The 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Tanzania, concluded on October 9, 2026, with the presentation of the Arusha Communiqué on Good Governance and Community Empowerment. The communiqué, presented by Tanzania’s parliamentary group chairperson at the IPU, Damas Ndumbaro, and Barrister Jahrat Adib Chowdhury, calls for stronger inclusive governance, accountability, and public participation in decision-making. The document warns that widening inequalities, conflicts, and rapid technological change are creating growing challenges for public institutions.
The communiqué reaffirms that good governance and community empowerment are mutually reinforcing and essential to building inclusive public institutions and promoting the welfare and development of peaceful societies. It emphasizes that effective, accountable, inclusive, and transparent institutions enable people to exercise their rights and participate in decisions affecting their lives. Empowered communities, including marginalized and under-represented groups, contribute knowledge, lived experience, and innovation that help institutions respond to people’s needs.
The document urges parliaments to ensure that community voices inform decisions at every level. It emphasizes that parliaments have a responsibility to bridge the gap between communities and institutions, in line with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions. The communiqué warns that this responsibility has become increasingly urgent amid rapid technological change, violence and conflict, widening inequalities, setbacks in human rights and gender equality, and overlapping social, economic, climate, and environmental challenges.
The communiqué sets out four areas of action through which parliamentarians intend to address these challenges. The first focuses on grounding parliamentary work in people’s lived realities through evidence-based decision-making. Parliaments have also committed to assessing the differing effects of laws, policies, and budgets on various groups, particularly women, young people, and communities facing multiple forms of exclusion.
The second area concerns accountability, transparency, and integrity. The communiqué calls for action against the underlying causes of vulnerability, including discriminatory laws, unequal access to resources and services, and exclusionary social norms. It also identifies civic education as a priority, calling for stronger public understanding of democracy, rights and responsibilities, participation from an early age, and support for community leaders.
The communiqué further emphasizes the need for parliaments to be more open and inclusive by addressing barriers that prevent women, young people, persons with disabilities, and other under-represented groups from participating in public affairs. It also supports the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital systems to expand public participation and access to information, while cautioning that the digital divide, bias, misinformation, and human rights risks require appropriate safeguards and oversight.
The parliamentarians expressed gratitude to Tanzania’s Parliament for hosting the assembly in Arusha and pledged to take the document back to their respective legislatures. They emphasized the need to translate its commitments into action, promoting impact assessments and the systematic consideration of future generations in legislation, budgeting, and oversight, and strengthening parliamentary cooperation and peer learning to share effective approaches to community engagement and good governance.
Key points
- The IPU assembly adopted the Arusha Communiqué, which calls for stronger inclusive governance, accountability, and public participation in decision-making.
- The communiqué sets out four areas of action to address challenges, including grounding parliamentary work in people’s lived realities and promoting accountability, transparency, and integrity.
- Parliamentarians pledged to take the communiqué back to their respective legislatures and translate its commitments into action.
