IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union [to 5 March 2016]
http://www.ipu.org/english/news.htm

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29 FEBRUARY 2016
World MPs meet at UN to focus on ending discriminatory laws
An international meeting of MPs at UN Headquarters next month will focus on the ability of legislation to empower women and deliver sustainable development. The event on 15 March will look at the many forms of legal discrimination that persist around the world and how they hamper delivery of the sustainable development agenda. Participants will discuss the best routes to enacting, implementing and enforcing equality laws. Sessions will focus on the role of parliaments in ending discriminatory laws and the importance of women’s political leadership and representation in legislative bodies. The event is being hosted by IPU and UN Women to coincide with the 60th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the main global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment. It will be webcast live via a link on the IPU website. IPU is also organizing a panel discussion with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and the Office for North Africa of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, on 14 March on how UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security can be implemented in Arab countries. IPU is strongly committed to working for gender equality in the world’s parliaments, empowering female MPs, and strengthening parliamentary work to achieve gender equality.

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29 FEBRUARY 2016
African MPs propose fresh action on migration
Members of Parliament at a conference on African migration have recommended a series of steps to help ensure the maximum benefit migrants could provide to their countries of origin and destination. The MPs from 15 African countries proposed action, including safeguarding migrants’ rights, combating racism and intolerance, supporting victims of forced migration, reducing the risk and impact of natural disasters and enforcing existing policies and laws on migration. They also suggested reducing the cost of remittance transfers, boosting migrants’ economic literacy, promoting equality of opportunity for men and women, and improving international cooperation, such as using existing African Union mechanisms fully and creating systems to exchange information to combat human trafficking. The benefits of educating people on the good practices and risks of migration were also highlighted. Participants at the event in Djibouti, organized by the African Parliamentary Union and supported by IPU and others, shared their experiences, examples of good practice, and views on the governance of migration in promoting the sustainable development agenda.