BGIPU convened on 9 July a roundtable in collaboration with ICRC on “The Impact of COVID-19 on existing conflict areas in Africa”. On the panel were four very knowledgeable speakers: Mr Ben Fender OBE, HM Ambassador to Somalia; Ms Emily Maltman, HM Ambassador to DRC; Mr Rowan Laxton, HM High Commissioner to Cameroon; and Mamadou […]
On 2 July BGIPU convened a well-attended virtual bilateral meeting between Colombian and UK Parliamentarians. The session was moderated by Mark Menzies MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Latin America and Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Colombia, who was joined by Canning House Honorary President, Lord Mountevans and BGIPU Executive Committee members, Vice-Chair […]
On 25 June, BGIPU convened a virtual bilateral meeting between UK and Italian Parliamentarians. The discussion, exactly one year after a bilateral visit to London last year, was moderated by BGIPU Chair, Harriett Baldwin MP, and was attended by the two co-Chairs of the Italy APPG, Alberto Costa MP and Ellie Reeves MP, along with […]
On Friday 19 June, BGIPU hosted a virtual parliamentary discussion on COVID-19: The Increased Risks and Vulnerabilities to Refugees and Migrant Populations with The British Red Cross (BRC) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The proceedings were chaired by BGIPU Executive Committee member, Chris Law MP, with panellists from both BRC and MSF. The event was […]
BGIPU was very pleased to co-host with event partners in the BBC and the APPG for Human Rights a virtual preview panel discussion in advance of the upcoming BBC Four Storyville documentary Welcome to Chechnya: The Gay Purge inviting parliamentarians, civil society representatives and media to hear more about the documentary which highlights the grave […]
On 18 June BGIPU convened a bilateral meeting between UK and Norwegian Parliamentarians in a virtual format. The discussion was moderated by BGIPU Chair Harriett Baldwin MP and the Chair of the Norway APPG, Sir Mark Hendrick MP, and they were joined by Bob Blackman MP and Lord Mountevans. The Norwegian IPU Delegation Leader Ulf […]
On 8 June, BGIPU members met Swedish parliamentarians in our first ever virtual bilateral meeting. Swedish counterparts welcomed BGIPU’s initiative of conducting virtual bilateral talks to maintain exchanges at a time when inter-parliamentary dialogue between MPs remains vital but conditions for international travel remain severely disrupted. The meeting was led by BGIPU Chair, Harriett Baldwin […]
The Chair of the BGIPU, Harriett Baldwin MP, convened on 21 May 2020 a virtual meeting of the BGIPU Executive Committee to review operational changes made by the Secretariat in line with health and social distancing requirements, developments and deferrals to the agreed forward programme and to discuss new agreed virtual activities to be provided […]
Release by the House of Commons Influential House of Commons Select Committees – such as the Treasury Committee – are now hosting ‘virtual’ meetings to enable MPs to hold the Government to account during the coronavirus crisis. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said the temporary measure will mean there is no need for MPs to attend […]
Release by the House of Commons on 1 April 2020 Parliament should be able to operate ‘virtually’ if the UK ‘is still in the grip of the coronavirus crisis’ at the time the House is due to return on 21 April, Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has insisted. MPs should still be able to take part […]
