Lord McConnell led a delegation of UK Parliamentarians comprising Heather Wheeler MP, Ian Lucas MP, and Mark Pritchard MP, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda from the 24-29 May 2013, to examine and report on the ongoing conflict resolution processes and stabilisation initiatives for Eastern DRC and long-term reforms for DRC as a whole, as well as the human rights situation and state of democratisation in DRC and Rwanda.
A delegation from the National Assembly of the Republic of Senegal visited to the UK Parliament from 22-26 April 2013. At a time when international attention has been sharply focused on security challenges in West Africa, particularly Mali, Senegal’s positive example of stable parliamentary governance in the region was a key focus of discussions. In wide-ranging exchanges with UK counterparts, the delegation urged the UK to enhance its bilateral relations with Senegal and expand its engagement, more broadly, in West Africa.
In October last year the BGIPU held a Pub Quiz, as part of the BGIPU Week of events, hosted by Nigel Evans MP in the House of Commons. The event was well attended by Members and staff of both Houses and the BGIPU team were able to raise funds for the Good Samaritan School in Kampala, Uganda, whom BGIPU Staff and Nigel had visited in March 2012 during the 126th IPU Assembly.
On 30 January in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, Hugh Bayley MP joined senior parliamentary colleagues from Liberia, Bangladesh and Uganda in a roundtable discussion to convey to the post-2015 High Level Panel the IPU’s perspectives on the importance of democratic governance, particularly the role to be played by parliaments, in determining any future international development goals.
In addition to the primary role as a member of the IPU delegation to meet the UNSG’s High Level panel on post-2015 Global Development goals, Hugh Bayley MP also had the opportunity to have a number of other meetings during my visit to Liberia which provide valuable insight into the current situation in Liberia, including UK interests in the country.
The BGIPU and the Secretariat will from time to time organise fundraising events for charities and projects visited in their work. On 12 September the team organised a “Pub Quiz” to raise funds for two childrens charities in Uganda.
From the 9th to 15th of April 2012 a delegation of five parliamentarians travelled to South Sudan as representatives of the Associate Parliamentary Group for Sudan and South Sudan, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Agriculture and Food for Development, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The delegation was accompanied by an expert in agricultural development, Dr. Guy Poulter, Senior Fellow at the National Resources Institute.
The 126th Assembly took place in Kampala, Uganda 31 March – 5 April 2012. The British Delegation comprised 8 Members and was led by Robert Walter MP, Chairman of the Biritsh Group.
The Delegation to Morocco provided an opportunity or UK Parliamentarians to witness first hand changes effected in Morocco by the Arab Spring, the new Constitution and meet the new Parliamentarians elected to the House of Representatives in November 2011. The delegation met with the Speakers of both Houses of Parliament, the Moroccan investment agency and the British Council, among others.
The delegation to Angola was the second to visit the country since the devastating 27 year civil war which ended in 2002. The focus of the delegation was very much on the way in which Angola is dealing with the social and physical consequences of the war. It was also focused on the developments in the National Assembly which in September 2008 held its first parliamentary election since 1992.
