Parliamentarians in the House of Assembly passed a resolution paving the way for The Bahamas to join the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on Monday.

Minister of State for the Public Service and Member of Parliament for Golden Gates, the Hon. Pia Glover-Rolle led the debate. In her contribution she said, “joining the IPU will enable all Bahamian parliamentarians and the parliament itself to connect with and learn from parliaments and parliamentarians from 179 jurisdictions. The Bahamas will become a part of an expansive network of parliaments who work together to strengthen the institution of their individual parliaments, to access to information and expertise, as well as a network of parliamentarians through which a mutual exchange of knowledge can flow. IPU meetings will also provide a forum for our nation to advance its agenda on the world’s stage.”

Glover-Rolle also spoke about the attacks endured by parliamentarians. “To be politician in The Bahamas generally means that you will constantly be exposed to baseless rumors about yourself and in instances your loved ones. Your skin must be very, very thick and your shoulders extremely broad to survive the constant barrage of attacks. For women parliamentarians these attacks can often be more frequent and focus on more irrelevant and disgusting topics. Through working with IPU we can take steps towards addressing this issue and many others. There are young women out there who are counting on us to create a better Bahamas for them as they aspire to serve the Bahamian people as the next wave of political leaders,” she said.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union is a global network of national parliaments. The organization began in 1889. It has grown to 179 members and 14 associate members.

The post Bahamas Joins Inter-Parliamentary Union appeared first on ZNS BAHAMAS.