Theme: Trade and Sustainable Development

The UK Parliament was represented at the hearing by the BGIPU Chair, Harriett Baldwin MP, BGIPU Treasurer and IPU Co-Rapporteur for COP26, Alex Sobel MP and member of the House of Commons International Development Committee, Richard Bacon MP. 

IPU & UN General Assembly re-convenes annual hearing of MPs pushing for inclusive recovery

The United Nations has co-hosted its largest in-person gathering since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with hundreds of parliamentarians from around the world attending the 2022 Parliamentary Hearing, a joint initiative of the IPU and the President of the General Assembly, on 17 and 18 February. Around 200 MPs, Speakers, advisers and related officials […]

As President and Secretary General, we reiterate our commitment to mobilizing parliaments worldwide toward a fairer, more inclusive and egalitarian future.

IPU’s end of year statement on 2021: A year when attacks on democracy intensified

End-of-year statement by President Duarte Pacheco and Secretary General Martin Chungong. 2021 bore witness to several assaults on democracy, starting with what many saw as one of its bastions – the US Congress. Then Myanmar suffered a bloody military coup which unravelled in an instant nearly a decade of democratic progress led by its elected […]

IPU143 ©IPU

Global parliamentary solidarity for vaccine equity in the fight against COVID-19

At the 143rd IPU Assembly in Madrid, Spain, parliamentarians from around the world have rallied around an emergency resolution to support equitable access to vaccines, particularly in the developing world. Against the backdrop of the emergence of the omicron variant and renewed border closures, IPU Member Parliaments unanimously backed the IPU African Group’s proposal: Harnessing global parliamentary […]

Bangladesh ©UNHCR/Kamrul Hasan

IPU helping parliamentarians around the world budget to achieve the SDGs

The financial strains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic risk derailing progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. To help mitigate this risk, the IPU has published a new tool for parliamentarians: Guidelines for parliamentarians on budgeting for the SDGs. From cracking down on tax loopholes to using national statistics to track progress, parliamentarians have a range […]

Over 200 parliamentarians from around the world committed to taking urgent action on climate change in Glasgow, United Kingdom at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26.

COP26 Parliamentary Meeting says to world leaders “Waiting is not an option.”

Over 200 parliamentarians from around the world committed to taking urgent action on climate change in Glasgow, United Kingdom at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26. The parliamentarians were gathered in Glasgow at a parliamentary meeting co-organized by the IPU and the British Group of the IPU. In their final adopted outcome document, the MPs […]

Logo re-purposed from Rome Pre-COP Meeting with huge thanks to our colleagues at Italian Parliament especially Stefano Bruno and the IPU's Thomas Fitzsimons

Parliamentary Meeting at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26)

PRESS RELEASE – The IPU is co-organising the COP26 Parliamentary Meeting in Glasgow on 7 November 2021 with the British Group of the IPU (BGIPU). The IPU has long supported the engagement of parliaments in annual COP meetings through the organisation of parliamentary meetings. All Member Parliaments of the organisation have been invited to attend and there […]

During the course of the bilateral exchange, both delegations reiterated the importance of the UK and Panamanian relationship and the need for collaboration at a time when we are confronted with global challenges that affect everyone.

UK exchange with counterparts in Panama highlights common interests for both countries

On 20 October, BGIPU convened a virtual bilateral meeting between UK and Panamanian Parliamentarians. The discussion was moderated by BGIPU Executive Member, Mark Menzies MP, and was attended on the UK side by Baroness D’Souza, Baroness Hooper, Catherine West MP, Lord Dholakia and Lord Mountevans. The newly appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Panama, Mr Tim […]

The roundtable chaired by Tim Loughton MP allowed MPs and Peers to learn directly from those on the ground about the grave nature of the famine which has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

MPs/Peers hear from WFP & HMA on climate-induced famine in Madagascar

On 20 October, BGIPU convened a roundtable in collaboration with WFP on the climate-induced famine in Madagascar. On the panel were four very knowledgeable speakers: Mr David Ashley, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Madagascar; Ms Elisabeth Faure, WFP UK Director; Ms Pasqualina Disirio, WFP Head of Country Delegation; and Mr Arduino Mangoni, WFP’s Head of Programmes […]

The IPU is co-organizing a Pre-COP26 Parliamentary Meeting in Rome on 8-9 October 2021 with the Italian Parliament, as part of a series of pre-COP26 events hosted by Italy.

This is how parliaments have taken legislative action against climate change

At the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, Ms. Xiye Bastida, an 18-year-old climate activist from Mexico, had a message for the parliamentarians present: “The climate crisis is generational injustice. And you have the power to develop smart, just and holistic legislation.” This was a call for all parliamentarians to act, and to act now, […]