IPU on air

AI has permeated across society and the economy. It can now help decide who gets a loan, who is shortlisted for a job, and who is eligible for a public service. But when those decisions go wrong, can people understand them, challenge them and put them right? That is a democratic governance question, and it is one for parliaments. In IPU on air #17, the IPU speaks with Lord Nagaraju of Bloomsbury,...

Interview with outgoing Secretary General Martin Chungong IPU on air #16 features an interview with Secretary General Martin Chungong as he concludes his 12-year tenure. In 2014, Martin Chungong made history as the first African and first non-European to be elected Secretary General of the IPU, and he was subsequently re-elected twice. In this special edition, Thomas Fitzsimons, IPU Director of Co...

In IPU on air #15, Ms. Petra Bayr, a Member of Parliament from Austria, and Ms. Catherine Mumma, Kenyan Senator and Member of the IPU Committee on Health member, discuss strategies for parliamentarians to shape legislation, allocate budgets and mobilize support for sexual and reproductive rights amid challenges to these rights in some countries. Moderated by Miriam Sangiorgio, IPU health expert. T...

Championing democracy: A Dialogue with MPs M E Blanc (France) and Ms. L. Fehlmann Rielle (Switzerland) on protecting parliamentarians In IPU on air #14, on the eve of the 151st Assembly and 216th session of the Governing Council held in Geneva from October 19-24, 2025, representatives from the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, President Blanc and Madam Fehlmann Rielle spoke to...

In IPU on air #13, on the eve of the 151st Assembly held in Geneva from October 19-24, 2025, Paddy Torsney, IPU Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York, discusses the current global financing landscape for health, how it is impacting countries, and health taxes as an emerging policy option with Kalipso Chalkidou, Director of Performance, Financing and Delivery at WHO, and Jacqueline S...

In IPU on air #12, on the eve of the 151st Assembly held in Geneva from October 19-24, 2025, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick spoke to IPU’s Kate Brooks on how he approaches the role of Speaker in Australia. The conversation explores the surprises he encountered on taking up the gavel, why the Speakership matters to democracy, what he gains from interacting with the IPU an...

In IPU on air #11, on the eve of the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament held in Geneva from July 29-31, Speaker of the Parliament of Sweden, Andreas Norlen spoke to IPU’s Kate Brooks on the significant role of the speaker. The conversation explores the multifaceted responsibilities of a Speaker, the challenges they face, and the opportunities they seize to enhance legislative pr...

In IPU on air #10, on the eve of the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament held in Geneva from July 29-31, Speaker of the Parliament of Namibia, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila spoke to IPU’s Kate Brooks on the significant role of the speaker. The conversation explores the multifaceted responsibilities of a Speaker, the challenges they face, and the opportunities they seize to enhance l...

In IPU on air #9, on the eve of the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament held in Geneva from July 29-31, Speaker of the Parliament of Malta, Dr Angelo Farrugia spoke to IPU’s Kate Brooks on the significant role of the speaker. The conversation explores the multifaceted responsibilities of a Speaker, the challenges they face, and the opportunities they seize to enhance legislative...

In IPU on air #8, British MP, Dame Karen Bradley, and UAE parliamentarian, Dr. Ali Al-Nuaimi are hosted by IPU’s Interfaith Dialogue expert, Sarah Markiewicz to discuss the importance of religion and belief in promoting global peace and understanding, and the role MPs and the Inter-Parliamentary Union can play.

In IPU on air #6, Irish Senator Lorraine Clifford Lee, Chair of the IPU Committee on Health, discusses the multi-faceted health impacts of climate change and the need for integrated responses with Mr Soltan Mammadov, Azerbaijan Member of Parliament and rapporteur of COP29’s Parliamentary Meeting and Dr Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Public Health and Environment, WHO. The IPU gratefull...

In IPU on air #7 Irish Senator Lorraine Clifford Lee, Chair of IPU’s Committee on Health, hosts Speaker Catherine Gotani Hara of the National Assembly of Malawi, and Claire Somerville, Executive Director of the Graduate Institute’s International and Development Studies Gender Centre to explore legislative frameworks affecting access to health services for women, girls and marginalized populations,...

In IPU on air #5, Ms. Amanda Ellis, Senior Director at Arizona State University’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory. discusses good practice in climate legislation with Dr. Michal Nachmany, founder of Climate Policy Radar and developer of the London School of Economics’ Grantham Research Institute Climate Change Laws of the World database, of which the IPU is a partner.

More than 50 million people worldwide have been trafficked into slavery. Addressing such a complex issue can be overwhelming, particularly from a legislative perspective. A good area to start is with the estimated 5.4 million children globally who are trafficked into unregulated orphanages. This practice, known as “orphanage trafficking,” involves the recruitment or transfer of children into resid...

IPU on air #2 features a dialogue between host Irish Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee, Chair of the IPU Advisory Group on Health, and Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Chair of the Board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

In #IPU on air #3, our host, Irish Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee, Chair of the IPU Advisory Group on Health, discusses the role of parliaments in addressing the health of migrants with Ms. Yvonne Apiyo Brändle-Amolo, Delegate for Migration, Swiss Socialist Party; and Prof. Patrick Taran, President of Global Migration Policy Associates.

In this first IPU podcast, Irish Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee, Chair of the IPU Advisory Group on Health, hosts Dr. Faustine Ndugulile, a fellow MP from the United Republic of Tanzania and Vice-Chair of the IPU Advisory Group on Health; and Dr. Pascale Allotey, Director of the Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at the World Health Organization.