Hall on the eve of the Millennium Summit. At a time when multilateralism was seen to be under threat, the focus of the first Conference was to offer political support to the United Nations as the principal instrument of international cooperation. Through their presence at the United Nations Headquarters and in their Declaration – The parliamentary vision for international cooperation at the dawn of the third millennium – the Speakers asserted that the multilateral system could no longer dispense with the participation of parliaments. They declared that their ambition was to bring a more manifestly democratic dimension to international decision-making and cooperation. They resolved to ensure that their parliaments contributed more substantively to the work of the United Nations.
- The Second World Conference of Speakers of Parliament was held in September 2005 at UN Headquarters in New York. Again, the Speakers’ meeting coincided with a Summit of Heads of State and Government, that time to adopt a set of proposals for reform of the United Nations and to review progress on implementing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Through their Declaration – Bridging the democracy gap in international relations: A stronger role for parliaments – the Speakers of Parliament issued a strong call for multilateral action for solving global problems, and pledged their support for developing a more strategic and mutually beneficial interaction between the United Nations, the IPU and the global parliamentary community.
- The Third World Conference of Speakers of Parliament was held in July 2010, this time at the United Nations Office at Geneva. The Speakers called for greater global democratic accountability for the common good. The time had come, they stated, for an imaginative leap of faith: “Today’s multilateral systems should allow for much greater consideration for the thoughts, feelings and aspirations of people everywhere whose voices go unheard.” The Speakers expressed support for the United Nations, acknowledged progress in strengthening the institution and urged further reforms. Similarly, they reiterated their support for the IPU as the international body best suited to build a strong relationship between parliaments and the United Nations.
- The Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament was held in early September 2015 at UN Headquarters in New York. After several years of work by the IPU and its Member Parliaments to help shape the 2030 Development Agenda and the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it provided a strong message of support and commitment to the implementation of the SDGs. The outcome Declaration – Placing democracy at the service of peace and sustainable development: Building the world the people want – reaffirmed the principles of the Universal Declaration on Democracy, and established the critical connections between democratic governance, peace and sustainable development. The Speakers underscored the fact that, as the world organization of parliaments, the IPU was the international body best suited to help build the relationship between parliaments and the United Nations and recommended that its capacity be strengthened to help it cope with the substantial responsibilities that came with the post-2015 development agenda.
- The Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament was held in a unique two-part format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a virtual segment in August 2020 and an in-person meeting in Vienna in September 2021. During unprecedented global challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Speakers of Parliament underscored the critical importance of reinvigorating multilateralism and international solidarity. The outcome High-level declaration on parliamentary leadership for more effective multilateralism that delivers peace and sustainable development for the people and the planet articulated a vision for a multi-sectoral, globally coordinated approach to meet the challenges posed by health crises, social inequalities, the digital divide, and environmental degradation. Speakers of Parliament emphasized the need for inclusive, rightsbased, democratic, and sustainable approaches to global recovery, committing to accelerate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in their work as parliamentarians. They reiterated their support for the IPU and its efforts to strengthen parliamentary engagement and mobilization in major international global processes, including the United Nations.
- Speakers’ Conferences are organized in close cooperation with the United Nations, and are designed to reinforce the parliamentary dimension of the work of the United Nations. As such, they have always taken place in cities with major United Nations Offices (New York, Geneva, Vienna). The Conference consists of a plenary debate, panel discussions, roundtables and the presentation of substantive reports. It is preceded by a Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament and concludes with the adoption of a solemn declaration drafted by a representative group of Speakers in consultation with their peers.
- Preparations for the Speakers’ Conference are spearheaded by a Preparatory Committee composed of some 20 Speakers of Parliament, a select number of representatives of the IPU Executive Committee, and the senior representative of the UN Secretary-General. The Preparatory Committee usually meets four times during the 18-month preparatory period, with the fourth and final meeting taking place on the eve of the Conference. Composition of the Preparatory Committee for the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament Composition of the Preparatory Committee for the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (29–31 July 2025), as per the nominations received from the geopolitical groups and the IPU Executive Committee. The Preparatory Committee of the Summit of Women Speakers is composed of the women members of the Preparatory Committee of the Speakers Conference and, as ex-officio members, the President of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians and a female representative of the Bureau of Young Parliamentarians.
President of the Preparatory Committee
Dr. Tulia Ackson President of the IPU
Members as of 2 December 202
Mr. Brahim Boughali President National People’s Assembly, Algeria
Ms. Carolina Cerqueira Speaker National Assembly, Angola
Ms. Victoria Eugenia Villarruel President Senate, Argentina
Mr. Alen Simonyan Chairman National Assembly, Armenia
Mr. Milton Dick Speaker House of Representatives, Australia
Ms. Sahiba Gafarova Chairwoman National Assembly, Azerbaijan
Ms. Lashell Adderley Speaker Senate, Bahamas
Ms. Raymonde Gagné Speaker Senate, Canada
Mr. Zhao Leji Chairman National People’s Congress, China
Mr. Adama Bictogo Speaker National Assembly, Côte d’Ivoire
Mr. Manzoor Nadir Speaker National Assembly, Guyana
Mr. Angelo Farrugia Speaker House of Representatives, Malta
Mr. Rachid Talbi El Alami Speaker House of Representatives, Morocco
Mr. Godswill Akpabio President Senate, Nigeria
Ms. Hamda bint Hassan Al-Sulaiti Deputy Speaker Shura Council, Qatar
Ms. Jemma Nunu Kumba Speaker Transitional National Legislative Assembly, South Sudan Representatives of the Executive Committee
Ms. Nelly Butete Kashumba Mutti Speaker National Assembly, Zambia
Mr. Agustín Almodóbar Barceló Senator Senate, Spain Ex-officio Members of the Preparatory Committee
Ms. Cynthia López Castro President Bureau of Women Parliamentarians
Mr. Dan Carden President Bureau of Young Parliamentarians
Ms. Maja Riniker President National Council, Switzerland (President of the 15th Summit of Women Speakers)
Mr. David McGuinty President IPU Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs Representative of the UN Secretary-General
Mr. Courtenay Rattray Chef de Cabinet of the UNSG
Mr. Martin Chungong Secretary General of the IPU
