For a holiday few have heard of, the International Day of Parliamentarism carries more weight than its quiet profile suggests. Marked each year on June 30^th — the anniversary of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s founding in 1889 — it was never intended to generate mass celebrations. Instead, it serves as a modest reminder that parliamentary institutions, often overlooked and frequently maligned, still matter.

This year, the occasion arrived with more relevance than usual. In April, Tashkent hosted the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) — the first time such a gathering had taken place in Central Asia. It was Uzbekistan’s diplomatic debut on the global parliamentary stage, attracting over 1,400 delegates from 130 countries. The timing, just months before the official Day of Parliamentarism, was deliberate.

For Uzbekistan, still navigating its democratic evolution, the event offered both a platform and a test. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev opened the proceedings with an appeal to the enduring value of representative institutions. “You are a powerful force,” he told lawmakers, “capable of perceiving the concerns and problems of ordinary people, elevating them, if necessary, to the regional and international level, and finding effective solutions for them.” In a country where the parliament remains largely deferential to the executive, the words were aspirational. Yet they reflected a broader ambition: to present Uzbekistan as a serious contributor to global governance conversations, and as a reformer — albeit a cautious one — at home.

The assembly also put a spotlight on the International Day itself, which remains unfamiliar to many. Established by the UN in 2018, the day commemorates the founding of the IPU and serves to promote parliaments as critical pillars of democracy, lawmaking, and oversight. While few countries observe it with more than a press release, the IPU has worked to turn June 30th into a hub for discussion, experimentation, and institutional self-reflection.

This year’s global theme is gender equality. Under the motto “Step by Step Toward Gender Equality,” the IPU — together with UN Women — has launched a campaign marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration. It comes at a time when progress on women’s political representation has slowed. As of early 2025, fewer than one-third of national parliamentarians globally are women. In some regions, the numbers are falling.

The campaign goes beyond slogans. It calls for legal quotas, safer working conditions, and stronger mechanisms to address harassment and political violence. In Tashkent, the initiative received an unexpected boost. President Mirziyoyev cited research estimating that global GDP could rise by over 25% if gender parity were achieved in public and economic life. His remarks were later incorporated into the Tashkent Declaration — a document that emphasized the link between inclusive representation and sustainable development.

The IPU itself has taken modest but meaningful steps to promote gender balance within its ranks. Delegations without women face sanctions; forums for women parliamentarians are increasingly influential; and men are being actively recruited as allies in the push for equality. The campaign’s underlying message is clear: democracy without diversity is fragile.

Other issues are gaining traction as well. Environmental policy, once a peripheral concern for legislative bodies, is now part of the parliamentary mainstream. In 2023, the IPU launched “Parliaments for the Planet,” urging lawmakers to align national laws with global climate goals. While most of the heavy lifting still falls to governments and regulators, parliaments are beginning to exercise oversight over emissions plans, green budgeting, and environmental justice. In resource-rich countries where environmental decisions often carry political risk, the IPU’s model — quiet encouragement, peer engagement, and scorecard monitoring — may be the most effective approach available.

Perhaps the most intriguing innovations, however, are happening outside the formal structures. In recent years, countries from Latin America to South Asia have begun experimenting with “parliamentary hackathons” — events that bring together lawmakers, technologists, students, and civil society to reimagine legislative processes. Some of these efforts focus on transparency, others on digital public consultation, or tracking the implementation of laws. In places where faith in democracy is eroding, they represent an attempt to modernize without losing legitimacy.

The International Day of Parliamentarism now serves as a kind of annual rallying point for these scattered efforts. In dozens of countries, parliaments have begun using June 30th to host public forums, open hearings, youth events, and expert panels. In some cases, it has even become a moment of accountability — an opportunity for legislatures to report on their activities and test new forms of public engagement.

Still, challenges remain. In many democracies, parliaments are gridlocked, weakened by executive overreach or hollowed out by hyper-partisanship. In others, they are little more than ceremonial bodies. The IPU cannot change that single-handedly, but it can set expectations and share models that work.

Its Secretary-General, Martin Chungong, is fond of saying that modern parliaments “must develop significantly to meet the demands of today’s world.” The demands are clear enough: transparency, inclusivity, technological adaptability, and renewed public trust. Meeting them won’t be easy. But if parliamentarism is to survive as more than a formality, it must prove its relevance again and again.

That a relatively young democracy like Uzbekistan chose to host the world’s parliamentarians is no small gesture. Nor is it without risk. But it suggests a willingness, however tentative, to be part of something broader. For one day at least, democracy’s least flashy institution found its voice in Tashkent.

Times of Central Asia