On 27 March, IPU President, Duarte Pacheco addressed the Ninth Plenary Session of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace, hosted by the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates. With the backdrop of war in Ukraine, the President recalled the IPU’s foundational values of dialogue and political cooperation as a means of resolving […]
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 […]
The IPU Committee on Middle East Questions expresses its strong concerns over the recent escalations in the brutal conflict in Yemen, causing what has become known as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The Committee strongly condemns the violations of UN Security Council Resolutions regarding Yemen, especially as regards the embargo on arms sales to parties […]
On 20 May, BGIPU convened a roundtable on the Middle East. The meeting was attended by UK MPs and Peers with an interest in the region and chaired by Baroness D’Souza, Vice Chair of BGIPU. The Ambassadors to the UK from Jordan and Lebanon and the Deputy Ambassador from Iraq gave a briefing on the […]
Having met on Monday 10 May 2021, the IPU Committee on Middle East Questions continues to closely monitor the developments unfolding in East Jerusalem. It expresses grave concerns over the escalation of violence and tensions that have unfortunately cost human life and caused extensive injuries and damage. It firmly condemns all forms of violence, irrespective […]
On 11 March, BGIPU hosted a virtual parliamentary briefing with British Ambassadors to UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman, and the Chargé d’Affaires to Kuwait. The event was chaired by BGIPU Executive Committee member and Chair of the Saudi Arabia and Oman APPG, Mr Mark Menzies MP. It was well-attended by MPs and Peers from […]
The IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians has renewed its calls to national authorities to bring to account those involved in the past abuse of members of parliament, including murder. Although some of the cases are more than 10 years old, the Committee has not set them aside until investigations have established the […]
On 16 November 2020, BGIPU convened a virtual bilateral meeting between UK and Israeli Parliamentarians. The meeting was moderated by Harriett Baldwin MP, Chair of the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. In attendance from the UK side was: Dame Diana Johnson MP (vice-Chair of both BGIPU and Labour friends of Israel), Lord Sarfraz, Jonathan […]
On 3 November 2020, BGIPU convened a virtual bilateral meeting between UK and Tunisian Parliamentarians. The discussion was moderated by BGIPU Executive Committee Member, Damien Moore MP, who is also the Trade Envoy to Tunisia and chairs the Tunisia APPG in the UK Parliament. The meeting was attended by Afzal Khan MP, Baroness Hodgson, Baroness […]
BGIPU co-hosted with the BBC World Service a virtual discussion on the continuing harassment of BBC Persian staff and families by Iran. The event on 5 October 2020 and was chaired by BGIPU Vice-Chair and Chair of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group, Dame Diana Johnson MP. The discussion followed up earlier BGIPU events and served […]
