After five years, Egypt has been able to regain its membership of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which restored to Egypt its international status.

The IPU welcomed back Egypt as member of the organization. Its admission at the opening session of the 134th IPU Assembly in Lusaka, Zambia, has increased the IPU membership to 170, marking a significant step forward in the Organization’s goal to achieve universal membership.

Parliamentary elections in Egypt at the end of 2015 had paved the way for the country to rejoin IPU. Egypt, which had first joined IPU in 1924 had been one of IPU’s oldest continuous Members.

At its current session, the IPU is discussing issues of terrorism, ensuring the protection of the cultural heritage of mankind against destruction and damage, rejuvenating democracy and strengthening the global cooperation to protect it and ensuring the freedom of women in the political participation without interference.

At the opening session of IPU held in Zambia and after Egypt recovered its full membership, the Egyptian flag was raised and the floor was given to Egypt.

The IPU aims to take joint action among members of parliament to support the representative institutions and developing work for world peace and international cooperation, hence the return of Egypt to IPU gives the opportunity for closer inter-parliamentary relations, conveys the Egyptian international politics and sheds light on Egyptian and Arab issues.

It is worth mentioning that, the IPU is an international organization composed of delegations representing parliamentary councils. It was established in 1889.

The Union is the focal point for world-wide parliamentary dialogue and works for peace and co-operation among peoples and for the firm establishment of democracy.

Egypt has joined IPU in 1924, which chaired the IPU for two sessions in the period from 1994 to 1997, and hosted two General Assemblies in Cairo; the first in 1974 and the second one in 1997.

Egypt has always defended African and the Arab world issues and played a pivotal and essential role for the IPU to join the United Nations.

After the dissolution of the parliament in 2013, the IPU kept his close ties with Egypt and signed an agreement with the government to provide a major program of technical support to the Secretariat of the Egyptian parliament. The program has focused on raising the efficiency of parliamentary work mechanisms, and support the development of human resources to fit the expectations of the new House of Representatives.

On October 4, 2013, the IPU issued a decision to support Egypt's efforts towards the implementation of the road map, also the IPU Secretary General congratulated Egypt for the convening of the legislative term.