The BGIPU supported the APPG for Drug Policy Reform to take up an invitation by President Otto Perez Molina of Guatemala to attend the 43rd General Assembly of the OAS from 4-6 June, as Observers. This report represents Baroness Meacher’s reflections on the meeting.
The Rt Hon George Howarth MP, Chair of All Party Parliamentary Group for Vietnam, led a delegation of British Parliamentarians to Vietnam in May from the 25th to 31st May 2013 to help further strengthen the relationship between the UK and Vietnam.
Gavin Shuker MP highlighted the importance of strong political leadership in ensuring adequate protection of children from sexual exploitation abroad by British tourists when he chaired a lunchtime lecture hosted by the British Group of the IPU and ECPAT UK on the 9th of May. A key focus of the discussion was on raising awareness among parliamentarians, including the practical steps they could take in tackling the sexual abuse of children overseas by British sex offenders.
The 128th IPU Assembly in Quito, Ecuador from 22 to 27 March 2013 was attended by more than 1350 participants from over 118 parliaments. The UK delegation was prominent and active throughout the Assembly, including as a member of the Emergency Item Drafting Committee, as moderators of panel discussions, in detailed Committee work and in a range of targeted bilateral exchanges.
This was an excellent visit that really benefitted from the preparatory work undertaken before the visit. The briefing meetings with the Gender and Equalities Office and the meeting with representatives from NGOs attending the conference were particularly beneficial. Both meetings helped us to focus on key issues that would be discussed at the conference and […]
The BGIPU hosted a delegation from Bahrain to Westminster in March. The visit was a key opportunity to engage with parliamentary counterparts from Bahrain on bilateral interest between our two countries and Bahrain’s 6 perspectives on developments in the Middle East region. The visit also provided an important opportunity to seek perspectives on ongoing human rights concerns in the country in the context of a broader discussion about governance and justice issues.
From tourism and tax reform to wealth distribution and from new global trading relationships to diversifying from agriculture, the BGIPU delegation, led by the Vice Chair of the BGIPU visited the Legislative Assemblies of Costa Rica and El Salvador to learn about both countries’ broader geopolitical priorities
Whoever one meets in politics in Costa Rica and El Salvador, the gloomy presence of the drugs trade will eventually emerge in discussion. Previously by-standers in the drugs wars, these two countries now have Mexican drug cartels who have relocated in order to avoid detection and invest their profits.
Jointly hosted by the British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK, the conference took place in the Houses of Parliament 6-8 November 2012, and was attended by parliamentarians from 50 countries.
The BGIPU, in cooperation with the All Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group co-hosted a discussion on ‘Defending the Rights of Parliamentarians’ Chaired by Robert Walter MP – Chair of the BGIPU. The discussion took place during BGIPU week as part of the BGIPU marking the International Day of Democracy.
