A BGIPU delegation visited to Oman between 24 and 29 February 2023. The delegation comprised a cross party group of parliamentarians led by Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP and including Khalid Mahmood MP, Baroness Jolly, Lord Cromwell, Jo Gideon MP and supported by Mathilde Ollivo, BGIPU Secretariat. The first engagement was a briefing from HM […]
BGIPU was delighted to host a delegation from Morocco from 19 until 24 February 2024. The visit was led by the Honourable Mr. Mohamed Sabbari, First Deputy-Speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives, and also included the Honourable Mr. Mohamed Joudar, Fifth Deputy-Speaker, the Honourable Mrs. Nadia Touhami, Sixth Deputy-Speaker, the Honourable Mrs. Zaina Idhali, […]
Over two hundred parliamentarians from around the world have restated the importance of including a parliamentary dimension in the future of multilateral cooperation on trade, considering the essential role that trade plays in development, the global economy and people’s livelihoods worldwide. In their outcome document, the legislators emphasized the importance of the World Trade Organization (WTO) […]
The 148th Assembly of the IPU will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, on 23-27 March 2024. All IPU statutory bodies, including the Governing Council, Standing Committees, Committees on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians and on Middle East Questions, as well as the Forum of Women Parliamentarians and the Forum of Young MPs, will meet on […]
Latin America has a wealth of vital natural resources, but it also struggles with deforestation, rapid biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change. In an era of escalating environmental challenges, this puts it on the front line of the battle for our planet’s future. The conflict between public and private interest is a major part of […]
This was my first visit to Costa Rica and Panama, as part of a delegation alongside seasoned experts in the region, Baroness Hooper and Lord Mountevans. The visit was immensely informative and was arranged impeccably by the hosts and our Embassies in both countries, with the advantage too that for most of the time in […]
No visit to Panama would be complete without a look at the Canal Locks in action. We met with the President of the Canal Authority, Aristedes Royo Sanchez, who is a former President of Panama and father of the current Ambassador to London, Natalia Royo, and Victor Vial, the VP for Finance. The Canal is […]
Unusually and unexpectedly our delegation consisted of three Peers, Baroness Northover, Lord Mountevans and myself, supported by Holly Sloan from the BGIPU Secretariat. The original delegation had been carefully selected to reflect balance and ongoing interest in the Region. This was scuppered by the House of Commons Whips who, it appears, no longer accept the […]
Tulia Ackson, Speaker of the Parliament of Tanzania, became the 31st IPU President following elections in October 2023. In her first IPU interview last November, she describes her journey to the Presidency and outlines her main priorities for the next three years.
Huge strides in artificial intelligence (AI) have dominated the headlines these past few months. But beyond the buzz, what are the risks but also the opportunities when it comes to democracy, human rights and the rule of law? Will AI be the great disrupter of elections in 2024 with more than half the world’s population going to the polls? […]
