Martin Chungong made history in 2014 by becoming the first African and non-European to be elected Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). For more than three decades he has dedicated his professional life to promoting democracy worldwide. 

He is a leader in his field through his work on developing programmes to help parliaments become more transparent, accountable, representative and effective democratic institutions. 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 work. 

Since 2012, he has made a push to strengthen parliamentary engagement on sustainable development and accountability through his role as Parliamentary Representative on the Steering Committee of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation. 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. He is also leading IPU’s work to dramatically reduce maternal and child mortality rates through effective legislation and its implementation, as well as ensuring government accountability to international commitments in this area. He sits on the board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General as one of the global leaders committed to fighting malnutrition through the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement. 

Mr. Chungong speaks English, French and Spanish.