On 15 December, BGIPU hosted a bilateral meeting between parliamentarians from the UK and Uzbekistan. The meeting was co-chaired by Alex Sobel MP, BGIPU Treasurer, and Andrew Bridgen MP, Uzbekistan APPG Chair. They were joined by The Lord Bowness CBE DL, Catherine West MP, Nigel Mills MP, The Lord Balfe, The Lord Sheikh, The Baroness […]
Mr Duarte Pacheco, a Portuguese Member of Parliament since 1991, was elected to the IPU Presidency in an historic virtual vote in November, winning 56 per cent of the votes in the first round. In his first video interview for the IPU, the new President sets out his vision and his priorities for the three […]
In the lead-up to Human Rights Day on 10 December, the IPU has released its yearly figures on the human rights abuses experienced by parliamentarians around the world. The numbers confirm an upward trend of reported violations against parliamentarians. They also reveal an uptick in acts of intimidation and violence, with women MPs suffering more […]
Twenty-five years after the Beijing Declaration to advance women’s rights, young women are still one of the most under-represented groups in political leadership positions. IPU figures show that only 2.2 per cent of MPs worldwide are under 30, of which women only make up a small proportion. On 18 November 2020, the IPU and the […]
New allegations of human rights violations against parliamentarians in countries holding elections have recently been brought to the attention of the IPU. The cases involve opposition MPs whose basic rights to freedom of expression, assembly and movement have reportedly been severely curtailed in the context of elections, particularly in Venezuela, Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania. In […]
In a new research paper, the IPU shines the spotlight on parliamentary staff, the people who support the Members of Parliament. The paper analyses key dimensions of parliamentary autonomy in administrations – from recruitment practices to budgetary powers – across the globe. Since 2016, the IPU has conducted research through global surveys and in-depth case […]
(Re)discover the IPU’s analysis of women in parliament on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration on gender equality. Since the following report was published in March, the proportion of women in parliament has inched up to 25.1%. Report from 6 March 2020: A quarter of a century after the United Nations […]
On 29 September BGIPU hosted a virtual parliamentary briefing with British Ambassadors to Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Djbouti, The Gambia and Mali. The event was chaired by BGIPU Chair and former FCO/DFID Minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin MP and was attended by MPs and Peers from the BGIPU Executive Committee and a range of Select Committees […]
Watch the fourth in a series of short videos on the Sustainable Development Goals 5 – gender equality. This video shares some shocking facts about violence against women and outlines steps that parliaments can take against this scourge. This is a partnership video project between the IPU, Arizona State University, Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, the Council […]
On 18 September, the world celebrated its first ever International Equal Pay Day. To mark the occasion, the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC), ILO, UN Women and the OECD, hosted a virtual global Call to Action encouraging all employers, governments and workers to take the necessary steps to ensure that “equal pay for work of equal […]
