Activities: BGIPU Seminars & Events

The meeting began with discussions concerning the impact of climate change and the road to COP26 as Madagascar faces climate-induced famine after a shortage of rainfall for the last four years.

Key exchange with Madagascar counterparts in advance of COP26

On 20 September 2021, BGIPU hosted a virtual bilateral meeting with Members of the National Assembly in Madagascar. The meeting was chaired by Tim Loughton MP, who had previously led a BGIPU delegation out to Madagascar in 2017. He was joined by Alex Sobel MP, Baroness Sheehan, Baroness Walmsley, Lord Thomas and Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Madagascar, David Ashley. […]

The meeting provided an opportunity for parliamentary attendees to hear from experts on the backslide of democracy which has occurred as a result of the increased powers executives have gained to manage the public health crisis.

International Day of Democracy Event discusses key democractic challenges

On Wednesday 15 September, to mark UN International Day of Democracy, BGIPU hosted its first in-person event after eighteen months of reduced parliamentary activity. BGIPU invited a panel of experts on democracy, including Franklin De Vrieze, Senior Governance Advisor at Westminster Foundation for Democracy, Sarah Birch, Professor of Political Science at King’s College London and […]

Over 110 Speakers of Parliament from around the world are expected to come to Vienna for the first physical large-scale inter-parliamentary meeting since the beginning of the COVID pandemic.

World Conference of Speakers of Parliament to meet in person in Vienna on 7-8 September

The Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, the world’s largest gathering of the highest level of parliamentary representation, will take place in Vienna, Austria on 7-8 September. Organized jointly by the IPU and the Austrian Parliament, in cooperation with the United Nations, this in-person segment of the conference follows a virtual session held in August 2020. […]

On 20 July, BGIPU collaborated with the BBC APPG and the BBC World Service to deliver the webinar Countering disinformation: reaching new audiences.

MPs/Peers hear about global impacts of misinformation from BBC experts

On 20 July, BGIPU collaborated with the BBC APPG and the BBC World Service to deliver the webinar Countering disinformation: reaching new audiences. The event was chaired by BBC APPG Chair, Huw Merriman MP and presentations were provided by Senior Controller for BBC News Output & Commissioning, Jamie Angus, Specialist in Disinformation & Social Media Correspondent, […]

On 13 July, BGIPU hosted a virtual bilateral meeting between parliamentarians from the founding countries of the IPU, UK and France. The meeting was chaired by BGIPU Chair, Harriett Baldwin MP.

Parliamentarians from UK & France meet in cooperative spirit behind the IPU

In advance of Bastille Day, on 13 July, BGIPU hosted a virtual bilateral meeting between parliamentarians from the founding countries of the IPU, UK and France. The meeting was chaired by BGIPU Chair, Harriett Baldwin MP, who was joined by Lord Kirkhope, Baroness Miller, Stephen Crabb MP, Baroness Verma, Tony Lloyd MP, Earl of Sandwich, […]

On 7 July BGIPU and Canning House co-hosted the second of its virtual Latin America roundtables receiving briefings from Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Peru, HE Kate Harrisson, and Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Mexico, HE Corin Robertson.

MPs/Peers hear about developments in Mexico and Peru from UK Ambassadors

On 7 July BGIPU and Canning House co-hosted the second of its virtual Latin America roundtables to mark this year’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Leadership Week. The meeting was chaired by BGIPU Executive Committee Member and Latin America APPG Chair, Mark Menzies MP, with discussion moderated by BGIPU Executive Committee Member and Latin America […]

The meeting with UK Ambassadors in Ecuador and Panama was chaired by BGIPU Executive Committee Member and Latin America APPG Vice-Chair, Baroness Hooper, and introductory remarks were provided by Canning House CEO, Cristina Cortes.

Latin America Roundtable for MPs/Peers hears updates on Ecuador and Panama

On 1 July, BGIPU and Canning House co-hosted the first of its Latin America roundtables to mark this year’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office Leadership Week. The meeting was chaired by BGIPU Executive Committee Member and Latin America APPG Vice-Chair, Baroness Hooper, and introductory remarks were provided by Canning House CEO, Cristina Cortes. Members received […]

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, who marked the International Day of Parliamentarism on 30 June 2021 with the raising of the IPU flag alongside BGIPU Chair, Harriett Baldwin MP and other Executive Committee members. © UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor

UK House of Commons Speaker raises a flag to the International Day of Parliamentarism

In a statement marking the day, the Speaker of the UK House of Commons, Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, said curtailing the rights of MPs to speak out will be one of the subjects under the spotlight as Parliaments across the globe celebrate the International Day of Parliamentarism. The Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Committee on Human […]