Activity Reports

Through its programme of activities, the BGIPU seeks to engage Parliamentarians in key global issues and works to expand awareness and understanding of foreign relations and the contribution to be made by the UK Parliament to consolidate parliamentary democracy worldwide.

Here you can read the reports of our activities, including our Outward Delegations, IPU conferences and events and inward visits to Westminster.

You can search for specific reports by using keywords, themes, categories or date using the fields on the right.

 

Opening session of the 23rd IPU Parliamentary Conference in October 1925 in the US Congress. Copyright Harris & Ewing.

Marking its 135th anniversary the IPU recalls its proud history and global contribution

The late nineteenth century was an uncertain and turbulent period. For many world powers, war was the only way to settle any differences. But two parliamentarians – one British, one French – realized that it did not have to be this way. Visionaries at the time, William Randal Cremer and Frédéric Passy believed that a more peaceful and […]

Meeting with Francisco Coy, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs

Cross-Party delegation explores Peace, Human Rights and Climate in Colombia

From 27 – 31 May 2024, a BGIPU delegation of UK Members of Parliament visited Colombia to strengthen bilateral Parliamentary links. The delegation included Tim Loughton MP, Baroness Blower, Patrick Grady MP and Baroness Northover, and was supported by Holly Sloan from the BGIPU Secretariat. The visit started days after the General Election was called, […]

The 6th Intercultural Dialogue Forum took place in Baku, Azerbaijan in May 2024. © ANADOLU / Anadolu via AFP

Interfaith and intercultural dialogue: Parliaments are joining the conversation

With religious tensions and interfaith violence posing significant threats to peace and security today, parliaments as state institutions and parliamentarians as representatives of their communities are beginning to engage more with religions and beliefs. With this in mind, in its 2022-2026 strategy, the IPU decided to pioneer a new approach which encourages parliaments to interact more with the ecosystems […]

The IPU will celebrate its 135th anniversary on 30 June as the world's oldest multilateral political body.

IPU Anniversary on 30 June: Watch 135 years of the IPU in 135 seconds

On 30 June 1889, visionary parliamentarians Frédéric Passy of France and William Randall Cremer of the United Kingdom brought together MPs from Belgium, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, Liberia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the USA in the first inter-parliamentary meeting in Paris, France. The Inter-Parliamentary Conference, later to become the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) was born. […]

Speaker of the Azgayin Zhogov (National Assembly of Armenia), Mr. Alen Simonyan, and the Speaker of the Milli Mejlis (National Assembly of Azerbaijan), Ms. Sahiba Gafarova meet at IPU HQ on 16 May 2024

IPU hosts 2nd round of bilateral talks between Speakers of Armenia and Azerbaijan

The IPU facilitated a second round of high-level parliamentary talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan today, offering its good offices to the delegations. IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong welcomed the Speaker of the Azgayin Zhogov (National Assembly of Armenia), Mr. Alen Simonyan, and the Speaker of the Milli Mejlis (National Assembly of Azerbaijan), Ms. Sahiba Gafarova, […]

Drones are displayed on the back of military vehicles. MOHAMMED HUWAIS / AFP

Autonomous weapons: IPU adds parliamentary weight to pressure for regulation

Earlier this year, the IPU addressed the urgent issue of international regulation for autonomous weapon systems (AWS) and artificial intelligence (AI), which could have deadly implications for political stability and human rights. Indeed, these emerging technologies have already been used on battlefields around the world including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Gaza and Ukraine. In some ways, AWS […]

Akmal Saidov, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Uzbekistan addresses the UN in Geneva. © UN/Jean Marc Ferré

Enhancing the IPU partnership with the Uzbek Parliament to implement the SDGs

As part of a wider strategic objective to connect parliaments with UN processes, the IPU invests in support for parliamentary implementation of the SDGs. Through our annual survey, we encourage parliaments to contribute to the preparation of voluntary national reviews, the UN process through which countries present their progress on the SDGs. While the IPU surveys show uneven parliamentary […]

© korkeng/Shutterstock

IPU highlights the AI-powered parliament: Exploring Risks and Opportunities

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has released a new Issue brief, Using generative AI in parliaments, which explores the potential opportunities and risks associated with the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in parliamentary settings. GenAI is a new form of AI that can generate entirely new content, such as texts or images, based on large volumes […]

Which countries, sectors and facilities emit the most greenhouse gases the

IPU provides guidance to MPs on how to track greenhouse gas emissions in your country

Discover how the global tech community is tracking greenhouse gas emissions with unprecedented detail and speed to tackle the climate crisis. The Climate TRACE database, mobilized by the global tech community, provides an inventory of emissions of more than 352 million assets, and its data is freely available to the public including parliamentarians. Supported by ASU […]