Pere Joan Pons addresses the IPU conference in Belgrade, 3 June 2026 (Photo: OSCE /Milan Obradovic)BELGRADE, 3 June 2026 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Joan Pons (Spain) took part this week in the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Global Conference of Women Parliamentarians, being held from 2 to 4 June in Belgrade, Serbia, under the theme “Advancing Parity: Breaking the Barriers of Gender Stereotypes and Negative Social Norms.”
President Pons joined parliamentary leaders and experts as a panelist in a session on “Gender-Sensitive Parliaments Advancing Societies Free from Stereotypes,” chaired by Cynthia López Castro, President of the IPU Bureau of Women Parliamentarians. Panelists included Petra Bayr, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; Hadija Murangwa Ndangiza, Senator of Rwanda; Jonathan Murphy of INTER PARES; and Agata Walczak of UNDP. Discussions focused on combating gender stereotypes through parliamentary oversight, legislation, and budgeting.
“We must accelerate change in parliaments to advance gender parity, and to make it possible, we need robust data collection, political will, adequate budgets, legislation, and the testimony of those most affected,” President Pons said.
On the margins of the conference, President Pons held a series of bilateral meetings reflecting the breadth of the OSCE PA’s engagement on key democratic and security issues.
He met with the Speakers of the Hungarian and Azerbaijan Parliaments for bilateral exchanges on parliamentary co-operation and shared regional priorities. President Pons also met with OSCE Head of Mission Ambassador Marcel Peško to discuss the strengthening of co-operation between the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and OSCE Field Mission to Serbia. The meeting highlighted the importance of continued engagement with the National Assembly, including support for parliamentary oversight, transparency, accountability, and inclusive policy-making, as well as the OSCE’s role in election observation.
President Pons met with representatives of civil society organizations working on gender equality, underscoring the OSCE PA’s dedication to civil society engagement and inclusive, participatory democracy.
The President also held a meeting with IPU President Dr. Tulia Ackson to exchange views on the state of multilateralism and the institutional challenges facing parliamentary diplomacy, as well as on inter-parliamentary co-operation and the shared agenda of advancing gender parity in political life globally.
Rounding out his programme, President Pons met with the Head and Members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Delegation to the OSCE PA at the House of the National Assembly to discuss the political climate in Serbia and exchange views on developments in the Assembly.
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly remains firmly committed to advancing gender equality, democratic governance, and inter-parliamentary dialogue across the OSCE region and beyond.
