This year's UN APPG AGM took place on 5 July in the Houses of Parliament. During the meeting Lord Hannay was re-elected as Chair of the Group, with Baroness Coussins, Baroness Kinnock and Mark Lancaster MP continuing in their roles as Vice-Chairs of the Group.
The meeting provided a chance to take stock of the Group's impressive record of activity from its 2011-12 programme of events as well to look ahead to the forthcoming parliamentary year.
Lord Hannay particularly mentioned the success of recent meetings with Sir Mark Lyall Grant on the Arab Spring, with Ambassador Jaakko Laajava on a WMD-free zone in the Middle East, and remarked that these meetings provided excellent opportunities for Parliamentarians to come and get briefed on these issues.
Click here for a summary of the UN APPG's 2011-12 meetings
Possible forthcoming events and initiatives that were discussed included those on the subject of the post-MDGs development agenda, gender violence in conflict/post-conflict situations, the Trident Commission and the recent appointment of Jan Eliasson as Deputy Secretary-General of the UN.
Lord Hannay reminded the Group that all members of the APPG are encouraged to submit their suggestions for the Group’s 2012-13 programme of events and can do so any time by emailing Ben Donaldson (donaldson@una.org.uk), who is the Group’s coordinator.
