The IPU held an information seminar for senior parliamentary staff from 16 to 19 May at the IPU headquarters in Geneva to provide more in-depth understanding of ther IPU, its functioning and main activities. Parliamentary staff from a total of 27 countries attended including from the UK with sessions on the IPU’s history and key developments, the Organization’s main bodies and areas of work, the communications strategy and budget.
A study entitled “Global trends in climate change legislation and litigation” launched on 9 May during the Conference on Climate Change in Bonn finds countries across the globe have adopted more than 1,200 laws to limit climate change—an impressive rise from only 60 laws two decades ago. Courts are complementing the actions of legislators through rulings on the implementation of existing climate laws, and two-thirds of their rulings have either strengthened or maintained climate change regulation.
The IPU Annual Report offers a summary of the salient events and meetings. Richly illustrated with photographs, this publication provides a vital overview of the activities of the world organization of parliaments. The final section covers more institutional aspects such as financial records, the composition of the standing committees and the list of members.
Taking decisive actions to end economic, political and social inequality will be the focus of deliberations for the more than 650 MPs from 132 countries meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 1-5 April 2017. Parliamentarians, including 53 Speakers of Parliament, will make concrete proposals on a range of issues, from ending rising inequality to promoting women’s access to financing, during the 136th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) (#IPU136) hosted by the Bangladesh Parliament.
Expressing grave concern with the extreme political, social and economic inequalities prevalent in the world, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has called for immediate action to reverse this trend and leave no one behind. In a declaration issued at the close of the 136th IPU Assembly in Dhaka, Bangladesh, IPU Members highlighted that “extreme inequalities” come at a high cost to society, stalling economic growth, undermining the democratic process and social cohesion and increasing the risk of violence and insecurity.
From 13-17 March, BGIPU sent a parliamentary delegation to the 61st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations in New York. “Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work” was the 2017 priority theme of this year’s Commission, with parliamentarians from over 150 countries convening to debate the issue.
The number of women in executive government and in parliament worldwide has stagnated, with only marginal improvements since 2015, according to the data contained in the Women in Politics 2017 Map launched today by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women. The Map, which presents global rankings for women in the executive and parliamentary branches of government as of 1 January 2017, shows slow progress towards gender equality in these areas at regional and national levels.
More ambitious measures and stronger political commitment are needed to enhance women’s representation in parliament and keep apace with the significant progress achieved worldwide over the last decade, says the IPU. “Women in Parliament in 2016: The year in review” released ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March calls for renewed momentum to ensure women’s voices everywhere are included in decision-making processes underscoring that women’s political empowerment cannot be taken for granted.
The 2017 Annual Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations held 13-14 February at UN HQ in New York provided parliamentary input into the UN Ocean Conference scheduled 5-9 June 2017. This conference will conclude with a Call for Action which the IPU hopes will reflect many of the recommendations from the outcome document of the parliamentary hearing and recognise the role parliaments play as key actors in the implementation of all commitments on the ocean. UK participants followed up the hearing through action in the UK Parliament.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has again expressed concern about continued human rights violations against MPs worldwide and the lack of respect for their parliamentary immunity. During its January 2017 session, IPU’s Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians adopted decisions on the cases of 227 MPs from 16 countries. Over 100 MPs are from just three countries, Malaysia, Nicaragua and Turkey. The Committee has elected a new President in the person of Ms. Fawzia Koofi (Afghanistan).
