Name:
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)

Web address:
http://www.ipu.org

Email:
postboxmail.ipu.org

Mailing address:
5, chemin du Pommier
CH-1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva
Switzerland

Areas of work:

The IPU is a global voice and facilitator of multilateral contacts for parliamentarians from over 140 national parliaments. It is continually active behind the scenes in the world's hot spots, helping to avoid or resolve conflict and to nurture fledging parliaments.

The IPU believes that Parliament is uniquely placed to promote national reconciliation. It does so for two important reasons: a parliament which is fully representative of all components of society and which offers a national platform for a free and open exchange of views, is in itself an important sign that reconciliation is under way and an important factor in consolidating the reconciliation process. Moreover, parliamentary debate and action can shape the course, meaning and objectives of reconciliation, in particular when it comes to the use of transitional justice mechanisms, such as truth and reconciliation commissions, trials, reparation programmes and justice reforms.

The IPU has therefore been increasingly active in helping ensure that post-conflict parliaments are inclusive and become part and parcel of national and international efforts to devise, implement and evaluate transitional justice mechanisms. In 2005, the IPU and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) published the Handbook Making reconciliation work: the role of parliaments (accessible at: www.ipu.org/PDF/publications/reconciliation_en.pdf) and started to organize a series of regional seminars to address, in a broad way, reconciliation processes and pitfalls, the first one of which targeted parliamentarians from Africa and was hosted by the Parliament of Burundi in November 2005. As an additional step, the IPU will deepen its approach and focus on a select group of parliaments where the challenge of reconciliation is particularly acute, several of which are already recipients of IPU capacity-building assistance.

Office addresses:
Telephone number: +41 22 919 41 50
Fax number: +41 22 919 41 60