Month: March 2022

On 30 March, BGIPU hosted an African Ambassador Roundtable which was chaired by the Chair of BGIPU, Harriett Baldwin MP. Members received first-hand accounts of political, social and economic developments in Gabon, Ethiopia and Madagascar.

Embassies give update briefings on Gabon, Ethiopia and Madagascar for MPs/Peers

On 30 March, BGIPU hosted an African Ambassador Roundtable which was chaired by the Chair of BGIPU, Harriett Baldwin MP. Members received briefings from HE Sanni Aoudou, Ambassador of Gabon; HE Teferi Melesse Desta, Ambassador of Ethiopia; and Mr Tojonirina Ramarolahy, Chargé d’Affaire to Madagascar. The well attended meeting was an important opportunity for UK […]

The International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace is a permanent observer of the IPU. It is the legislative arm of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, created in 2017 to contribute to the promotion of a culture of tolerance among the peoples and nations of the world.

IPU President addresses International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace in UAE

On 27 March, IPU President, Duarte Pacheco addressed the Ninth Plenary Session of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace, hosted by the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates. With the backdrop of war in Ukraine, the President recalled the IPU’s foundational values of dialogue and political cooperation as a means of resolving […]

The handbook uses the framework of the International Health Regulations (2005), which are an instrument of international law conferring rights and obligations on individual countries. They are designed to prevent the spread of disease internationally and to guide the public-health response when risks arise.

IPU & WHO publish handbook to assist MPs prepare for the next pandemic

To help draw lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and be better prepared for the next health crisis, the IPU and the World Health Organization (WHO) have jointly published Strengthening health security preparedness: The International Health Regulations (2005). This is the 34th handbook for parliamentarians published by the IPU. The handbook is designed to be an essential […]

UK members of the Governing Council Harriett Baldwin MP, Dan Carden MP & Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP at IPU144 listening to reports of the activities of the IPU President, Duarte Pacheco.

144th IPU Assembly mobilizes parliaments to act on climate emergency

Hosted by the Indonesian Parliament, the 144th IPU Assembly brought together some 110 national parliaments on the theme ‘Getting to zero: Mobilizing parliaments to act on climate change’. In one of the first major in-person events in the region since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the IPU and the Indonesian Parliament were able to convene hundreds […]

IPU Members will consider what parliamentary action needs to be taken to mitigate the effects of the climate emergency and to implement the Paris agreement.

144th IPU Assembly aims to intensify parliamentary action on the climate emergency

The 144th IPU Assembly will be held in Nusa Dua from 20 to 24 March 2022, hosted by the Parliament of Indonesia. Hundreds of parliamentarians from all over the world will meet in person on the theme of Getting to zero: Mobilizing parliaments to act on climate change. The climate emergency is affecting every region of the world and […]

The Ambassadors of Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam and Uzbekistan all spoke to UK parliamentarians to update them on the social, political and economic situations in their countries.

Asian Ambassadors roundtable meeting with UK Parliamentarians

On Wednesday 16th March, BGIPU hosted an in-person roundtable with Ambassadors from across Asia. The meeting was attended by a wide range of UK parliamentarians from various committees and APPGs, and was chaired by BGIPU Vice-Chair, Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP. The Ambassadors of Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam and Uzbekistan all spoke to UK parliamentarians […]

Algeria’s parliamentary elections in 2021 led to a sharp decrease in the percentage of women MPs following a reform in the quota law. © Ryad Kramdi/AFP

IPU says “When quotas go wrong – and what to do about it?”

Quotas are critical in ensuring greater representation of women, according to the latest IPU Women in Parliament report. The numbers are clear. In 2021, countries with some form of gender quotas elected 31.9 per cent women on average to their lower/single house, while those without quotas elected 19.5 per cent women cumulatively. Among upper houses, 29.1 […]