From Monday 26 February to Wednesday 28 February BGIPU hosted a delegation from Finland led by Mr Sebastian Tynkkynen MP, Chair of the Finnish IPU Group. He was joined by Ms. Anne Kalmari MP, Vice Chair of the Finnish IPU Group, as well as Ms. Fatim Diarra MP, Mr. Markku Eestilä MP, Ms. Päivi Räsänen […]
BGIPU was delighted to host a delegation from Morocco from 19 until 24 February 2024. The visit was led by the Honourable Mr. Mohamed Sabbari, First Deputy-Speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives, and also included the Honourable Mr. Mohamed Joudar, Fifth Deputy-Speaker, the Honourable Mrs. Nadia Touhami, Sixth Deputy-Speaker, the Honourable Mrs. Zaina Idhali, […]
The 148th Assembly of the IPU will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, on 23-27 March 2024. All IPU statutory bodies, including the Governing Council, Standing Committees, Committees on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians and on Middle East Questions, as well as the Forum of Women Parliamentarians and the Forum of Young MPs, will meet on […]
In 2019, when Italy’s former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi made a bewildering appearance on a satirical news show, hurling insults at his political counterparts, threatening to leave and using inappropriate language, he caused a massive stir. However, soon after the video surfaced, it became apparent that it was not Renzi speaking. It was a sophisticated […]
From 12 to 15 February 2024, I led a delegation of six members to Armenia. I previously led a BGIPU delegation there exactly ten years before and Jessica Morden MP had visited last year with the APPG. For the other members, Judith Cummins MP, Dr Rupa Huq MP, Carol Monaghan MP and Lord McInnes, it […]
The IPU Committee on Middle East Questions held an extraordinary virtual meeting on 5 February 2024, against the backdrop of the protracted conflict in Gaza. The meeting, chaired by the President of the Committee, Mr. Hubert Julien-Laferrière of France, brought together parliamentarians from the Middle East and around the world, including representatives from the Israeli Knesset and […]
From 29-31 January 2024, BGIPU hosted a delegation from the Hellenic Parliament. The delegation was led by Mr. Dimitris Avramopoulos accompanied by the Mr. Stavros Kalafatis, Mr. Christos Dermentzopoulos, Mrs. Dionysia Avgerinopoulou, Mr. Symeon Kedikoglou and Panagiotis Doudonis. The delegation began their visit with a tour of the Palace provided by Tim Loughton MP. He […]
Putting an end to conflicts: Prescriptions for a peaceful future, will be the theme of the 2024 Annual Parliamentary Hearing, a joint initiative between the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). IPU President Tulia Ackson and UNGA President Dennis Francis will host some 300 participants, including parliamentarians, Speakers of […]
This was my first visit to Costa Rica and Panama, as part of a delegation alongside seasoned experts in the region, Baroness Hooper and Lord Mountevans. The visit was immensely informative and was arranged impeccably by the hosts and our Embassies in both countries, with the advantage too that for most of the time in […]
According to the latest data compiled by the IPU on its data platform, Parline, 72 elections or renewals of parliamentary chambers will take place this year, compared to 65 last year. Among those, 55 parliamentary chambers will be directly elected while the others will be indirectly elected or appointed. Roughly half the world’s population is expected to […]
