Theme: Trade and Sustainable Development

Welcome Reception at the Federal National Council

UK’s deep relations and history in the Gulf reflected in visit to UAE

Firm political ties were in evidence throughout our visit to the UAE hosted by HE Mohammed Ahmed Al-Murr, Speaker of the Federal National Council. In roundtable discussions, there was a strong emphasis on the collective nature of their work, with members represented the UAE in their deliberations, not their individual emirates. The UAE is a developing democracy and the FNC demonstrated greater involvement for younger people than in the past by expanding the electorate from 7,000 hand-picked electors to over 100,000 in the near future.

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

Using technology to enhance democracy – World e-Parliament Conference

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.

Lord McConnell

High-level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation

The High-level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation took place in Mexico City on 15-16 April 2014 with BGIPU represented by Lord Chidgey and Lord McConnell. Attended by 1500 development leaders from 130 countries, the Mexico City HLM brought together national government representatives, parliamentarians, civil society groups and other organisations to share knowledge about governance, transparency, improving domestic resource mobilisation and broader development co-operation questions.

Meeting with the President of Armenia HE Serge Sargsyan.jpg

Trade agreements, economy and security are the focus of BGIPU Delegation to Armenia

The Delegation to Armenia had the opportunity to meet with prominent figures in the Armenian government and parliament during the programme. Discussions were dominated by the Armenian decision to seek membership of the Eurasian Customs Union and what the ramifications of this might be for the relationship with the EU, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the approaching centenary commemorations of the Armenian Genocide.

European Parliament in Brussels

31st Session of the IPU Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO

The Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO met on 11 and 12 February 2014 on the premises of the European Parliament in Brussels. The session was co-chaired by Mr. V. Moreira, representing the European Parliament, and Mr. K. Örnfjäder (Sweden), who had been recently appointed by the IPU President as coordinator of the IPU delegation to the Steering Committee and, in this capacity, co-Chair of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO.  The UK Parliament was represented by John Spellar MP.

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The WTO Delivers: Parliamentary Conference on the WTO

Jonathan Djanogly MP attended the joint European Parliament/IPU Parliamentary Conference on the WTO in Bali, Indonesia on 2 and 5 December 2013 convened in connection with the Ninth WTO Ministerial Conference.  As the UK’s representative among some 270 MPs participating, he joined counterparts in urging governments to place development at the heart of the multilateral trading system, taking into full account the special needs and interests of developing counties, particularly the least developed.  The meeting helped ensure parliamentary views were registered as WTO members successfully negotiated a new multilateral trade deal which is anticipated to add around $100 billion a year to global trade, potentially creating an additional 21 million jobs.

APPG Members with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Djibouti

APPG Visit to Djibouti and Ethiopia

Chair of the APPG for Ethiopia and Djibouti, Mr Laurence Robertson MP, led a delegation of UK Parliamentarians including Stephen Hepburn MP and Baroness Hooper on a visit to both countries from 20-26 November 2013. The key objective of the visit was to further strengthen relations between the United Kingdom and Djibouti through meetings with senior government ministers, parliamentary counterparts and business and trade representatives as well as seeing examples of UK business investment in Ethiopia.

The Delegation discussing crop methods with farmers near Butajira

Reflections on Agricultural Development in Ethiopia

They are one of the few countries in Africa to implement the 2003 Maputo commitment to invest at least 10% of their GNI into agriculture.  They have consistently invested well in excess of 10% and there is no doubt about the Government commitment.  I also felt that the Minister of Agriculture’s plans were well intentioned in a country where not only do mountains and drought conspire against large scale production, but also where farm produce comes from a hugely diverse range of production zones and also is grown by distinctly diverse cultures and communities