Geneva, Switzerland – Minister of Labour and the Public Service, the Hon. Pia Glover-Rolle, delivered a unifying statement at the 151st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), calling for renewed multilateralism, humanitarian solidarity, and climate justice as core pillars of global action.
The Assembly, held in Geneva from the 19th to the 23rd of October, under the theme “Upholding Humanitarian Norms and Supporting Humanitarian Action in Times of Crisis,” brought together parliamentarians from across the world to deliberate on pressing global challenges, including armed conflict, displacement, and the erosion of international humanitarian law.
In addition to the Minister, The Bahamas’ delegation included opposition Member of Parliament, Adrian White, as well as Parliament Technical Officer, Emile Hunt. Minister Glover-Rolle, who serves as an elected Internal Auditor for the IPU, and Mr. White are both members of The Bahamas Parliamentary Human Rights Committee.
In her intervention, Minister Glover-Rolle underscored that the call to uphold humanitarian norms “strikes at the conscience of our shared humanity,” warning that civilians today bear the burden of record numbers of conflicts and displacement worldwide.
“The Geneva Conventions—born from the ashes of World War—were meant to draw a moral line in the sand,” she stated. “Yet that line is being blurred before our eyes.”
Highlighting the unique vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the Minister noted that the humanitarian imperative extends beyond traditional conflict zones.
“Climate change is, for us, the violence of intensifying hurricanes, rising seas, and economic shocks that threaten lives and livelihoods,” she said, describing climate resilience as both a developmental and humanitarian priority.
Minister Glover-Rolle also spoke on the security crisis in Haiti, reaffirming The Bahamas’ support of ongoing international efforts to establish peace and stability. She welcomed the recent UN Security Council Resolution establishing a Gang Suppression Force and urged the international community to sustain contributions to the UN Trust Fund.
The Minister also highlighted recent local measures to reinforce The Bahamas’ humanitarian and human-rights frameworks, including the establishment of the country’s first Parliamentary Human Rights Committee and the introduction of the Disaster Risk Management Authority to strengthen disaster mitigation, preparedness, and responses, including the development of National Humanitarian Assistance Standards. She also pointed to the National Youth Guard’s ongoing training efforts to build capacity for disaster relief and humanitarian responses.
Minister Glover-Rolle concluded with a call to renew the global social contract of cooperation, warning against what she termed “a crisis of multilateralism” and “a crisis of trust.”
“We must rekindle multilateralism as a shared social contract—grounded in human rights, justice, and respect for humanitarian norms—to translate principles into life-saving action that restores hope and dignity to those most in need.”
The IPU Assembly convened all statutory bodies of the Union, including the Governing Council, Standing Committees, the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, and the Forums of Women and Young Parliamentarians. The Assembly’s General Debate focused on supporting humanitarian action in times of crisis and is expected to conclude with the adoption of an outcome document on this theme, as well as a resolution recognising and supporting victims of illegal international adoptions.
The Bahamas continues to play an active role in the IPU since becoming its 180th member nation, advocating for peace, gender equity, climate resilience, and human-centred development on the global stage.
