PGA's Annual Parliamentary Forum

In 1980, PGA initiated an Annual Parliamentary Forum during the United Nations General Assembly. The primary goal was to develop the role of parliamentarians in international politics by organizing a UN Parliamentary Forum at each General Assembly. The first Forum was held in September 1981 at the UN to discuss The Politics of Human Survival. As a result of PGA's involvement of MPs, governments now routinely include parliamentarians on national delegations to the General Assembly.

At these fora, PGA members not only have the opportunity to discuss pressing issues with other members from around the world, but also with parliamentarians who are not members, such as high-level government and intergovernmental officials and experts, whom they might not have ever met otherwise.

Since 2000, PGA's Annual Fora have been held internationally. The first international venue was in Rome, Italy, for the 22nd Annual Forum titled Debt-for-Development: Debt Relief Targeted to Poverty Eradication. Since then PGA's Annual Forum has been held in Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Sweden and the United States Congress.

Some years, the Annual Forum is held as part of the biennial Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians for the International Criminal Court and the Rule of Law, the major event of the International Law and Human Rights Programme and the only parliamentary forum to address the fight against impunity for international crimes.

The Topics of Some Past Annual Fora: