2 November 2020: As a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic, IPU holds its first ever virtual Governing Council meeting and Duarte Pacheco of Portugal is elected President of the IPU following an unprecedented electronic vote of over 400 remotely participating delegates from 144 member parliaments.
19 October 2020: The youngest ever (and second female) President of the IPU, Gabriela Cuevas, completes her three-year term as IPU President in difficult circumstances with physical meetings suspended and only virtual gatherings permitted due to the global COVID-19 epidemic, only the third time in the IPU’s history (the other…
17 March 2020: All UK Parliamentary travel is suspended and the 142nd IPU Assembly and other interparliamentary meetings cancelled as the COVID-19 global pandemic spreads causing 580 million cases with some 6.4 million deaths worldwide (as at August 2022). As most international travel ceases and and borders lockdown between countries,…
4 March 2020: For the third time in its history, BGIPU members from both Houses of the UK Parliament elect a female BGIPU Chair with former Foreign and Commonwealth & DFID Minister Harriett Baldwin MP successful following changes brought about by the election of the Johnson Government in December 2019
Hosted by then House of Commons Speaker, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP, the Chair and Executive Committee of the BGIPU invited members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords to attend a diplomatic reception in Speaker’s House on 25 June 2019 to celebrate the 130th anniversary…
June 2019: A delegation of UK parliamentarians from both Houses led by the BGIPU Chair, Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP, visited Paris on 26-27 June to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) with members of the French IPU Group. This visit recognised the significant role played…
20 March 2014: The IPU marked its 125th year since being established in 1889 during its 130th Assembly convened in Geneva from 16-20 March 2014 with speeches reaffirming the commitment of the world’s parliamentarians to the pursuit of peace and democracy. In a historic vote, Martin Chungong of Cameroon was…
31 October 1888: First meeting takes place between English and French Members of Parliament to discuss arbitration and peace questions.
16 October 2018: during the 139th IPU Assembly in Geneva, there was a Special Session convened to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) with a video address by BGIPU Vice-Chair, Ms Ann Clwyd MP, prior to the Assembly adopting a Declaration she had helped…
6 April 2018: BGIPU celebrated the 20th work anniversary of our Deputy Director, Dominique Rees MBE. In reaching this milestone, Ms Rees became the longest-serving BGIPU official in its proud 130 year history, surpassing the 19 years served by the founder, Sir William Randal Cremer MP. A celebratory event was…
