News Detail
Event Title: Pakistani Parliamentary Delegation Led by Chairman Senate, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani in a Meeting with Secretary General of The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) During The 2026 IPU Parliamentary Hearing at The UN Headquarters.
Event Date: 2026-02-13
Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani Meets IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong; Reaffirms Pakistan’s Commitment to Strengthening Parliamentary Diplomacy and Secretariat Cooperation
New York:
The Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, 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.
At the outset, Chairman Senate conveyed warm greetings and expressed appreciation for the IPU’s pivotal role as the global forum of parliaments and a steadfast advocate of parliamentary democracy. 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-centred parliamentary institutions worldwide.