In 1980, PGA initiated an Annual Parliamentary Forum during the United Nations General Assembly. The primary goal was to develop the role of parliamentarians in international politics by organizing a UN Parliamentary Forum at each General Assembly. The first Forum was held in September 1981 at the UN to discuss “The Politics of Human Survival”. As a result of the initiative taken by PGA, governments now routinely include parliamentarians on national delegations to the General Assembly.
At these fora, PGA members not only have the opportunity to discuss pressing issues with other members from around the world, but also with parliamentarians who are not members, as well as with high-level governmental and intergovernmental officials, independent experts and representatives of global civil society, whom they might not have the opportunity to meet otherwise.
Since 2000, the PGA's Annual Forum has been held in National Parliaments or institutional venues. The first national venue was in Rome, Italy, for the 22nd Annual Forum titled Debt for Development: Debt Relief Targeted to Poverty Eradication. Since then PGA's Annual Forum has been held in the Parliaments of Canada, Cape Verde, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Ukraine and the United States, as well as in other institutional venues in Italy and Turkey.
Every two years since 2002, with the exception of 2010, the Annual Forum has been held as part of the Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians on the International Criminal Court and the Rule of Law (CAP-ICC), the major event of the International Law and Human Rights Program and the only parliamentary forum to address the fight against impunity for international crimes.
On account of its result-oriented action-driven agenda that supports all principles and purposes of the United Nations, PGA is the only parliamentary network in general consultative status with the UN-ECOSOC. Its 42nd Annual Forum, hosted by the Parliament of Belize, will be devoted to The Antidote to Authoritarianism: Parliamentarians as champions of democratic principles and institution and International Parliamentary Oceans Day.
