Region: Asia-Pacific

UK members of the Governing Council Harriett Baldwin MP, Dan Carden MP & Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP at IPU144 listening to reports of the activities of the IPU President, Duarte Pacheco.

144th IPU Assembly mobilizes parliaments to act on climate emergency

Hosted by the Indonesian Parliament, the 144th IPU Assembly brought together some 110 national parliaments on the theme ‘Getting to zero: Mobilizing parliaments to act on climate change’. In one of the first major in-person events in the region since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the IPU and the Indonesian Parliament were able to convene hundreds […]

The Ambassadors of Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam and Uzbekistan all spoke to UK parliamentarians to update them on the social, political and economic situations in their countries.

Asian Ambassadors roundtable meeting with UK Parliamentarians

On Wednesday 16th March, BGIPU hosted an in-person roundtable with Ambassadors from across Asia. The meeting was attended by a wide range of UK parliamentarians from various committees and APPGs, and was chaired by BGIPU Vice-Chair, Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP. The Ambassadors of Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam and Uzbekistan all spoke to UK parliamentarians […]

Gender equality remains a key strategic objective of the IPU © Eyepix/NurPhoto via AFP

New IPU report: more women in parliament and more countries with gender parity

The global proportion of women parliamentarians has increased by 0.6 percentage points to reach 26.1 per cent according to the IPU’s latest Women in Parliament in 2021 report. This is in line with progress seen in the past two years. The increase can be largely attributed to the critical role played by well-designed quotas. In the 48 countries that […]

BGIPU hosted a roundtable discussion chaired by Tim Loughton MP with Dr Ewelina Ochab from the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute and Alkan Akad from Amnesty International speaking about human rights in China against the backdrop of the Beijing Olympics,

UK Members concerned China human rights being “sports-washed” by Beijing Olympics

On 9 February, BGIPU hosted a roundtable discussion on human rights in China against the backdrop of the Beijing Olympics, with particular focus on the Uyghur crisis. The meeting was chaired by Tim Loughton MP and heard from Dr Ewelina Ochab from the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute and Alkan Akad from Amnesty International […]

An excellent briefing by HMA Kathy Leach, on the current situation in Kazakhstan, which was supported by Lord Ahmad, Minister for Asia, and BGIPU Chair Harriett Baldwin.

Informative briefing to members and peers by Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan

On Thursday 13th January, BGIPU hosted a briefing with Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Her Excellency Kathy Leach, and the Minister for Central Asia, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon. The meeting was chaired by Harriett Baldwin MP, Chair of BGIPU. It was attended by a wide range of MPs and Peers, including representatives of the Foreign […]

Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint. © EyePress via AFP

Political instability accounts for record number of persecuted MPs worldwide

The IPU has recorded another all-time high number of parliamentarians suffering from alleged human rights violations according to its annual figures released on the eve of Human Rights Day. The data reveal that at least 673 parliamentarians from 44 countries are under threat, most of them in countries experiencing political instability. The 2021 numbers confirm a consistent increase since 2014 […]

Fishing under photovoltaic panels. He Huawen / Imaginechina via AFP

IPU and Indonesia host first global parliamentary meeting on achieving the SDGs

Some 70 parliaments representing all the regions of the world attended the First Global Parliamentary Meeting on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Turning the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic into opportunities for parliaments to achieve the SDGs this week. The IPU and the House of Representatives of Indonesia organized the three-day virtual event from 28-30 […]

Vital need to ensure respect for the human rights of the 316 Afghan parliamentarians and the staff who support them, and in particular to the safety of the 86 women MPs, as well as former women MPs and female parliamentary staff.

IPU Committee Chairs make statement on the plight of parliamentarians in Afghanistan

Joint Statement of the Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian law and the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians of the IPU on Afghanistan The Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian law and the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians of the IPU express their deep concern on the current human rights and humanitarian situation […]