IPU - Press conference: Secretary General-Elect Anda Filip

Good morning, dear colleagues. Thank you very much for attending this special IPU press briefing. I am delighted to be here with Ambassador Anda Filip, who is the future 10th Secretary General of the Interparliamentary Union, taking office on the 1st of July next week. The first woman and the first Eastern European to hold the post. In the IPU's 137-year history. She succeeds Martin Chunggong, who you know well, who was the 9th IPU Secretary-General and whose 3rd and final term will end on the 30th of June next week, which is actually the anniversary of the IPU's foundation in 1889 and which is now celebrated as the International Day of Parliamentarism. Ambassador Anda Philipp was elected at the 152nd IPU Assembly just last April in Istanbul, where she secured a landslide victory of 72%— 72% of the votes in a single round, up against 3 other candidates. And with hundreds of parliamentarians, hundreds of IPU lawmakers from our global membership who elected her. So I am delighted to welcome Anda, and I will now give her the floor for her opening remarks, and then we'll, we'll take any questions from the, the press corps. Thank you. Anda, over to you.

Thank you so much, Thomas, and good morning. I'm absolutely delighted to be here this morning. This is my first press conference as IPU Secretary-General-elect, and I feel that it is only fitting that this first briefing take place here with the accredited correspondents to the United Nations. And I'd like to thank you all for the fantastic work that you are doing covering international Geneva, and of course also the work of the Interparliamentary Union. As I prepare to take office next week on the 1st of July, I would like to share with you my three main priorities, which are fully aligned with the new IPU strategy also adopted in April in the context of the Istanbul Assembly, a strategy for the next five years, 2027 to 2031. First, I will step up parliamentary diplomacy. Diplomacy and parliamentary dialogue are the foundational values of the IPU. You may know that the IPU was born out of the peace movement in the late 19th century, when British and French MPs imagined a world where disputes could be resolved around the table rather than by conflict. That was true in 1889, and certainly it's true today as well. We see parliamentary diplomacy as the 5th pillar of parliamentary action alongside legislation, representation, government oversight, and budgeting. And over the decades, we have seen countless examples that have helped— that testify to the value of parliamentary diplomacy. The IPU has a very unique global convening power. It brings together 183 member parliaments as well as basically all the major parliamentary organizations around the world. And it is open to all 45,000 parliamentarians worldwide through its biannual assemblies, through the specialized meetings, through a variety of activities that we convene both in person and online. Um, this allows us to support other peacebuilding efforts, catalyze dialogue, build common ground, and encourage collective action. And given the current strains on the international order, the IPU has sought to intensify parliamentary diplomacy as a vital complement to the work of the United Nations and other multilateral bodies. Uh, at the IPU, we have several specialized bodies that bring together MPs from countries that are in conflict. We have a Middle East Committee, one of the few places where still MPs from both Israel and Palestine meet on a regular basis. We have a task force on Ukraine which engages actively with high-level parliamentary delegations from both Russia and Ukraine. Another example, over the past 2 years, for example, the IPU has facilitated, has offered its good offices for 4 direct meetings between the speakers of parliament of Armenia and Azerbaijan. These were historical. They started at IPU headquarters. And these talks, we believe, did help overcome deep-seated mistrust. And now we are talking about a regular parliamentary dialogue mechanism between the 2 countries that is also endorsed by the 2 respective heads of state. Secondly, I will strengthen the IPU's role in empowering parliaments and those who work within the institution of parliament. This is particularly important today in light of democratic backlash that we see all over the world, executive overreach, stagnation in women's political empowerment and in youth representation, and a widespread widespread pushback on human rights. And I should mention here that we have designated this year, 2026, as the year with a priority theme on human rights. And from our own records, that we know that around 840 MPs are currently being monitored by the IPU's own Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians. Most of these 840 cases are opposition members who face overall harassment, suspension, loss of mandate, or restrictions on free expression. And then there are the, the extreme situations of actual assassinations. We are also seeing more political violence from the public. Earlier this year, the IPU published the first comprehensive study on the issue, and based on the survey of more than 500 MPs,, it found that 71% had experienced violence from the public in the exercise of their parliamentary mandate. We, um, much of this abuse is online and it is being worsened clearly by AI. Just yesterday, the IPU published guidance on non-consensual intimate imagery, including sexualized deepfakes. AI has made it easier, cheaper, and faster to create abusive synthetic images, and UN Women reports a 550% increase in deepfake videos between 2019 and 2023. And we see that women parliamentarians, journalists, human rights defenders— they are the among the categories of people that are most at risk. This is clearly not just a technological issue. It also has to do with democracy because it deters good candidates, and especially young women, from entering politics. So the challenge is urgent. Women currently make up only 27.5% of parliamentarians worldwide. The slowest rate of growth since 2017 for the second consecutive year. Youth representation has also stalled, with MPs aged 30 or under still at 2.8% worldwide. And we believe that this guidance is highly topical, also bearing in mind the fact that half of— only less than half of the countries around the world actually have laws or legislation covering online abuse. The good news is that solutions do exist, and the IPU helps to develop, identify, and share good practice from parliaments that are taking action and getting results. And thirdly, my priority will be to make the IPU more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. This also means deepening engagement within the parliamentary community and strengthening ties with the wider ecosystem, which includes the UN and its specialized agencies, civil society, academia, and the media. For example, in July of last year, the IPU, together with the United Nations, convened the 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament. This is a meeting that started in 2000 that we convene every 5 years, focusing on multilateralism and the role of the United Nations Nations. It took place here in Geneva. We were the first meeting after the renovation to convene in the Salle des Assemblées upstairs, and the World Summit produced a declaration calling for key transitions needed to advance peace, justice, and prosperity, for stronger parliamentary engagement with the UN, and generally for more effective multilateralism. And maybe as a last point, since I was talking about inclusion and representation, we feel that the IPU has made strides in becoming a truly democratic and inclusive organization. It walks the talk. Members recently have amended the IPU statutes and rules. For 30 years we've been talking about gender equality. Now gender parity is the new norm that is enshrined in the IPU statutes and that it is being implemented. We see that in the IPU structures, the bureaus of the standing committees or the executive committee, perfect gender parity. We see it in the voting mechanisms. All of our members have a vote. All of them have a voice. They actually have 3 votes provided that delegations have MPs, both men and women. And we see it also in the composition of the delegations because, again, We are calling from our national parliaments, the members. We are inviting the delegations to be gender equal, to have young MPs, and to include parliamentarians from vulnerable and other underrepresented groups. So, it's only fitting, therefore, and I'm absolutely honored that after 137 years, the IPU now has a woman Secretary General. We hope this will also set the tone for the United Nations later this year. And these were my comments, and I'm very, very happy to take your questions. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Secretary-General-elect, and Philip. And just to say that this morning you should have received a press release with an embargo for next Tuesday, the 30th of June, which is the International Day of Parliamentarism. And in that press release, you'll find more biographical details of Ambassador Ander Philip, as well as a little bit more information about the new IPU strategy for 2027-2031, which Madam Secretary General-elect referred to. So we'll now open the floor. I see that there's a few people in the room. Thank you very much for coming. And we have quite a crowd online. So if there are any questions from the press corps, please don't hesitate. We have to— I promise that we will vacate the room at quarter past in time for the biweekly press briefing. Please. Thank you.

Robin Millard from AFP. This tide of AI abuse that you mentioned that parliamentarians are facing, if nothing is done about this, are we going to end up with poorer parliaments? And what can be done about this? Thank you.

I believe the, um, we, our members are aware of the critical importance of dealing with this issue quickly and seriously. 2 years ago, in 2024, um, the Standing Committee on, on Democracy and Human Rights adopted a resolution on the impact of AI on democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. And we have been closely monitoring. We have a Center for Innovation in Parliament, for example. And so we are tracking the way in which national parliaments in the capitals are dealing with AI and the various aspects, including the question of regulation. Uh, we have developed also a code of ethics on science and technology, including AI, that identifies some options or some ideas, things that institutions, national authorities should be thinking about. And through the accountability mechanism whereby every year the members come back to the IPU and they report on what they've done in follow-up to the various commitments, We try to shed light on those good practices that are out there so as to inspire action by others. Together with the European Parliament, actually, we'll be organizing later this year an e-parliament conference in Brussels. And more and more we are hearing that the only option going forward is to regulate. Yes, we have regulations on tobacco, on alcohol consumption. I was a couple of weeks ago in Warsaw where the Polish Senate organized a very interesting workshop with expertise, um, on, um, the, the relationship between AI and child protection at the end of the day, and some specific recommendations there. Um, so this is how we are trying to raise awareness, to encourage action, and to get the MP— try to get the MPs to play a much more proactive role in tackling the challenges and the risks associated with AI. And we'll be involved in July also in the multitude of activities taking place in Geneva, um, around this this issue. Thank you.

Robin, just to say that we published this guide yesterday, which I can send to you. So, Combating Nonconsensual Intimate Imagery, a parliamentary guide, which Anda referred to. And there's lots of examples of parliaments taking action, regulating, legislating, making sure there's some kind of enforcement mechanism as well. Australia, the Republic of Korea, Kenya. So there's examples of parliaments, and the European Parliament, of course, which Anda mentioned. So lots of examples of parliaments taking action.

And maybe just a last point on this, if I can. In the executive summary— I received this yesterday, so it's brand new, this publication— in the summary, you get the top 5 priorities for parliamentary action in this area. Number 1, legislate to recognize AI-generated and CII as gender-based violence. Number 2, to ensure effective takedown and victim support mechanisms, and parliaments can do that. Number 3, use oversight to track implementation, evidence, and platform compliance. Number 4, MPs as opinion leaders need to speak out publicly on NCII. And number 5, to cooperate internationally on borderless harm. And we see at the IPU indeed the value of those informal one-on-one personal conversations whereby the MPs share what they are doing back home, and then others take those ideas to their own parliaments for discussion and action. Thank you.

Great. Thank you very much. I see there's a question online from Catherine. Catherine Fiancon Bakonga, you have the floor.

Thank you so much, Thomas, and good morning, Mrs. Philip. Congratulations for, in fact, your election. We're very happy to have you back in Geneva in another position. My question is related to what you said previously about the, the growth of women in parliaments. It is only 27.5% of women are holding parliamentary seats worldwide. So what kind of actions or initiatives do you plan to take in order to boost the evolution of women in parliaments? Thank you for your answer.

Thank you very much for the question. For many years now, I think it's been 40 years since the Forum of Women Parliamentarians was created at the IPU, and we've seen institutionally how they themselves have been a tremendous force for change. Really transforming the organization into the gender-sensitive institution that it is today. Internationally, um, we try to equip the women with the tools that they need in order to perform in this very tough environment of politics. We have to realize that if in many, many countries, my own as well, you know, there are there aren't huge issues in terms of gender equality in the sense that women have exactly the same rights in terms of education and employment opportunities. And you see that they are very, very active in, in the private sector. 52% of the diplomats are women, um, in science, in civil society, with the one exception of politics. And here I think Violence, and especially now online violence, plays a very serious role in dissuading women to seek public office. When they know that it's not just themselves that are at risk, but maybe their children and their families as well, they think twice before going into this area. What we, uh, we are working with our members, uh, we believe that quotas over the years have been very effective tools. We see them as temporary measures to create the critical mass and to, um, to allow women to accede to this. And we— there are countries, uh, in all— on all regions, of course, in Northern Europe, in Southern Europe. The UAE is a country where you have full gender parity in the parliament. On the Latin American continent, we like to give Mexico as an example, where you have a country with a head of state that is a woman, where you have perfect gender parity in the, in the parliament, as well as the chief— the attorney general, I believe, or the chief prosecutor is a woman as well. So quotas are very effective tools that we have seen, and tackling— and sometimes this is the most difficult work that needs to be done— tackling stereotypes and negative social norms. And to give you one example, sometimes the workplace needs to be adapted to the realities of a woman. I was at a meeting recently and the MPs were sharing experiences. And they were saying, for example, we need to take the example of those countries where the voting sessions are within a very clearly defined time frame. Because if you schedule votes at 10 PM, you are depriving women maybe of being at home and working with their, with their children with on their homework. So making sure again that the institutions are gender sensitive is part of the equation, I think, in attracting more women to political life.

Thank you very much. Thank you, Catherine. Catherine, follow-up?

Another question, in fact. Where will you first go? What will be your first official trip as head of IPU? To which country or region Will you head?

I've already had a first tour as Secretary General-elect to— I was invited to some activities, and we, the IPU, had our own events in Skopje, in Belgrade. We had the annual parliamentary conference of women parliamentarians in Istanbul and in Warsaw. At the regional seminar that I just mentioned on AI and child protection. As Secretary-General, I will be going in the second week of July to New York for the High-Level Political Forum on the SDGs, where the IPU has a standalone, well-established parliamentary forum at HLPF, where we work with the parliaments, encouraging them to be part of the voluntary national reviews of implementation of the SDGs, and so we're expecting a very good event in New York in mid-July.

Okay, thank you very much. Any other questions in the room? I don't see any others online, so thank you, to all those who have attended in person and both online. Our colleagues from Information Services will be happy that we finished on time. And just to say that, of course, Anda Philip is available as well for any follow-up interviews, and that we hope this is the first of many encounters with the press corps at the United Nations in Geneva. Thank you very much. Have a good day.

Thank you. Have a great end of the week as well.

Bye-bye.