Theme: Human Rights

CSW Report Back

Political empowerment & support for standalone MDG on gender key CSW58 outcomes

As a delegate from the BGIPU access was easier and broader than my past experiences of representing the UK NGO’s at CSW. Discussion not only on numbers of women involved in decision making bodies but around what they actually get to do when they are elected and equally importantly what difference, if any their presence in government may make to the lives of ordinary women in the country.

Meeting the Head of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Justice and Human

BGIPU visit to Argentina – a shared perspective on human rights

Human rights was one of the issues the delegation decided to look at during the IPU visit to Argentina. We were interested in the current human rights situation there as well as stressing how successfully our two governments were working together on issues such as the banning of cluster munitions and support for the International Criminal Court.  Not least due its own recent past experiences, human rights issues are matters for very active debate in Argentine society and there are many human rights issues, such as women’s rights and the abolition of the death penalty worldwide, where there is scope for more co-operation between our governments and parliaments.

Baroness Stern at closing session

IPU Round-table discussion: Parliamentarians, a critical force in promoting the abolition of the death penalty

The IPU convened its first meeting to specifically address abolition of the death penalty in Geneva on 10 October 2013 marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty.  The meeting was convened in cooperation with the International Commission Against the Death Penalty (ICDP), a body founded in Spain in 2010, which brings together a number of distinguished abolitionists who have held high office in governments around the world.  

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Meeting between senior members of the Syrian National Coalition and UK Parliamentarians

The BGIPU in conjunction with the FCO, facilitated a meeting between senior members of the Syrian National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces and UK Parliamentarians on Thursday 5th September. The visit of the delegation from the Syrian National Coalition followed just a week after the vote in the Commons on UK responses to the situation in Syria. 

John Mann MP, Lord Fowler, Baroness Meacher, H.E. Rodríguez Múnera

Current trends in Global Drug Policy Reform & the Organization of American States

To mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on the 26th of June, and ahead of the international parliamentary seminar on Drug Policy Reform it will host inOctober, the British Group of the IPU, offered an evening lecture in which the Ambassador of Colombia presented the recent Organization of American States report on the Drug Problem in the Americas to Parliamentarians and Baroness Meacher and John Mann MP, UK Parliamentary envoys to the 43rd General Assembly of the OAS, discussed the role parliamentarians can play in addressing illicit drugs and related transnational crime issues.

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Protecting every child everywhere: Tackling sexual exploitation of children in tourism

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. 

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UK delegation plays leading role in 128th IPU Assembly deliberation

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.

Roberta Blackman-Woods MP & Mary Macleod MP attended CSW57 for BGIPU

BGIPU ensures UK Parliamentary voice is heard at CSW 57

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 […]