Parliamentarians For Global Action

Democracy, gender and inclusion:- engaged approximately 50 members of parliament (mps), increasing their understanding of the critical link between democratic backsliding and human rights violations. - strengthening democratic resilience through practical tools: pga enhanced its parliamentary toolbox for democracy defense, making it more accessible online and tailored to the evolving needs of legislators. - on 12 november 2024, the house of representatives of belize unanimously passed the marriage (amendment) bill, raising the legal age of marriage from 16 to 18 years. - participated in the 3rd pacific human rights conference (phrc), focusing on the rights of pacific islanders of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics. - co-organized the global equality summit in cape town, south africa, which convened over 200 participants, including 40 legislators from all regions, alongside lgbtqi+ civil society, government officials, and members of the diplomatic community.- seychelles strengthened legal protections against hate crimes.

International peace and security: - accession by tuvalu and the federated states of micronesia (fsm) to the biological weapons convention. - organized four national parliamentary sessions in zimbabwe, nepal, tanzania and sierra leone. - seychelles ratified the international convention for the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism (icsant). - organized one regional workshop in the pacific islands region in fiji to promote accession and adherence to the budapest convention on cybercrime.- accession by grenada, kiribati and fiji to the budapest convention on cybercrime and significant progress made in vanuatu. Outreach to membership in two countries to raise awareness regarding the benefits of joining the arms trade treaty (att). Colombia ratified the arms trade treaty. - members in colombia raised awareness about the ratification of the att over the past 8 years.

Human rights and the environment:- convened an official side event to cop3 of the escaz agreement, bringing parliamentarians from latin america and the caribbean together to provide input on the pga draft toolkit for parliamentarians on the escaz agreement. - strengthened civil society's trust in parliamentarians by changing their perception and encouraging them to take action for the protection of human rights defenders in environmental matters. - developed key recommendations on the role of parliamentarians in the protection of human rights defenders in environmental matters in the country-specific context of trinidad and tobago, during a multi-stakeholder parliamentary workshop.- published pga's toolkit for parliamentarians on the escazu agreement: protecting human rights in environmental matters. - raised awareness through relevant conferences/fora on the importance of mpas, the goal to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030, and the importance of the high seas treaty.- members' advocacy contribued to ratifications of the high seas treaty in belize, chile, seychelles; and signatures in jamaica, kenya, the gambia, and argentina.