The African Parliamentary Union (APU) is a continental inter-parliamentary organisation created in Abidjan on 13 February 1976.

Its objectives are:

• To promote unity of action among the Parliamentary Institutions of African States;
• To establish the APU as a forum for the National Parliaments of the African Continent and as an instrument of parliamentary dialogue and cooperation in the service of peace, democracy, good governance and sustainable development;
• To work towards the progressive establishment of a genuine African legal community based on the political, economic, social and cultural realities of the Continent;
• To promote contacts between African parliamentarians on the one hand, and between African parliamentarians and those of the rest of the world on the other.

It contributes to :

• strengthening the role and prestige of the parliamentary institution in Africa by drawing inspiration from fundamental human values, both African and universal;
• promoting national parliaments that are representative of their populations;
• promoting interparliamentary cooperation and parliamentary diplomacy;
• effectively realising the ideals of freedom, equality, peace and justice and promoting human rights;
• deepening the concept of democracy and ensuring that it functions effectively;
• to achieve the objectives of the African Union for the establishment of lasting peace through dialogue within the framework of inter-African cooperation and a policy of good neighbourliness, peaceful coexistence and African integration.

The UPA is a forum for parliamentary cooperation and the promotion of peace, democracy, good governance, sustainable development and social progress in Africa. To this end, it meets in Executive Committee and Conference to examine these issues. It also meets on the occasion of parliamentary meetings organised in cooperation with international organisations or institutions.

The APU currently has 41 member national parliaments.

The working languages of the Union are English, Arabic, French and Portuguese.

The African Parliamentary Union is the privileged forum for parliamentary dialogue and action in Africa. The purpose and content of its resolutions and recommendations adopted at its conferences show its commitment to everything that can contribute to the achievement of sustainable development in Africa based mainly on security and peace, conflict prevention, human rights and democracy, the participation of women, good governance, the fight against poverty, the fight against corruption, etc.

In addition to its conferences, the APU organises, in partnership with the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Afro-Arab Parliamentary Conference, the most recent of which (14th Conference) took place in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) in May 2016.

The African Parliamentary Union works with international organisations and national parliamentary institutions to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development in African countries, in particular by organising thematic conferences and information and training seminars for parliamentarians.

The African Parliamentary Union has its headquarters in Abidjan. A Headquarters Agreement was signed on 7 January 1983 between the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire and the African Parliamentary Union.

Contact:
African Parliamentary Union
B.P. V 314 
Abidjan - Côte d'Ivoire
e-mail : apunion.org@gmail.com; 
Tel: (225) 27 20 30 39 70 à 74 / (225) 27 20 20 39 79
Fax: (225) 27 20 30 44 05 à 09