News

Friday 24th May: 08.00-09.30 BST (UK time), 09.00-10-30 CEST

Parliamentary diplomacy – a promising and contested practice, has always been present to tackle rapid, seismic and interconnected changes in societies, but has had an increasing academic focus since 2010 (Stavridis, 2021). Moreover, Inter-Parliamentary Union, founded in 1889 had parliamentary diplomacy as a key debate item in its Annual General Assembly in March 2024

The relationship between gender and parliamentary diplomacy has also been explored in practitioner circles with reports published by the European Parliament and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Indeed, the institutional rules, practices and symbolic projection of parliaments onto bilateral, regional and global stages matters for gender equality.

This seminar brings together academics and practitioners with a focus on Gendering Parliamentary Diplomacy. Together we will convene around issues, such as the actors, tools, activities, practices and venues of parliamentary diplomacy. Moreover, questions will be considered, such as – what would make a ‘feminist’ parliamentary diplomacy? What tools and practices are available to feminist parliamentarians? How can parliamentary diplomacy be studied intersectionally? In sum, we invite you to a fruitful discussion of existing and future pathways for gender and parliamentary diplomacy in research and practice.

The two youngest MPs at the 148th IPU Assembly – Emma Muteka from Namibia and Akira Tongjaisod from Thailand reading the final Assembly declaration: ‘Parliamentary Diplomacy: Building Bridges for Peace and Understanding’ (Credit IPU)

Opening remarks: Cherry Miller (Academy Research Fellow, PI GenParlDip Project, University of Helsinki)

Bénite Dibateza (Commonwealth Women’s Network): Policy learning, parliamentary diplomacy and gender equality: a CWP research project, author:

https://www.cpahq.org/media/fshfbxja/final-cwp-research-dissertation-benite-dibateza.pdf

Aleks Nizynska (Gender Solution): Promoting Gender Through Parliamentary Diplomacy, co-author:

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EXPO_STU(2021)653654

Lorenzo Santini (Luiss University): Gendering European Parliament’s Diplomacy: Rules, Discourses and Practices in Global Context

Discussant: Cherry Miller 

Chair: Minna Cowper-Coles (Kings College London, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership).

GenParlNet members should have received the Zoom link in the March GenParlNet Newsletter and will receive Lorenzo’s paper via email.

For non-members, to register for the Zoom link/ and request Lorenzo’s paper, email: genparlnet@gmail.com

 

In March 25th-28th, early themes from the GenParlDip project were presented in Glasgow, on a panel: Knowledge and Specialisation in Parliaments, organised by the very active PSA Parliaments Specialist Group.

Discussion was very helpful and included the relationships between citizens, citizens’ rights and the PPA and the nature of parliamentary diplomacy as an essentially contested concept.

Thanks to all who organised, chaired the panel, gave feedback (and for the Tunnock’s!)

On 12th March, Cherry Miller made a  research visit to the University of Bath, PoLIS Departmental Research Seminar Series, hosted by Micha Germann.

As part of the visit, she presented a GenParlDip paper: ‘Interpreting EU-UK Parliamentary Diplomacy’, presenting some early findings from interviews and mapping them against parliamentary functions.

The feedback was immensely helpful, with discussion ranging from ‘Global Britain’, to gender, to comparative cases.

Thank you PoLIS, Bath!

On 15th and 16th January, Cherry Miller made a two-day research visit to the Uppsala Gender and Politics seminar, Department of Government, invited by Michal Grahn.

As part of the visit, she presented a GenParlDip paper: ‘The EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly: A Preliminary Analysis’.

The feedback on the paper was lively and helpful – highlighting the multiple potential analytical and normative entry points to take towards this newly institutionalising assembly.

Tack, UppGaP (Thankyou, UppGaP)!

The Parliamentary Partnership Assembly’s fourth meeting was held in the Palace of Westminster on 4th and 5th December 2023.

During the session, there was a problem with the temperature in the older building since a window could not be shut. This leads to broader questions about parliamentary diplomacy, the use of space and the UK Parliament’s Restoration and Renewal Programme.

This issue was explored in a blog by Cherry Miller (University of Helsinki, Finland) and Alex Meakin (University of Leeds, UK), for the Constitution Unit.