Theme: Trade and Sustainable Development

Building back better after COVID-19: Parliaments & disaster risk reduction

In the context of the IPU campaign, Parliaments in time of a pandemic, the IPU is partnering with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in the organization of a series of webinars for parliamentarians and parliamentary staff. Following the first webinar on COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and […]

UK MPs/Peers had detailed discussions by Zoom with their counterparts in Colombia

Productive discussions with Colombian counterparts ahead of a future visit

On 2 July BGIPU convened a well-attended virtual bilateral meeting between Colombian and UK Parliamentarians. The session was moderated by Mark Menzies MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Latin America and Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Colombia, who was joined by Canning House Honorary President, Lord Mountevans and BGIPU Executive Committee members, Vice-Chair […]

IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong says its vital to lift the lockdowns on parliaments too

IPU Secretary General Chungong says vital to lift the lockdowns on parliaments too

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 […]

The webinar connected parliamentarians with world-leading experts to share best practice to “Build Back Better”

IPU President co-hosts webinar on how to ‘Build Back Better’ with the SDGs

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Parliamentarians for the Global Goals, convened the first of a series of webinars for Parliamentarians on COVID-19 response and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the aim of connecting parliamentarians with world-leading experts to share best practice to “Build Back Better” through enabling […]

The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of mexico, Ms Laura Rojas © Mexican Chamber of Deputies

Speaker of Mexico writes on the challenges of legislating in times of pandemic

The Speaker of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies writes the appearance of COVID-19 has marked a global watershed, not only in health and economic terms, but also for the unprecedented challenges posed to the functioning of democratic institutions. During the pandemic months, questions about how to balance the extraordinary powers that governments require to tackle […]

IPU video highlights how parliaments worldwide are addressing COVID-19 pandemic

The IPU has found most parliaments are continuing to function despite the global coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).  The IPU has released a video highlighting the many diverse ways in which the world’s parliaments are responding to COVID-19, including through passing emergency legislation to protect their populations, particularly the most vulnerable in  society. Many are working to […]

Raton Guda / © Caritas Bangladesh

IPU/WHO/UNDRR host pandemic webinar for hundreds of MPs

Some 500 parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from over 80 countries participated in the first of a series of webinars co-organized by the IPU, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) on . The webinar, Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic: Parliamentary action to reduce risks, strengthen emergency preparedness […]

Parliaments all over the world are working together in their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. © UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

Multilateralism and inter-parliamentary cooperation strengthened during pandemic

On International Day of Multilateralism on 24 April, information collected by the IPU shows that parliaments all over the world are working together in their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through its campaign Parliaments in a time of pandemic, the IPU is helping to facilitate inter-parliamentary coordination and solidarity by collating and sharing examples of […]