Events
The full advance programme of meetings being convened globally by the Inter-Parliamentary Union can be accessed here and BGIPU will call for nominations of interested MPs/Peers to form UK delegations for such events through the All Party Whip Notice and regular all member e-mails. UK participation in IPU activities without formal approval and selection by the BGIPU Executive Committee is not permitted.
In addition, the BGIPU regularly hosts lectures and meetings within the Palace of Westminster when Parliament is sitting on current topical issues in international affairs. Details of upcoming BGIPU events will be listed below and members’ nominations for participating in delegations will be sought through the All Party Notice circulated by the Government Whips Office during sitting times.
As a fully-funded parliamentary body, we can only reply to queries on how to participate in official BGIPU activities from MPs and Peers or parliamentary staff using internal parliamentary e-mail addresses. More general enquiries about our work can be directed to bgipu@parliament.uk
ALEX CRAWFORD OBE YAZIDI WOMEN DOCUMENTARY | 29 APRIL | 1000 IPU ROOM
BGIPU and IBAHRI are hosting a panel discussion on 29 April at 1000 in the IPU Room with Sky News and Women in Film & TV with clips shown of the new documentary 10 Years of Darkness: ISIS & The Yazidis. The session will be chaired by Baroness Kennedy, with speakers including Sky journalist and creator of the documentary- Alex Crawford OBE and Awaz Abdi- a Yazidi survivor. Members wishing to attend should contact Rhiannon Edwards at edwardsrl@parliament.uk
EUROPEAN AMBASSADORS’ ROUNDTABLE | 29 APRIL | 16:00 IPU ROOM
BGIPU is hosting a roundtable with Ambassadors from various European countries in order to discuss the theme of Defence, NATO and European Security. The meeting will be chaired by Alex Sobel MP and we have confirmed attendance from the Ambassadors of Estonia, Finland, Germany and Sweden. Members wishing to attend are asked to contact Henry Collison at collisonh@parliament.uk.
BBC WS/BGIPU RECEPTION TO MARK WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY | 30 APRIL | 18:00 SPEAKER’S HOUSE STATE ROOMS
BBC World Service and British Group Interparliamentary Union are hosting a reception to mark World Press Freedom Day. Baroness Chapman of Darlington, Minister of State for International Development, Latin America and the Caribbean and Jonathan Munro, Global Director and Deputy CEO of BBC News are confirmed to speak with more TBC. Members wishing to attend are asked to contact Henry Collison at collisonh@parliament.uk.
MENA REGION AMBASSADORS ROUNDTABLE | 12 MAY | 16:00 IPU ROOM
BGIPU is hosting a roundtable with Ambassadors from the MENA region to discuss a range of issues across the region. We are hoping to host the Ambassadors from Jordan and Egypt, and more to be confirmed. Members wishing to attend are asked to contact Mathilde Ollivo at ollivom@parliament.uk
PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION FROM JORDAN | W/C 12 MAY
BGIPU plans to host a delegation of Jordanian Parliamentarians during the week commencing 12 May. Members wishing to meet this delegation are asked to contact Mathilde Ollivo at ollivom@parliament.uk.
PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION FROM JORDAN | W/C 12 MAY
BGIPU plans to host a delegation of Jordanian Parliamentarians during the week commencing 12 May. Members wishing to meet this delegation are asked to contact Mathilde Ollivo at ollivom@parliament.uk
CALLING ALL MEMBERS AND STAFF WITH FOREIGN LANGUAGES – AND THOSE KEEN TO LEARN!
To help us welcome our visiting delegations it would be incredibly useful to know if Members and staff have any foreign languages – please contact Dominique Rees at reesd@parliament.uk to register any language skills.
For those who are keen to practice their language skills we also offer informal lunchtime foreign language conversation sessions. We invite Members and staff to meet in the IPU room and divide into groups depending on level of fluency for a very non-intimidating, relaxed and fun language practice!
PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE ON INTERFAITH DIALOGUE | 19-21 JUNE| ITALY
The Second Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue: Strengthening trust and embracing hope for our common future will take place from 19 to 21 June 2025 in Rome, Italy. The Conference is organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Italian Parliament in cooperation with Religions for Peace. It follows on from the first Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue: Working together for our common future, which took place in June 2023 in Marrakesh, Morocco, and concluded with the Marrakesh Communiqué, in which parliamentarians acknowledged that interfaith dialogue that is “grounded in support of fundamental rights and freedoms, is an essential tool for promoting inclusivity and peaceful coexistence, upholding the rule of law and encouraging collective efforts to achieve a better society”.
The Rome Conference will bring together Speakers and members of parliament with representatives of religions, beliefs, governments, relevant United Nations bodies, international organizations, faith-based and civil society organizations, and academia. Through different thematic sessions, participants will build on key recommendations of the Marrakesh Communiqué and other IPU declarations and policy priorities and, in the spirit of the Jubilee Year, identify forward-looking joint action points to promote peace and inclusion, and the upholding of the rule of law and human rights for all, without distinction. The BGIPU delegation has now been selected but for more information, contact Rhiannon Edwards at edwardsrl@parliament.uk
