Theme: Trade and Sustainable Development

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Outcome of IPU Parliamentary Hearing at UN on SDG Goal 14

The 2017 Annual Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations held 13-14 February at UN HQ in New York provided parliamentary input into the UN Ocean Conference scheduled 5-9 June 2017. This conference will conclude with a Call for Action which the IPU hopes will reflect many of the recommendations from the outcome document of the parliamentary hearing and recognise the role parliaments play as key actors in the implementation of all commitments on the ocean. UK participants followed up the hearing through action in the UK Parliament.

2017 Parliamentary Hearing at the UN will focus on oceans

The 2017 Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations on 13-14 February 2017 will focus on SDG 14 of the new Sustainable Development Goals: the conservation and sustainable use of oceans. A World of Blue: Preserving the oceans, safeguarding the planet, ensuring human well-being in the context of the 2030 Agenda will bring together parliamentarians, experts and UN officials and will make recommendations to restore the oceans to health.

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Women Speakers set clear goals to respond to global challenges

Women Speakers of Parliament from across the globe agreed to rapidly develop parliamentary objectives and action plans that put at the core the integrity of our planet and peace and prosperity.  At the conclusion of the two-day Global Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament, women Speakers unanimously adopted the Abu Dhabi Declaration that defines concrete steps to tackle geopolitical, socioeconomic, environmental and technological challenges to ensure a more gender sensitive and inclusive world and a better quality of life for generations to come.

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IPU & AWEPA Parliamentary Forum at HLM2

BGIPU was represented at the 2nd High level Meeting of the GPEDC in Nairobi, including the IPU/AWEPA hosted Parliamentary Forum, by Lord Chidgey, of Hamble-le-Rice. In recent years, international discussions on aid and development have shifted their focus away from the delivery of aid to the effectiveness of development cooperation as a whole, known as the development effectiveness agenda with parliamentarians playing key roles in such deliberations.

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Parliamentary Meeting at UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakesh

A meeting jointly organised by the IPU and the Moroccan Parliament, bringing together parliamentarians from all over the world, was held on 13th November 2016 in Marrakech, one week into the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22).  The aim was to involve parliamentarians in promoting awareness of the issues being discussed at COP22, so that they could better hold their Governments to account for delivering on commitments made at COP21 in Paris in December 2015.

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Opportunities and challenges for Cabo Verde

The UK parliamentary delegation to Cabo Verde was given the opportunity to understand the political, economic (and some of the) sustainability opportunities and challenges facing the country.  It was clear that there was a desire to strengthen formal links with UK but the UK should be prepared to offer much more in terms of technical assistance and capacity support, not just an ever increasing number of tourists which creates good opportunities for growth, but also some risks.

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Joint visit by BGIPU to Portugal and Cabo Verde

From 6-12 November 2016 BGIPU-Chair Nigel Evans MP led a delegation to both Portugal and Cabo Verde. While the 2 days spent in Lisbon focussed mostly on the future bilateral relationship between the UK and Portugal in the context of Brexit, the second part of the visit in Cabo Verde gave the delegation an opportunity to learn more about a small country off the West African coast that is mostly known as a tourist destination, but deserves more credit for its political stability and democratic credentials in an otherwise troubled region.

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APPG seeks to expand links with Brazil

Three Parliamentarians, Laurence Robertson MP (Conservative), Graham Brady MP (Conservative) and Lord (Dave) Watts (Labour) travelled to Brazil from 3-9 November 2016 on behalf of the Brazil APPG with funding support from the BGIPU.  It is clear that Brazil is going through an uncertain time following President, Dilma Rousseff, recently being impeached.  Against this background, the APPG met with a wide range of parliamentary and government counterparts to encourage better understanding and stronger inter-parliamentary links. 

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Tajikistan benefits from UK engagement and assistance

Co-chair of the APPG Nigel Mills MP and John Mann MP visited Tajikistan between 23 and 29 October 2016. The aim of the visit was to advance UK-Tajik relations meeting parliamentarians and government officials, and to review the effectiveness of DFID’s strategy in the country.  Tajikistan is still transitioning from its Soviet past, while also facing the challenges of Islamic extremism and instability in neighbouring Afghanistan but UK engagement and assistance is valued and needed.

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More democracy key to achieving sustainable development by 2030

Marking IDD (15 September) with the theme “Democracy 2030”, IPU called on political leaders everywhere to strengthen connections between the globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and citizens’ demands for greater transparency, accountability and inclusive decision-making.  “We are inviting and challenging all parliaments to think innovatively about democracy’s future, including from the perspective of ensuring the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development succeeds,” said IPU President Saber Chowdhury.