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Year: 2018

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UK Parliament makes ‘steady progress’ on gender equality

The UK Gender Sensitive Parliament Audit, published on 20 December 2018 finds that steady progress has been made in increasing the representation of women in both Houses of Parliament, but there are still too many barriers to women standing as MPs or putting themselves forward to the House of Lords Appointments Commission.  The audit was facilitated by the IPU and supported by the British Group IPU following the IPU’s Plan of Action for Gender-Sensitive Parliaments and toolkit to evaluate gender sensitivity in parliaments.

Global IssuesInter-Parliamentary CooperationIPU Activities & Conferences
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Youth representation in parliament nudges up according to new IPU report

The global proportion of MPs under 30 has increased in two years from 1.9 per cent to 2.2 per cent according to the IPU’s biannual report on Youth Participation in National Parliaments published today. Despite this increase, when compared with the half of the world’s population that is under 30, the report reveals a sizeable deficit in the political representation of youth worldwide.

Global IssuesInter-Parliamentary CooperationIPU Activities & Conferences
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MPs call for bolder action to fight climate change

Nearly 200 parliamentarians and climate experts have called for urgent and bold action to implement the Paris Agreement before it’s too late.  At a parliamentary meeting on 9 December in Krakow, Poland, during the United Nations Climate Change Conference known as COP24, they set out their vision of the measures needed to limit global warming.  The meeting was organized by the IPU and the Polish Sejm to discuss practical implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

EuropeInter-Parliamentary CooperationIPU Activities & Conferences
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Parliamentarians push for bigger role at the WTO

Members of Parliament called for stronger ties between parliaments and the WTO at a time when the rules-based multilateral trading system is in deepening crisis.  At the annual session of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization (PCWTO), the IPU and the European Parliament called for WTO members to strengthen the parliamentary dimension of the WTO to ensure its democratic legitimacy.

Global IssuesInter-Parliamentary CooperationIPU Activities & Conferences
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IPU gives parliamentary dimension to the Global Compact on Migration

Preceding the Intergovernmental Conference on Migration taking place in Marrakech from 10 to 11 December 2018, MPs met at a parliamentary conference in Rabat, organized by the IPU and the Moroccan Parliament, from 6 to 7 December.  The parliamentary conference follows the Declaration on Strengthening the Global Regime for Migrants and Refugees adopted by MPs during the IPU’s 138th Assembly in March 2018.  The IPU has been actively involved with the Compact, ensuring that it incorporates a parliamentary dimension.

AfricaHuman RightsIPU Activities & Conferences
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IPU acts on record number of human rights abuses against MPs

The IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians has announced the highest number of human rights violations against MPs on its books since it was established 40 years ago. The Committee treated 564 cases of parliamentarians from 43 countries in 2018. This is almost double the figure from five years ago. Most of the cases concern opposition MPs from the Americas and Asia.  The IPU Committee is the only international complaints mechanism with the mandate to defend the human rights of persecuted parliamentarians.

Global IssuesHuman RightsIPU Activities & Conferences
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IPU report shows new technologies help reconnect people with parliaments

A new IPU report shows that information and communication technology (ICT) is helping parliaments become better connected and more transparent, and that MPs are engaging more with people through social media and instant messaging. The report is being launched at the IPU’s World e-Parliament Conference taking place from 3-5 December in Geneva, Switzerland. At the conference, the IPU will also launch the Centre for Innovation in Parliament, a new resource to support the use of digital tools in parliaments.

Global IssuesInter-Parliamentary CooperationIPU Activities & Conferences
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AGM elects Rt Hon John Whittingdale MP as new BGIPU Chair

Chaired by the Speaker of the HoC, the BGIPU AGM took place on 27 November 2018 to adopt the 2018 Annual Report.  The AGM also saw the election of Rt Hon John Whittingdale MP as Chair for the BGIPU alongside a new Executive Committee for 2018/19.  The contribution of the outgoing Chair, Nigel Evans MP, was warmly acknowledged by all BGIPU members along with recognition of the work of the BGIPU Secretariat.   

EuropeInter-Parliamentary CooperationBGIPU Seminars & Events
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IPU/PACE Report shows Parliaments are failing women MPs

On International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, IPU President, Gabriela Cuevas and PACE President, Liliane Maury Pasquier, called on parliaments to build on the momentum of the #MeToo movement to denounce the violence happening in the corridors of legislative power.  They said with more women MPs exposing the extent of the problem, the entire parliamentary community needs to step up and end gender-based violence now in our workplace and beyond.

Global IssuesHuman RightsIPU Activities & Conferences
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Parliaments working without borders on the global goals

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a blueprint for ensuring a better and sustainable future for everyone. Parliaments play a crucial role in driving that agenda and ensuring progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals.  Parliaments have been engaging with the SDGs more than with their predecessors, the Millennium Development Goals. They have also recognized that many SDGs require going beyond national borders and seeking regional cooperation.

Global IssuesInter-Parliamentary CooperationIPU Activities & Conferences
 

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Africa Americas Asia-Pacific Europe Middle East Global Issues

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Africa Americas Asia-Pacific Europe Middle East Global Issues

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Inward Delegations Outward Delegations Executive Committee IPU Activities & Conferences BGIPU Seminars & Events APPGs

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Inward Delegations Outward Delegations Executive Committee IPU Activities & Conferences BGIPU Seminars & Events APPGs

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Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Human Rights Peace & Security Trade and Sustainable Development Political Empowerment

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Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Human Rights Peace & Security Trade and Sustainable Development Political Empowerment

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