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
PRIDE RECEPTION | 17 JUNE
BGIPU, the APPG for HIV, AIDS and Sexual Health, Amnesty International UK and the APPG for Global LGBT+ Rights will be holding a Pride Reception at 1800 on 17 June in the IPU Room. The event will be hosted by David Mundell MP, and speakers include Dawn Butler MP, Amnesty International UK CEO-Sacha Deshmukh, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director- Christine Stegling and a queer South Asian Human Rights Defender. Members wishing to attend are asked to contact Rhiannon Edwards at edwardsrl@parliament.uk .
BGIPU/CPA EVENT ON INDIA-CHINA RELATIONS | 18 JULY
CPA UK and BGIPU will be partnering with Chatham House to deliver a discussion event based on their recent report ‘How China–India relations will shape Asia and the global order’. Chietigj Bajpaee, Senior Research Fellow for South Asia, will introduce the publication, before participating in an open discussion of this topic with UK parliamentarians. This event will take place at 10am on Tuesday 17 June in the CPA Room. Members interested in attending this event should contact Joe Perry at joe.perry@parliament.uk.
PANEL EVENT ON WAR PAINT – WOMEN AT WAR | 24 JUNE
BGIPU, the The International Bar Association Human Rights Institute and the APPG for Sudan and South Sudan will be marking the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict and holding a panel discussion and showing clips form the documentary “War Paint-Women at War” on Tuesday 24 June 1100 in the IPU Room. We will be showing clips related to Ukraine, Afghanistan and Sudan. Speakers TBC but members wishing to attend are asked to contact Rhiannon Edwards at edwardsrl@parliament.uk .
ROUNDTABLE WITH HM AMBASSADORS IN EUROPE | 30 JUNE
BGIPU will be hosting a roundtable meeting with HM Ambassadors in Europe to discuss European Security at 1530 on Monday 30 June. UK Ambassadors to Romania and Finland are confirmed, with others TBC. Members wishing to attend are asked to contact Rhiannon Edwards at edwardsrl@parliament.uk .
ROUNDTABLE WITH HM AMBASSADORS IN THE SAHEL REGION | 30 JUNE
BGIPU will be hosting a roundtable meeting with HM Ambassadors in the Sahel region to discuss security issues in the region at 1700 on Monday 30 June. Members wishing to attend are asked to contact Mathilde Ollivo at ollivom@parliament.uk.
ROUNDTABLE WITH AMBASSADORS FROM CENTRAL ASIA | 9 JULY
BGIPU will be hosting a roundtable meeting with Ambassadors from Central Asia at 1630 on Wednesday 9 July. Members wishing to attend are asked to contact Joe Perry at joe.perry@parliament.uk.
BGIPU INWARD DELEGATION FROM SPAIN | 8 AND 9 JULY
BGIPU will host a delegation from Spain in Westminster on 8 and 9 July. Members wishing to meet this delegation are asked to contact Henry Collison at collisonh@parliament.uk.
ROUNDTABLE WITH AMBASSADORS FROM LATIN AMERICA | 3 SEPTEMBER
BGIPU has postponed the roundtable meeting with Ambassadors from Latin America to 1600 on Wednesday 3 September. Members wishing to attend are asked to contact Rhiannon Edwards at edwardsrl@parliament.uk .
BGIPU DELEGATION TO SENEGAL | 6-10 OCTOBER
BGIPU will send a delegation to Senegal during the week of 6 October (travel details are not yet confirmed but you will likely need to be available during both weekends on either side of the visit). Members interested in applying to join this delegation should contact Mathilde Ollivo at ollivom@parliament.uk.
BGIPU DELEGATION TO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | 6-10 OCTOBER
BGIPU will send a delegation to Dominican Republic during the week of 6 October (travel details are not yet confirmed but you will likely need to be available during both weekends on either side of the visit). Members interested in applying to join this delegation should contact Joe Perry at joe.perry@parliament.uk.
MEMBER LED TOURS OF PARLIAMENT FOR DELEGATIONS
BGIPU is seeking Members that would be interested in leading tours of parliament for our visiting parliamentary delegations. These tours are a key part of our visits, giving the delegations an insight into the rich history of the Palace and an introduction into some of the procedures of parliament. These tours are generally on a Monday or Tuesday morning and last between 45 minutes to an hour. If you are interested in volunteering to lead these tours then please contact Dominique Rees at reesd@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!
We are currently holding French sessions. If you wish to join these, please contact Mathilde Ollivo at ollivom@parliament.uk
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
151st IPU ASSEMBLY | GENEVA, SWITZERLAND | 19-23 OCTOBER 2025
The 151st Assembly of the IPU will take place in Geneva 19-23 October. Whilst the overall theme of the general debate for the Assembly is still to be confirmed, the Standing Committee on Peace and Security will debate a resolution on “The role of parliaments in establishing robust post-conflict management mechanisms and restoring a just and lasting peace”, and the Committee for Sustainable Development will debate a resolution on ” Building a fair and sustainable global economy: The role of parliaments in combating protectionism, reducing tariffs and preventing corporate tax evasion”. The Standing Committee for Democracy and Human Rights will adopt a resolution on the topic “Recognizing and supporting the victims of illegal international adoption and taking measures to prevent this practice”. As well as this, The United Nations Affairs and other IPU bodies will also convene for discussions on a wide range of issues and BGIPU will undertake a busy programme of bilateral meetings. Members wishing to express early interest should contact Rhiannon Edwards at edwardsrl@parliament.uk
