Theme: Political Empowerment

Young MPs meet in Tokyo to counter youth alienation and disengagement

27/05/2015 to 28/05/2015

A major international conference of the world’s young MPs in Tokyo in late May has called for policies to end the alienation and radicalization of young people, including new education policies and employment quotas. About 190 young MPs attended the IPU Global Conference of Young MPs making a series of recommendations on addressing some of the biggest challenges facing the world’s 3.5 billion youth populations including unemployment, discrimination and conflict. Gavin Shuker MP represented the UK Parliament at the event.

Asia-Pacific Human Rights IPU Activities & Conferences

If women thrive so shall we all

09/03/2015 to 13/03/2015

This year CSW welcomed the largest contingent of 1100 NGOs (non-governmental organisations) from all over the world, composing 8600 women. I led a delegation of UK parliamentary delegates including Gavin Shuker MP, Roberta Blackman-Woods MP, and Diane Abbott MP for first week sponsored by the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (BGIPU). It is a truly amazing conference on many levels. Especially moving are some of the NGO events where one hears from human rights defenders often under threat on the ground.

Global Issues Human Rights IPU Activities & Conferences

British and Burmese Women Parliamentarians Unite

08/02/2015 to 11/02/2015

This visit intended to strengthen women’s political participation at national level and engage current women MPs in Burma on political empowerment and gender-sensitive parliamentary practices through targeted workshops with UK counterparts. It was a standalone project, complementary to other parliamentary strengthening activities in the country, undertaken in partnership with the British Embassy in Rangoon.

Asia-Pacific Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Outward Delegations

Election of new IPU President to take center stage of 131st Assembly

12/10/2014 to 16/10/2014

The election of a new IPU President will be one of the main highlights of a content-rich 131st Assembly in Geneva on 12-16 October. The new president will take over from Abdelwahad Radi, who ends his three-year mandate at the end of the event. Over 120 IPU Member parliaments involving more than 650 MPs have so far registered to attend the 131st Assembly. Among them, there are more than 75 Speakers and Deputy Speakers of Parliament, as well as a significant percentage of women and young MPs.

Europe Human Rights IPU Activities & Conferences

Harness the power of youth for democracy, urges IPU

11/09/2014 to 11/09/2014

Marking International Day of Democracy on 15th September, the IPU is urging bold action and changes in mindset if disillusioned and alienated youth the world over are to be engaged in political decision-making. The IPU says countries everywhere need to harness the power of youth in formal politics for the sake of democracy. Young people between 15-25 represent 20 per cent of the global population but parliamentarians below 30 accounted for less than two per cent of MPs. For those aged between 20-40 years, the figure increases to just 12 per cent.

Global Issues Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation IPU Activities & Conferences

Sudan delegation meets the Minister for Women

Sudan delegation highlights women’s role in politics and peace

23/06/2014 to 27/06/2014

BGIPU hosted an all-women parliamentary delegation from Sudan to Westminster from 23-27 June 2014. The visit was a key opportunity to engage with parliamentary counterparts from Sudan on developments in the country and to engage on specific gender issues relating to political empowerment and the role of women in peace efforts. The visit also provided an important opportunity to gain insights into human rights issues in Sudan with the delegation keen to present its perspectives on issues relating to religious freedom, women’s rights and justice issues.

Africa Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Inward Delegations

The Speaker of the House of Commons addresses the World e-Parliament Conference

Using technology to enhance democracy – World e-Parliament Conference

08/05/2014 to 10/05/2014

More than 360 MPs and parliamentary staff from 90 national parliaments, including the UK led by the Speaker of the House of Commons, attended the 2014 World e-parliament Conference in Seoul from 8-10 May exploring how to make information and communications technology (ICT) work better for democracy. The Conference, jointly organised by IPU and National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, built on progress made by parliaments in the use of ICT in recent years and looked at how to overcome current hurdles in parliamentary use of new technologies.

Asia-Pacific Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation IPU Activities & Conferences

Participants hear from Panel on VAW in Politics

Tackling Violence against Women in Politics

06/06/2013

On the 6th of June a panel including Mary Macleod MP, Roberta Blackman Woods MP and Dina Medland, a freelance journalist for the Financial Times, discussed, under the auspices of the BGIPU, whether stereotyping, misogyny and harassment through the media constitutes a form of violence against women in politics, and what measures may be taken to address such issues.

Global Issues Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation IPU Activities & Conferences

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

BGIPU ensures UK Parliamentary voice is heard at CSW 57

04/03/2013 to 07/03/2013

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 […]

Global Issues Human Rights IPU Activities & Conferences