Year: 2019

A bushfire burns out of control in Australia. © AFP /Torsten Blackwood

“There is no excuse not to act”: Experts and MPs agree on urgency of climate action at COP25

Press Release from the IPU in margins of COP25 in Madrid Experts and parliamentarians meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) underscored the urgency of parliamentary action to mitigate the effects of the climate emergency. Over 100 MPs from more than 30 countries attended the IPU’s annual parliamentary meeting during […]

Jean Wyllis, Brazilian MP. © Mauro Pimentel / AFP

IPU figures reveal most human rights violations against parliamentarians are State-sponsored

Press Release from IPU Headquarters, Geneva In the lead-up to Human Rights Day on 10 December, the IPU has announced its yearly figures of alleged human rights violations against members of parliament in 2019. The IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, a unique mechanism that defends the rights of MPs worldwide, investigated the […]

Women MPs.JPG

IPU publishes new guidelines to eliminate sexism and harassment in parliament

On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the IPU has published a comprehensive set of guidelines to combat sexual harassment and violence against women in parliament. The guidelines offer advice and practical information for parliamentarians and parliamentary staff on how to transform parliaments into gender-sensitive environments free from […]

The National Assembly of Serbia will host the 141st IPU Assembly

#IPU141 Assembly in Serbia sets out to strengthen international law

Over 1700 parliamentarians and UN and civil society partners from around the world will meet in Belgrade, Serbia, from 13 to 17 October for the 141st IPU Assembly. Under the overarching theme of Strengthening international law: Parliamentary roles and mechanisms, and the contribution of regional cooperation, MPs will also discuss the latest developments to improve […]

UK delegation to Lithuania visits the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant to learn more about its decommissioning programme

Visit acknowledges centenary of UK-Lithuania relations

Following a successful visit by Lithuanian parliamentarians to the UK parliament last year, a BGIPU delegation visited Lithuania from 23rd to 27th September. The delegation was led by BGIPU and Lithuania APPG Chair, Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP (Conservative), who was joined by Daniel Kawczynski MP (Conservative), Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat), Rt Hon Lord […]

On the opening day of the virtual Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on 1 November 2020, the outgoing President Gabriel Cuevas reported key achievements and events during the term of her three-year Presidency to the IPU membership, pictured here with UN SG Antonio Guterres in September 2019

Inclusive parliaments are democracy’s best hope

By Gabriela Cuevas, President of the IPU, on the occasion of International Day of Democracy on 15 September 2019 Declarations of democracy’s demise are perhaps premature. All across the world, people are expressing their will for democratic institutions that protect human dignity. Recent elections in the US, Mexico and various countries of the European Union […]

BGIPU Chair Rt Hon John Whittingdale MP discusses media freedom with BBC Africa Commissioning Editor Nisha Kapur & undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.JPG

International Parliamentary Seminar on Media Freedom

Globally, threats to journalists are the highest they have been in ten years. Following a landmark FCO conference over summer, the UK Parliament hosted an International Parliamentary Seminar on Media Freedom under the auspices of the BGIPU from 9-11 September 2019. The Chair of the British Group of the IPU, Rt Hon John Whittingdale MP, hosted members of parliament from across the world along with relevant experts to explore parliamentary perspectives on Defending Media Freedom.