Theme: Human Rights

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UK Parliament welcomes Anwar Ibrahim after pardon

At an event arranged by the Chair of the APPG for Human Rights, Rt Hon Ann Clwyd MP, and attended by members of the APPG for Malaysia led by its Chair, Sir William Cash MP, the UK Parliament warmly welcomed the recent full pardon of Anwar Ibrahim, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia.  In his comments to MPs and Peers, Mr Anwar recognised the important role parliamentarians had played in supporting his struggle for justice, particularly through the work of the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians.  

Three members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Kazakhstan visited the country’s twenty-year-old capital city from Tuesday 29 May until Saturday 2 June. The delegation comprised Stephen Hepburn (MP for Jarrow, Labour), Lord Rogan (Cross Bencher) and the Chairman of the APPG for Kazakhstan, Bob Stewart (MP for Beckenham; Conservative).

APPG for Kazakhstan visits Astana

Three members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Kazakhstan visited the country’s twenty-year-old capital city from Tuesday 29 May until Saturday 2 June. The delegation comprised Stephen Hepburn (MP for Jarrow, Labour), Lord Rogan (Cross Bencher) and the Chairman of the APPG for Kazakhstan, Bob Stewart (MP for Beckenham; Conservative).  The principal aim of the visit was to learn about Kazakhstan and to meet various sections of society there – especially parliamentarians.

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World’s MPs to tackle global migration reforms and refugee protection

Parliamentarians from over 137 countries will seek to identify and agree upon parliamentary inputs to the UN-led reforms on the rights and protection of migrants and refugees.  Meeting at the 138th IPU Assembly in Geneva more than 740 MPs, including 65 Speakers of Parliament and 216 women parliamentarians, will look in detail at their contribution to ensuring domestic enforcement of the two related Global Compacts expected to be adopted by the UN community later this year.

Members of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians. © IPU.JPG

IPU condemns threats to parliamentary democracy

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) expressed serious concerns about the scale and type of alleged human rights violations of parliamentarians in Cambodia, the Maldives, Turkey and Venezuela with the effect of jeopardizing parliamentary democracy in these countries.  Meeting at the IPU 138th Assembly, the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians took positions on cases of violations against 237 MPs in 8 countries.

Nearly 750 MPs worldwide condemned the discrimination and abuse of refugees and migrants at the 138th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Geneva. © IPU.JPG

MPs condemn hate crimes against migrants and refugees

Nearly 750 MPs worldwide condemned the discrimination and abuse of refugees and migrants at the conclusion of the 138th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Geneva.  The Assembly Declaration emphasized the critical role of parliaments in transforming the aspirations of the two Global Compacts – one on migrants and the other on refugees – into national laws.

The BGIPU delegation joined with members of the Select Commitee on Women and Equalities to meet young British delegates also attending CSW in 2018

IPU addresses empowering rural women and girls at the CSW

Empowering rural women and girls was the priority theme for the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which took place in New York from 12 to 23 March 2018.  The IPU, in cooperation with UN Women, held a parliamentary meeting at the CSW on 13 March 2018, entitled “Parliaments deliver for rural women and girls”.  MPs discussed ways to remove systemic barriers that rural women and girls face in realizing their rights and overcome the discrimination against them in law and practice. 

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IPU President celebrates IWD and calls for action to advance gender equality

Marking International Womens’ Day 2018, the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Senator Gabriela Cuevas Barron said the IPU proudly joins the worldwide efforts to achieve gender equality. As IPU President, she called upon male and female parliamentarians and men and women of all ages to join the fight for a better society marked by justice, equality and parity.  In its work the IPU focuses on promoting gender equality and increasing the number of women parliamentarians worldwide.

IPU President Gabriela Cuevas Barron meets the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York

IPU President and SG meet UNSG to discuss future cooperation

On 22 February 2018, IPU President Gabriela Cuevas Barron and Secretary General Martin Chungong met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to review the status of UN-IPU cooperation. The meeting took place in New York in the context of the 2018 Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations on migration designed to bring a parliamentary perspective to the UN negotiations, and set the stage for active parliamentary engagement in the implementation of the Global Compacts for migration and refugee protection.

Members of parliament from some 50 countries attended the UN Parliamentary Hearing in New York.JPG

UK members highlight evidence & data for fair migration

Four British parliamentarians, Tim Loughton MP, Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael MP, Kate Green MP and Lord Dubs, travelled to the United Nations to participate in the UN Parliamentary Hearing , entitled ‘Towards a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration’ held 22-23 February 2018 and attended by representatives of some 50 parliaments. Significant focus was on the need for fair treatment of migrants with UK members highlighting the importance of evidence-based policies.

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IPU convenes MPs on migration at the United Nations

The need for a global compact on migration was emphasized at the Annual Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations in New York from 22 to 23 February 2018. The Hearing allowed MPs to provide a parliamentary perspective on the new UN Global Compact on safe, orderly and regular migration (GCM) currently under negotiation.  Migration is a reality the world over, too often governed in an ad hoc manner. Migrants need more regular pathways to reduce irregular migration and ensure better integration in their host country and its labour market.