Strengthening cooperation between the national parliaments and the United Nations took center stage on April 17 at a high-level panel held during the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Istanbul. The session highlighted Türkiye as a practical example of how UN field presence can engage more systematically with legislative institutions to advance sustainable development and accountability.Convened under the Standing Committee on United Nations Affairs, the session titled “The UN field presence in Türkiye: A test case of greater UN engagement with parliaments” brought together senior UN representatives to reflect on evolving partnerships between the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye and the UN Country Team (UNCT).Opening the discussion, moderator Dr. Babatunde Ahonsi, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Türkiye, underlined the importance of strong legislative engagement in delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).“Parliaments sit at the heart of sustainable development; translating global commitments into national laws, ensuring resources are allocated, and holding institutions accountable. Strengthening cooperation between the United Nations and parliaments is therefore essential to accelerate progress on the SDGs” said Ahonsi opening the panel. Participants heard how collaboration between the Parliament and the UN has evolved from ad hoc interactions to more structured and strategic engagement, particularly across key areas such as gender equality, women’s rights, migration, refugee protection and solutions, child rights and human rights. [EO1] This shift aligns with broader UN reform efforts aimed at building a more coherent and country-focused system.The panel showcased concrete examples of cooperation with parliamentary commissions, including the Committee on Equal Opportunity for Women and Men (KEFEK), as well as those focused on equality of opportunity, human rights, justice, and budget oversight. Speakers emphasized that such engagement helps strengthen legislative frameworks, improve oversight of SDG implementation, and enhance accountability in public policy.Maryse Guimond, UN Women Türkiye Country Director, highlighted efforts to support gender-responsive legislation and women’s political participation. “Türkiye's experience shows that engagement between the parliaments and United Nations can go far beyond dialogue. It can lead to real institutional change, in how laws are made, how budgets are shaped, and how representation is strengthened. Together with Parliament and IPU, we supported tools that are now part of how the institution works, from gender analysis of legislation to gender-responsive budgeting integrated into the budget cycle. We also invested in spaces that did not exist before, cross-party dialogue platforms where women Members of Parliament could come together across political lines. The agenda is no longer external. It is driven from within Parliament,” said Maryse Guimond. UN Women Türkiye's partnership with the Grand National Assembly dates back to 2011 and has contributed to the inclusion of temporary special measures in the National Development Plan and to women's representation in Parliament reaching nearly 20 per cent, the highest level to date.Daniela C. Cicchella, Deputy Representative of UNHCR Türkiye, emphasized that engagement with parliaments is central to ensuring refugee protection, it is a legal and institutional reality beyond just a policy commitment. Through their legislative, oversight, and budgetary roles, parliamentarians shape how refugees and stateless persons are received, protected, and included, while enabling sustainable responses and solutions.Strengthening parliamentary engagement helps anchor responses to forced displacement in the rule of law, align them with international standards, and adapt them to national contexts. Türkiye’s experience as a major refugee-hosting country offers valuable insights into balancing protection principles, national systems, and social cohesion through informed parliamentary action. It also demonstrates the importance of structured cooperation between the United Nations and legislative institutions.The Inter-Parliamentary Union plays a key role in connecting parliaments and scaling up good practices globally. A Memorandum of Understanding between UNHCR and the IPU aims to enhance parliamentary engagement on refugee protection, solutions, and the prevention and reduction of statelessness, translating international commitments into national legislation and transforming national experiences into global learning.In a context of rising forced displacement, parliamentarians have an increasingly vital role in upholding fundamental principles, ensuring access to rights and services, promoting responsibility-sharing, and advancing inclusive policies.“Parliamentarians play a critical role in translating international principles and commitments on refugee protection and solutions as well as reduction of statelessness into national legislation, oversight and practical policies that benefit both refugees and host communities. UNHCR works closely with the Inter-Parliamentary Union that is essential in transferring national practices into global collective learning.” said Cicchella. Malti Gandhi, Deputy Representative of UNICEF Türkiye, outlined ongoing work with parliamentary bodies to advance child rights, child protection, and youth participation:“By engaging with the parliament as a system, institutionalizing child participation, and using evidence to influence parliamentary debate; UNICEF is committed to continued collaboration with Parliamentarians in placing children's best interests and rights front, right and centre of the country's agenda.”The discussion further explored how stronger institutional ties between the parliaments and the UN can enhance national ownership of development programmes, support evidence-based policymaking, and ensure sustainability of results.Looking ahead, participants identified opportunities to further institutionalize cooperation, including strengthening parliamentary research capacities, expanding training on human rights-based lawmaking, gender-responsive governance, and developing joint UN–IPU follow-up mechanisms beyond the Assembly.

As part of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU152) in Istanbul, parliamentarians from around the world joined a field visit to observe how United Nations agencies and local partners deliver services to refugees and host communities in Türkiye.The visit took place at the Refugees and Asylum Seekers Assistance and Solidarity Association (RASAS) Community Centre in Sultanbeyli district of Istanbul, operated in collaboration with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).The delegation included the UN Resident Coordinator in Türkiye Babatunde Ahonsi, representatives from the IPU Secretariat and its health, human rights, international humanitarian law, and UN affairs committees, as well as Members of Parliament from multiple countries and representatives of UN entities participating in IPU152.The visit provided a first-hand look at how integrated, community-based services are delivered on the ground in one of Istanbul’s districts hosting a high number of refugees. Sultanbeyli, with a population of nearly 379,000, is home to approximately 19,000 Syrians under temporary protection, making it a key district in Türkiye’s refugee response.Established in 2014 under the leadership of the municipality, RASAS has become a central actor in supporting both refugees and host communities. Through its Community Centre, the association delivers a wide range of services spanning protection, education, livelihoods, basic needs, and social cohesion.As of March 2026, the centre has reached over 17,000 beneficiaries, the vast majority of whom are Syrians under temporary protection, primarily from Aleppo, Damascus, and Idlib. Services are designed to respond to diverse needs, with a near equal gender distribution among beneficiaries.Since 2017, UNHCR’s Istanbul Field Office has worked closely with RASAS and the municipality to strengthen access to protection services. With UNHCR support, the centre provides counselling, case management, and referral services for individuals with specific needs, including survivors of gender-based violence and children at risk.The centre also facilitates access to mental health and psychosocial support, as well as in-kind and cash assistance through dedicated support mechanisms. Community outreach activities, including information sessions and focus group discussions, help ensure that both refugees and host communities are informed of their rights and available services.Speaking during the visit, UN officials emphasized the importance of local partnerships in delivering effective and inclusive responses. The Sultanbeyli model was highlighted as an example of how municipalities, civil society, and international organizations can work together to provide holistic support and strengthen social cohesion.The visit underscored the critical role of field-level engagement in informing policymaking, offering parliamentarians a concrete understanding of how global commitments translate into real impact for communities on the ground. The visiting parliamentarians unanimously expressed appreciation for Türkiye’s refugee governance system especially in relation to the effective tripartite collaboration between municipal authorities, community organizations and the UNHCR in delivering services to refugees and their host communities.

“Effective multilateral cooperation depends on strong national institutions,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as lawmakers from 155 countries gathered in Istanbul for the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.At the opening session, UN Resident Coordinator in Türkiye, Babatunde Ahonsi, emphasized the critical role of parliaments in advancing sustainable development, noting that “achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires not only strong executive action, but also robust legislative frameworks, effective oversight, and inclusive representation.” The Assembly is hosted by the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, bringing together hundreds of parliamentarians, including 80 speakers of parliaments, from around the world for high-level dialogue and diplomacy.At the opening session, UN Resident Coordinator in Türkiye, Babatunde Ahonsi, highlighted the critical role of parliaments in today’s rapidly evolving global landscape.He underscored three key areas where parliaments are indispensable: advancing sustainable development, shaping forward-looking public policy, and strengthening trust and social cohesion. He noted that evidence-based legislation and long-term vision are essential to address emerging challenges such as climate risks, technological transformation, and shifting global economic dynamics—while ensuring that no one is left behind.Ahonsi also stressed the role of parliaments as platforms for dialogue and consensus-building at a time of growing polarization. “Your discussions on peace and security, including post-conflict recovery and pathways to lasting peace, are a powerful reminder of the role parliaments play in sustaining stability and reconciliation,” he said.Highlighting the inclusive nature of the IPU, he pointed to the active engagement of the Forums of Women and Young Parliamentarians, noting that diverse representation is essential for policies that reflect the needs and aspirations of all segments of society. In a video message to the opening, UN Secretary-General António Guterres underscored Türkiye’s unique role, noting that “Türkiye has long been a meeting point of continents, cultures and ideas. And bridge-building is also at the heart of the mission of the IPU.”Warning of mounting global challenges, the Secretary-General said: “We are living through profound geopolitical tensions, widening inequalities, eroding trust and immense human suffering.” He added that conflicts “are exacting an unbearable toll on civilians while deepening instability at every level,” stressing that “the moment demands dialogue, de-escalation and full respect for international law.”Guterres also called for urgent global action on inequality and governance, emphasizing that “we must confront the global inequality emergency by reforming the international financial architecture, making it more representative, more inclusive, and better aligned with the realities of today’s economy.”Highlighting emerging risks, he said “technology, including artificial intelligence, must be a bridge to opportunity and inclusion, not a driver of new inequalities,” while urging stronger climate solidarity: “We need bridges for climate action, connecting ambition with implementation and ensuring solidarity with those on the front lines who have done the least to cause the crisis.”He concluded with a call aligned with the Assembly’s theme: “Together, let us keep advancing the aims of this Assembly — nurturing hope, strengthening peace, and ensuring justice for present and future generations.”Held from 15 to 19 April, the Assembly is taking place under the theme “Nurturing hope, securing peace and ensuring justice for future generations.” The gathering comes at a time of escalating conflicts and deepening humanitarian crises in the Middle East and beyond, underscoring the urgency of parliamentary engagement in advancing peaceful solutions.Against this backdrop, the Assembly provides a platform for legislators to exchange views, build consensus, and explore policy pathways that respond to the complex challenges facing their societies. 

As the war in the Middle East continues, the United Nations Secretary-General issued a passionate call for “serious negotiations” between the US and Iran to resume, warning that respect for international law “is being trampled” underfoot. Addressing journalists at UN Headquarters in New York outside the Security Council, António Guterres said that humanitarian and other legal obligations are being disregarded in the Middle East and elsewhere, breeding chaos, suffering and destruction. He said the theme of upholding international law would be a central theme of his visit this week to the UN’s highest tribunal in the Hague – the International Court of Justice, amid hopes for renewed talks between Iran and the United States.  The crisis has caused death and devastation across the region, blocked shipping through the Strait of Hormuz –crucial for global trade in fuel, fertilizer and gas, and left thousands of workers stranded in vessels on the high seas. Reaffirm, not retreat  “Justice is meant to be blind.  But today, too many are choosing to turn a blind eye to justice itself,” the UN chief said.   “Around the world – and starkly in the Middle East – respect for international law is being trampled.” He insisted that “this is not the moment to retreat from international law. It is the moment to reaffirm it.” Message to the world The ICJ – also known as the World Court – marks its 80th anniversary this week. The UN’s principal judicial organ is a pillar of the international legal order and it “has fulfilled that role with distinction” over this period.  However, the visit “is not simply about commemorating an anniversary. It is about sending an unmistakable message,” he said.  “A message that the United Nations stands firmly behind the institutions and principles designed to protect peace, justice, sovereignty and human dignity,” he continued.  “A message that international law applies to all States, without exception, and that respect for its rules is not optional. A message that in a world moving toward greater fragmentation and sharper power competition, international law is indispensable.” Appeal for restraint  The Secretary-General warned that “without it, instability spreads, mistrust deepens, and conflicts spiral out of control” – a situation that applies everywhere, but urgently to the conflict in the Middle East.  He repeated his position that there is no military solution to the crisis, adding that peace agreements require persistent engagement and political will.  He stressed that serious negotiations must resume, while international navigational rights and freedoms – including in the Strait of Hormuz – must be respected by all parties. “It is time for restraint and responsibility,” he said.  “It is time for diplomacy over escalation. It is time for a renewed commitment to international law.”