The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

SENATOR Barry Griffin said joining the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will strengthen The Bahamas’ efforts to include more young people in leadership positions.

The IPU is a global organisation of national parliaments that promotes democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members. It also works to empower youth participation in Parliament and create gender parity.

The Bahamas recently became the 180th member of the IPU.

The House of Assembly passed a resolution in July to join the organisation. According to the resolution, a committee of five people will be responsible for organising relations with the IPU.

“In joining the IPU, we were fully aware of the organisation’s efforts to promote greater gender parity and youth participation. The IPU’s track record speaks for itself - with over 35 per cent of the MPs attending IPU Assemblies being women and 1 out of 4 attendees being below the age of 45,” Mr Griffin said yesterday while addressing the IPU assembly in Angola.

Mr Griffin said The Bahamas government embraces diversity in leadership and hopes to contribute to inclusivity and diversity in leadership.

“Through the IPU, our voices are amplified, and we now have a global platform, not only to increase the participation of youth in our democracies, but to also ensure that the perspectives of youth and those under 45 are reflected in global decision-making,” he said.

Mr Griffin said joining the IPU will assist in bringing global issues like climate change to the forefront.

He said: “Before us, we have global threats, such as climate change, that require decisive and immediate action to save lives and preserve livelihoods. It is through the work of global organisations like the IPU that we have the best shot at taking coordinated action to ensure that all peoples of the world are able to survive and thrive in the face of these looming threats.”

“Colleagues, there is no challenge that cannot be overcome through unity. Let’s continue to work together in the spirit of the IPU, in the spirit of progress, to create a better world for all people and all nations.”

Minister of Labour and Public Service Pia Glover-Rolle recently described joining the union “as a key step in joining countries around the globe in advancing and promoting peace, democracy, human rights, sustainable development, and the development of effective, representative, and accountable parliaments”.