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WELCOME TO THE WEBSITE OF THE LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL BRITISH GROUP

MESSAGE FROM ADRIAN HYYRYLAINEN-TRETT, CHAIR OF LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL BRITISH GROUP

Adrian head and shouldersIt's a great honour to be elected to Liberal International British Group Chair in July 2018, and I intend to promote the core liberal values which distinguish our parties around the world.

We work closely with our liberal sister parties as the British Group Representative within the family of liberal parties. Whilst we seem to have turmoil and change around the world, our liberal principles of human rights freedom, living in a democratic world of economic and social justice will take precedence and we will continue to fight for those values and views consistently.

Owing to my area of knowledge and expertise not only within Liberal International but elsewhere recognition of diversity, inclusion and intersectionality will be at the core of events, forums and meetings bringing together people from different backgrounds, ethnic minorities, sexualities, genders and gender identities, disabilities and ages in provoking open, transparent but significant debate which is happening on all those issues across the world at this moment in time. It is a core element in my mind which makes a liberal, and something we need to encourage around the world.

You can follow our work via this website, but also on social media @LibIntBg where you can guarantee our executive will be tweeting regularly on international issues, events, and meetings of informative discussion and debate.

Launch of Protect Our Twins campaign

Human rights are under threat in our twinned towns in Poland: across the UK it's time to help

We're asking local councils twinned with towns in Poland to start active diplomatic engagement to champion equality and human rights in the face of the "LGBT ideology free" zones Poland has created. Local communities in our twinned towns are now under threat, people are discriminated against, and human rights have been attacked.

  • More than 100 LGBT zones 'free of LGBT ideology' have been locally declared and more of these #HateZones are being lobbied for
  • Local councils in Poland decide this through local resolutions
  • UK has dozens of twinned town arrangements dating back decades
  • We have to look after the communities we're twinned with
  • It's time to #ProtectOurTwins

UK Lib Dems lead a cross-party initiative

The UK party has stepped forwards to lead a cross-party, coordinated response at local level. There are detailed draft motions and guidance for Councillors, templated letters to the Mayors of their twinned towns, and a 5 part approach.

These public letters will clarify whether the local resolutions are remaining in place, before the UK Council considers how to take forward any review of twinning relationships.

The Liberal Democrats value twinning relationships. The spirit of the campaign is focussed on education and preventing discrimination, with UK councils engaging in a period of education and discussion with their Polish twins.

The UK must take a stance: #ProtectOurTwins

"Events in Poland should concern the whole international community", explains campaign leader Layla Moran MP. "Labelling LGBT as an 'ideology' and supressing LGBT people is outrageous. Many of these towns are twinned with those here in the UK. We cannot stand by; we must Protect Our Twins, and the LGBT communities who live there."

Join the campaign

Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett, Chair of Liberal International British Group (LIBG), said: "We are holding out our hands in support and solidarity with our friends and fellow LGBT+ citizens in Poland whose rights are being negated by the creation of these 'hate zones' which goes against fundamental human rights, both in terms of UN and EU law. Enabling dialogue is key to sharing the recognised values 'Liberals' believe in, and by engaging in discussion at a local council level, as well as with our sister Liberal Party Nowoczesna, is the way to hopefully reverse these local resolutions and show our solidarity with the people of Poland."

Find out more about #ProtectOurTwins

Here's the full campaign site, with details of how to get press releases, letters, motions and support material.

http://lgbt.libdems.org.uk/protect-our-twins

Related Links

Recent updates

  • The World's Most Neglected Conflict: Cameroon
    Event: Apr 19, 2021 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Cameroon has been ruled by President Paul Biya, age 88, since 1982. He continues to win elections that no international monitor considers free and fair, and his country is ranked among the world's most corrupt and repressive by Transparency International and Freedom House, respectively.

    In 2016, Biya's Francophone-dominated regime tried to impose French-speaking judges and teachers on the English-speaking regions, representing 20% of the population. Peaceful Anglophone protests were crushed with what impartial human rights groups described as disproportionate force. The UN estimates 700,000 civilians (out of six million Anglophones) have fled to the bush and beyond. UNICEF says one million children have been out of school for four years. Local civil society groups believe 5,000 people have been killed. Meanwhile, hundreds of opposition figures are imprisoned without due process.

  • InterLib March 2021
    Document: Mar 19, 2021
    846.68 KiB drawing or desktop publishing document
  • Protect Our Twins - LGBT rights in Poland campaign
    Document: Mar 11, 2021
    265 KiB text or word processing document

    A campaign supported by the Liberal Democrats and LIBG is asking local councils twinned with towns in Poland to start active diplomatic engagement to champion equality and human rights in the face of the "LGBT ideology free" zones Poland has created. Local communities in our twinned towns are now under threat, people are discriminated against, and human rights have been attacked.

    Plase see attached document for details

  • InterLib February 2021
    Document: Feb 12, 2021
    1.34 MiB drawing or desktop publishing document
  • Link to online meeting on US elections: has the international liberal order been saved?
    Document: Jan 30, 2021
    15 KiB text or word processing document

    Link to recording of recent LIBG forum with speakers David O'Sullivan, ambassador of the EU delegation to the US 2014-19; Dr Leslie Vinamurji, director of the US and Americas programme, Chatham House; Hans van Baalen, ALDE president.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS2i97BBqEM&feature=youtu.be

  • InterLib December 2020
    Document: Dec 8, 2020
    896.16 KiB drawing or desktop publishing document
  • The US Elections: Has the international liberal order been saved?
    Document: Nov 22, 2020
    459 KiB text or word processing document

    Joint event held by LIBG (Liberal International British Group) and Liberal Democrat Overseas (LDO) at 6.30pm (UK time) on Monday 7 December 2020.

    Chaired by George Cunningham (Chair of LDO)

    With guest speakers David O'Sullivan and Leslie Vinjamuri


    David O'Sullivan


    David O'Sullivan served as Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to the United States from November 2014 until February 2019.

    Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, he was the Chief Operating Officer of the EU's new diplomatic service, the 'European External Action Service'. He had previously held a number senior positions within the European Commission include Director General for Trade (2005-2010); Secretary General of the European Commission (2000-2005); and Chief of Staff to Commission President Romano Prodi (1999-2000). Before joining the Commission, he started his career with the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (1977-1979).

    He is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin and the College of Europe (Bruges), and holds Honorary Doctorates from the Dublin Institute of Technology and Trinity College Dublin. He was awarded the EU Transatlantic Business Award by the American Chamber of Commerce in 2014. In November 2019, he joined the Brussels office of the law firm of Steptoe and Johnson LLP as a Senior Counsellor.


    Dr Leslie Vinjamuri

    Dr Leslie Vinjamuri is Director of the US and the Americas programme and Dean of the Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs at Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs. She is a Reader (Associate Professor) in International Relations at SOAS University of London.


    At Chatham House, Leslie leads the Lloyd George Working Group on World Order (with Charles A. Kupchan), the Chatham House US 2020 Election Series, and the US-China and Transatlantic Relations Project (with Marianne Petsinger-Schneider). In her capacity as Dean, she oversees our fellowship programme and our Next Generation UK work. Leslie writes and speaks about America's role in the world, human rights and global governance.


    Her book, Human Rights Futures (edited with Jack Snyder and Stephen Hopgood) was published by Cambridge University Press in 2017. She has also published numerous articles in leading journals of international affairs and is a regular contributor to the international news media.
    Leslie is a Commissioner for the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, on the Board of Advisors of the Institute for Integrated Transitions, and on the Advisory Board of LSE IDEAS. From 2015-18, Leslie was a member of the Council (a 'trustee') of Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs.


    Previously, Leslie worked in the Asia and Near East Bureau at the US Agency for International Development, and for the Congressional Research Service. She was a fellow at Harvard University's John M Olin Institute for Strategic Studies and later on the faculty of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. From 2010-2018 she founded, and later was Director of the Centre on Conflict, Rights and Justice at SOAS University of London.


    Leslie has a BA from Wesleyan University (Phi Beta Kappa), an MSc (Distinction) from the London School of Economics, and a PhD from Columbia University.


    Chair: George Cunningham (LDO)

    George Cunningham is the Strategic Adviser on Asia-Pacific Affairs at the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels, having just returned from Kabul where he had been Deputy EU Ambassador to Afghanistan (2016-18).


    He was previously EEAS Deputy Head of Division for China, Hong Kong, Macao,Taiwan and Mongolia (2012-16); Chargéd'Affaires a.i. of the European Union's Delegationto New Zealand (2007-12); Coordinator for bilateral trade relations with the United States at the European Commission's Directorate
    General for Trade (2005-07); Head of the Accession Process and Cooperation Section at the European Commission's Delegation in Nicosia (2003-05) when Cyprus joined the EU; and Head of Press and Public Affairs and Political Counsellor at the EC's Delegation to the United Nations in New York (2000-03) during 9/11.


    He has been working 25 years for the EU across all the main files, especially foreign and security policy, public diplomacy and trade. He has particular interest in promoting social justice, fighting corruption and security sector reform.


    Before joining the European Commission, George Cunningham served as a United Nations official in New York (1987-1990) and was also an advisor on European integration to the Polish Council of Ministers in Warsaw (1992).


    At the start of a busy and varied career, he served as an officer in the British Army, and worked in marketing for British Petroleum and British Telecom. He founded and ran a non-governmental organisation PACE International Affairs, educating young people in the UK about international relations. He is a graduate from Oxford University (MA Oxon Modern History).


    During his youth, he undertook a major expedition in Africa, with the backing of African Presidents, walking 9,000 kilometres on foot from Alexandria in Egypt to Cape Town in South Africa over a period of 27 months (1979-81).


    He is a member of Chatham House in London. His book - Journey to Become a Diplomat - was published in 2005 by the Foreign Policy Association of New York. He has enjoyed encouraging youth to get involved in international affairs by lecturing at universities and spoken numerous times at the European Parliament in his professional capacity. In 2019, he also trained Gulf Cooperation Council Diplomats in Riyadh in his private capacity.


    In his political life, he is Chair of Liberal Democrats Overseas, having been Chair (2016) and Vice-Chair (2015, 2017) of Brussels and Europe Lib Dems. He stood for parliament in the 2015 UK General Election and ran the Lib Dem campaign for Brits abroad to vote in the UK EU referendum. He was a foreign policy advisor to Jo Swinson when she was Deputy Lib Dem Leader.
    George Cunningham was born in 1956. He is an EU official with dual Polish and British Citizenship, married with two children.

  • LIBG executive 2020-21
    Document: Nov 10, 2020
    16.5 KiB text or word processing document
  • Chair's report LIBG 2019-20
    Document: Oct 25, 2020
    45.13 KiB drawing or desktop publishing document
  • InterLib October 2020 second issue
    Document: Oct 22, 2020
    1.34 MiB drawing or desktop publishing document

    This is a second edition of InterLib for October 2020

  • Recording of UN at 75 forum meeting
    Document: Oct 16, 2020
    16.5 KiB text or word processing document
  • The UN at 75 LIBG forum, speech by Allan Rock
    Document: Oct 15, 2020
    26.38 KiB document
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