The IPU Advisory Group on Health has issued a statement on the current COVID-19 pandemic, calling on parliaments to cooperate with stakeholders to build capacity to manage health emergencies, including preparedness, prevention and response. The pandemic has placed demands on decision-makers to act quickly to stem its spread. These decision-makers include parliaments, which are crucial […]
In cooperation with the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC), our partner body, the Parliamentary Human Rights Group and the APPG on Uyghurs, BGIPU Executive Committee members participated in the launch of BHRC’s new report, ‘Responsibility of States under International Law to Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, China’, on 22 […]
In a preview briefing for Members of Parliament jointly hosted with BGIPU on 20 July, BBC World Service Director, Jamie Angus, gave MPs and Peers a preview of annual audience measurements showing that the BBC’s global reach has increased by 11% in 2020 to 468m people a week – its highest audience ever and a […]
As announced by the IPU Secretariat in Geneva, the first part of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament will take place virtually on 19 and 20 August 2020, organized by the IPU in partnership with the Parliament of Austria and the United Nations. Over 150 Speakers of parliament have been invited to join […]
2019 was a watershed year for the IPU as it celebrated its 130th anniversary. With 179 Member Parliaments and 13 Associate Members, the IPU has come a long way since the first meeting of a small group of MPs in 1889. Discover what impact the IPU had in 2019 in this new online interactive report.
BGIPU convened on 9 July a roundtable in collaboration with ICRC on “The Impact of COVID-19 on existing conflict areas in Africa”. On the panel were four very knowledgeable speakers: Mr Ben Fender OBE, HM Ambassador to Somalia; Ms Emily Maltman, HM Ambassador to DRC; Mr Rowan Laxton, HM High Commissioner to Cameroon; and Mamadou […]
On 25 June, BGIPU convened a virtual bilateral meeting between UK and Italian Parliamentarians. The discussion, exactly one year after a bilateral visit to London last year, was moderated by BGIPU Chair, Harriett Baldwin MP, and was attended by the two co-Chairs of the Italy APPG, Alberto Costa MP and Ellie Reeves MP, along with […]
On 26 June, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the IPU calls on parliaments to use all their powers to help eradicate state-sponsored physical and psychological abuse and all other forms of serious ill-treatment. The day also marks the entry into force 34 years ago of the Convention against Torture and other […]
On Friday 19 June, BGIPU hosted a virtual parliamentary discussion on COVID-19: The Increased Risks and Vulnerabilities to Refugees and Migrant Populations with The British Red Cross (BRC) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The proceedings were chaired by BGIPU Executive Committee member, Chris Law MP, with panellists from both BRC and MSF. The event was […]
Op-Ed by IPU Secretary General – During the ongoing coronavirus emergency, extraordinary measures may have been necessary so that national leaders can make rapid and vital decisions that have had a restrictive effect on how we enjoy freedoms. But these measures should be short-term only. They must not become the norm. As many countries begin to […]
