The Parliamentary meeting organised by the IPU on the occasion of the XIX International AIDS Conference “AIDS in 2012: What will it take to stop the epidemic?” provided an opportunity for Parliamentarians from over 20 countries to discuss the role that they can play in tackling the HIV and AIDS epidemic.
The BGIPU in conjunction with ActionAid’s Parliamentary Network on Women’s Rights in Afghanistan, held a panel discussion on Tuesday 3 July discuss practical steps towards addressing key challenges on Women, Peace and Security. The Lord Speaker, Baroness D’Souza CMG, opened the discussions with John Spellar MP, Margot James MP and Lucia Fry, ActionAid Head of Policy formed the Panel, which was chaired by Anushka Asthana of The Times.
The Delegation to Indonesia provided the opportunity to encourage broader understanding of UK interests among Indonesian counterparts, including enhancing prospects for trade, investment and international cooperation; for UK Parliamentarians to better appreciate Indonesia’s achievements as a robust parliamentary democracy.
The British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (BGIPU) hosted a parliamentary delegation from Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) from 26-29 June 2012. Overall, the key message of the delegation was that there was broad agreement among the various political groups in BiH, including across all ethnic constituencies, but that they must quickly and cooperatively address sensitive issues around identity and ethnic differences by pursuing effective constitutional reform.
Mr Zayar Thaw MP, National League for Democracy (NLD) member of the Burmese Parliament and Mr Nay Chi Win, a Communications Adviser with the NLD, were welcomed to the Parliament on 25 June 2012 by the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (BGIPU).
At an event to mark the State Opneing of Parliament FCO Minister, Alistair Burt MP, noted that the work of the BGIPU involved close and continuing support from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He said it was vital that we support each other’s work and the FCO fully recognised the valuable role played by parliamentarians in enhancing dialogue and cooperation between nations.
From the 9th to 15th of April 2012 a delegation of five parliamentarians travelled to South Sudan as representatives of the Associate Parliamentary Group for Sudan and South Sudan, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Agriculture and Food for Development, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The delegation was accompanied by an expert in agricultural development, Dr. Guy Poulter, Senior Fellow at the National Resources Institute.
The 126th Assembly took place in Kampala, Uganda 31 March – 5 April 2012. The British Delegation comprised 8 Members and was led by Robert Walter MP, Chairman of the Biritsh Group.
The aim of this delegation was to gain an understanding of Mexican issues in this election year, discuss trade, development, human rights and environmental issues, including energy and climate change. The delegation was very keen to understand the Federal nature of Mexico and thus travelled outside Mexico City to the State of Puebla. The delegation found this to be a very successful visit for all involved.
The Delegation to Morocco provided an opportunity or UK Parliamentarians to witness first hand changes effected in Morocco by the Arab Spring, the new Constitution and meet the new Parliamentarians elected to the House of Representatives in November 2011. The delegation met with the Speakers of both Houses of Parliament, the Moroccan investment agency and the British Council, among others.
