BY DESTINY JOHNSON
Journal Staff Writer

The Bahamas became the 180 th member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on October 24,
2023.
Last week, Minister of Labour and the Public Service Pia Glover-Rolle, along with a delegation,
traveled to the 147 th Inter-Parliamentary Union General Assembly in Luanda, Angola where The
Bahamas became a member.
The IPU is a global organization 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.
Minister Glover-Rolle said the government has been working for over two years to become a
member of this organization.
“I’ve spent the past two years attending IPU meetings, leading the charge for us to become full
members. We’ve been in constant communication with IPU representatives and we’ve had two
separate presentations: one to the Cabinet and the other to our parliamentary colleagues,
outlining the rationale for The Bahamas to join the IPU, and those efforts have now paid off,”
Glover-Rolle said in the House of Assembly on Wednesday morning.
“In July, I led the debate as we passed resolution in this House for the Government of the
Bahamas to join the IPU. Last week, on Tuesday, the 24th of October, I was privileged to
formally address the General Assembly to deliver remarks of acceptance as The Bahamas
became the newest member of the IPU. This is a significant milestone for our nation as the 180th
country to join the IPU. We are in good company.
“The delegation that traveled was a balanced, bipartisan group which included Senate Vice
President Barry Griffin and Opposition Senator Maxine Seymour, including Assistant House
Clerk Rashad Flowers.”
Minister Glover-Rolle said the delegation engaged with parliamentarians across the world and
had multiple networking engagements.
“On Friday the 27th, I had the honour of being one of two internal auditors appointed to the IPU
in 2024 for the next two years. Coming in as a new country and being given a position in the
organization is a big deal. It demonstrates the welcoming disposition of the IPU to our nation, as
well as the full engagement and participation of our delegation,” she said.
“Needless to say, The Bahamas was very well represented and made a great first impression as
the newest member of the IPU. However, our work within the IPU is just beginning. We joined

GRULAC group of nations, which presents the interest of Latin America and the Caribbean and
we have formed key relationships with leaders and representatives from across the globe who
after repeat delegation to IPU meetings are now forming personal ties with our Bahamian
delegates.
“This highlights the critical importance of having continuity across delegations. Consistency
leads to stronger relationships and alliances, which allows us to build stronger international
voting blocs and allows for more robust collaborations with our partners across the globe.”
The minister said she looks forward to more fruitful meetings and opportunities with our global
colleagues.