Region: Global Issues

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New IPU-UN agreement charts way forward on cooperation

IPU President Saber Chowdhury has welcomed a new UN-IPU cooperation agreement signed on 21 July 2016 at UN Headquarters in New York. Building on the growing partnership and interaction between the two organizations, the agreement places the relationship on a stronger footing and will facilitate greater cooperation at the political and operational levels on behalf of “we the peoples”.  Among other things, the new agreement will ensure enhanced information exchanges and sharing of best practices in strengthening parliamentary capacity worldwide. 

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IPU Secretary General visits UK Parliament to brief BGIPU

The Secretary General of IPU, Martin Chungong, visited London on 12 July 2016 at the invitation of the BGIPU Chair, Mr Nigel Evans MP, and IPU Executive Committee member, Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger MP, to brief the BGIPU Executive Committee on IPU priorities as identified in its Draft IPU Strategy 2071-21. During his visit he also met the Chair of the International Development Committee and FCO Minister David Lidington among other high-level calls.

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World e-Parliament Conference 2016 concludes in Chile

The World e-Parliament Conference, held in the Chamber of Deputies in Valparaiso, Chile, featured the launch of the World e-Parliament Report 2016 and discussion of its key findings. During the conference, policy and technical tracks provided a forum for participants to exchange experiences on how ICT helps to improve representation, law-making and oversight, and to increase parliament’s openness, accessibility, accountability and effectiveness.  The event drew just over 200 participants from more than 50 countries.

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BGIPU sponsors EU Referendum Observation Mission

With the support of BGIPU’s Executive Committee, comprising members on all sides of the debate, BGIPU hosted a EU referendum observation mission from 22-24 June 2016. With outstanding assistance from staff of the Electoral Commission and borough polling officials, BGIPU welcomed parliamentarians and officials from IPU member parliaments in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Switzerland for a mission which responded to the strong interest of counterpart MPs to gain insights into the UK’s historic EU referendum on 23 June.

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Parliamentary Conference on the WTO

More than 400 parliamentary delegates from around 60 countries attended the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, co-chaired by the IPU and the European Parliament. The event, held in Geneva on 13-14 June, covered a wide range of topics under the theme “What Future for the WTO?”  Parliamentarians raised a whole series of concerns – the need to champion stronger labour standards, environmental protection and the role trade can play in sustainable development.

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IPU 134: Rejuvenating democracy, giving voice to youth

The IPU’s 134th Assembly held 19-23 March 2016 in Zambia, Lusaka had as its main theme “Rejuvenating democracy, giving voice to youth”.  More than 670 MPs from 131 countries attended this Assembly which saw the re-entry of Comoros, Egypt and Guyana lifting the IPU to 170 members in total.  The IPU Assembly, deeply shocked by terror attacks in Brussels on 22 March, adopted resolutions calling for multi-facted responses to counter the global threat of terrorism and highlighted the threats posed to cultural heritage by conflict and terrorism.

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SDGs bring new optimism to the CSW 60 agenda

BGIPU sent a four-member delegation to CSW 60 led by Baroness Hodgson and including Baroness Northover, Gavin Shuker MP and Jo Churchill MP. Being the first year since adoption of the SDGs, looking ahead to 2030 with an agenda of leaving no-one behind, there was optimism about this new agenda for CSW 60. This was particularly in light of having achieved the hard fought for SDG Goal 5 on gender, as well as having gender mainstreamed across other goals although the Beijing Platform for Action remains the ‘gold standard’ for gender.

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Young MPs Conference commits to enhancing oversight to achieve SDGs

More than 130 young MPs from across the world committed to enhancing transparency and oversight of public finances as a cornerstone of their fight against corruption at the conclusion of the 3rd IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians in Lusaka.  MPs set their sights on increased public scrutiny of state spending in a series of measures they would take to help achieve the SDGs which commit nations to ambitious targets on reducing inequalities, eradicating poverty, and promoting sustainable economic growth and climate action by 2030.

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British MPs visit Bolivia in support of closer relations

In early March 2016, a cross-party delegation visited La Paz, Bolivia. The delegation was led by Graham Stuart MP (Con), Chair of the Latin American APPG, Diana Johnson MP (Lab), Shadow Foreign Office Minister for Latin America, Mark Menzies MP (Con) and Nic Dakin MP (Labour), Shadow Minister for Schools. Supported by the UK Mission, the programme included meetings with counterparts, government representatives and civil society, as well as a visit to EU-funded projects in one of the legal coca growing regions.

Initially an informal women’s global caucus, the first of its kind in 1985, the the IPU Forum of Women Parliamentarians has since evolved into a powerful platform for women MPs worldwide, driving significant advancements in gender equality and women's rights.

IPU sees mixed results for women’s participation in parliament

An increase in the number of women Speakers of Parliament during 2015 and some regional successes were among the few highlights in what proved to be yet another disappointing year for women’s participation in parliament, says the IPU.  IPU’s “Women in Parliament 2015: the Year in Review” released ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March, showed that for the second year in a row, the number of women MPs across the world rose by a worryingly low 0.5 percentage point with women just 22.6 per cent of the world’s MPs.