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.
From 18 to 21 February, a BGIPU delegation visited Ethiopia as part of a scoping mission with the aim of boosting interparliamentary relations, including through inviting a parliamentary delegation from Ethiopia to visit London. The delegation, comprised Rt Hon Baroness Anelay DBE, Baroness Barker and Pauline Latham OBE MP, who saw that the UK continues to be a trusted partner for the country as Ethiopia undergoes profound political transition alongside economic and social transformation under the reform policies of Prime Minister Abiy.
The first Preparatory Committee for the Fifth Conference of Speakers was held in Geneva from 8 to 9 February 2019. The BGIPU Chair, Rt Hon John Whittingdale MP, is representing the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt Hon John Bercow MP, on this Preparatory Committee. The Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments is scheduled to take place in 2020 and is expected to build on the outcomes from the previous sessions and further reinforce the parliamentary dimension of global governance.
The IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians has released its latest decisions after considering the cases of 417 MPs from 37 countries at a meeting in Geneva last week. The Committee, the only international body with a special remit to defend persecuted MPs, took decisions on 126 MPs, most of which concern opposition MPs in Venezuela.
The IPU expresses its grave concern about the escalating crisis in Venezuela. It reminds the authorities of their duty to guarantee the basic human rights of the people, including those of peaceful demonstration. The IPU continues to monitor carefully for any attacks against parliamentarians. The IPU appeals to all sides to intensify efforts, including meaningful dialogue, to find a peaceful and non-violent solution to the crisis, and to ensure humanitarian access for all Venezuelans.
As the IPU enters its 130th year, the IPU President and Secretary General say the spirit of its founding members is still very much alive at a time when parliamentary democracy is threatened in many parts of the world. This year, we look forward to celebrating our anniversary with you, by looking back at our rich history, in order to guide and illuminate us for the future.
The UK Gender Sensitive Parliament Audit, published on 20 December 2018 finds that steady progress has been made in increasing the representation of women in both Houses of Parliament, but there are still too many barriers to women standing as MPs or putting themselves forward to the House of Lords Appointments Commission. The audit was facilitated by the IPU and supported by the British Group IPU following the IPU’s Plan of Action for Gender-Sensitive Parliaments and toolkit to evaluate gender sensitivity in parliaments.
The global proportion of MPs under 30 has increased in two years from 1.9 per cent to 2.2 per cent according to the IPU’s biannual report on Youth Participation in National Parliaments published today. Despite this increase, when compared with the half of the world’s population that is under 30, the report reveals a sizeable deficit in the political representation of youth worldwide.
Nearly 200 parliamentarians and climate experts have called for urgent and bold action to implement the Paris Agreement before it’s too late. At a parliamentary meeting on 9 December in Krakow, Poland, during the United Nations Climate Change Conference known as COP24, they set out their vision of the measures needed to limit global warming. The meeting was organized by the IPU and the Polish Sejm to discuss practical implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Members of Parliament called for stronger ties between parliaments and the WTO at a time when the rules-based multilateral trading system is in deepening crisis. At the annual session of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization (PCWTO), the IPU and the European Parliament called for WTO members to strengthen the parliamentary dimension of the WTO to ensure its democratic legitimacy.
Preceding the Intergovernmental Conference on Migration taking place in Marrakech from 10 to 11 December 2018, MPs met at a parliamentary conference in Rabat, organized by the IPU and the Moroccan Parliament, from 6 to 7 December. The parliamentary conference follows the Declaration on Strengthening the Global Regime for Migrants and Refugees adopted by MPs during the IPU’s 138th Assembly in March 2018. The IPU has been actively involved with the Compact, ensuring that it incorporates a parliamentary dimension.
