Martin Chungong became the first African and first non-European to be elected IPU Secretary General in 2014. He was re-elected to a third term of office, which began in July 2022. With more than four decades of experience and knowledge of parliaments at national and international levels, he has dedicated his professional life to promoting and building democracy worldwide. He is highly committed to rejuvenating democracy, its processes and institutions and is driving the IPU’s efforts to bring more young people into parliaments worldwide.

He is a leader in the field of developing programmes to help parliaments become more transparent, accountable, representative, and effective democratic institutions and has further contributed to establishing governance benchmarks to strengthen democracy. He has also built an impressive portfolio in the promotion of dialogue and conflict resolution, issues that remain at the heart of the IPU’s global work. His focus on helping countries emerging from conflict or in transition has been widely acknowledged by the IPU membership and partners globally.

Martin Chungong sits on the Board of the Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health, and he was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as one of the global leaders committed to fighting malnutrition through the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement. In 2020, he was elected Chair of the Global Board of the International Gender Champions; a network of decision-makers, male and female, who have committed to breaking down gender barriers.