October 2018

Transforming the public sector for climate governance and the role of Commonwealth Parliamentarians highlighted at CAPAM Conference in Guyana
The President of the CPA Guyana Branch and Prime Minister of Guyana has spoken of the critical role that Commonwealth Parliamentarians can play alongside governments, ministries and the public sector to ensure that climate considerations are not separated from economics to improve the lives of global citizens at the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) 2018 Biennial Conference, which took place in Georgetown, Guyana from 22-24 October 2018 on the theme of ‘Transforming the Public Sector for Climate Governance’.

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Sustainability and gender equality on the agenda for Commonwealth Parliamentarians at 37th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Pacific and Australia Regional Conference in the Cook Islands
Hon. Niki Rattle, Speaker of the Parliament of the Cook Islands and CPA Cook Islands Branch President has reiterated her desire to increase the number of women in the Cook Islands Parliament and across the CPA Pacific Region at the 37th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Pacific and Australia Regional Conference. The three-day regional conference was hosted by the CPA Cook Islands Branch in Rarotonga, Cook Islands from 22 to 24 October 2018.

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Commonwealth Parliamentarians find that the world’s smallest nations can be global innovators in combatting the impacts of climate change

Commonwealth Parliamentarians representing the Small Branches Network of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) have examined the global implications of climate change and its impact on the smallest nations and territories in the world. Parliamentarians from eight CPA Small Branches representing five CPA Regions met in Kenya from 10 to 13 October 2018 for the CPA Small Branches Climate Change Workshop at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Headquarters.

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40th CPA Canadian Regional Parliamentary Seminar in Nunavut focuses on representing indigenous peoples in Parliaments and strengthening the role of Parliamentarians
Commonwealth Parliamentarians from across the CPA Canada Region have examined how Parliaments can reflect the indigenous peoples that they represent through their work and traditions. The workshop session was part of the 40th CPA Canadian Regional Seminar which was held in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada from 11 to 14 October 2018. The annual seminar, organised by the CPA Canada Region, saw the participation of 31 Parliamentarians from nine provinces and territories across Canada and from the Canadian Federal Parliament as well as seven parliamentary staff.

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CPA Small Branches Chairperson highlights trade barriers for small jurisdictions at 42nd Session of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organisation
The Chairperson of the CPA Small Branches, Hon. Angelo Farrugia MP, Speaker of the Parliament of Malta participated in the 42nd Session of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on behalf of the CPA, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland on 5 October 2018. The Parliamentary Conference on the WTO (PCWTO) is organised jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the European Parliament, and its Steering Committee met ahead of the 2018 annual session of the PCWTO.

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Parliamentarians to examine how legislators can mitigate against the impact of climate change on the smallest jurisdictions in the Commonwealth
Parliamentarians from smallest parliamentary jurisdictions in the Commonwealth will come together at the United Nations Environment Programme Headquarters in Kenya to examine how they can work together to mitigate against the impacts of climate change. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will come together in Kenya from 10 to 13 October 2018 for the CPA Small Branches Climate Change Workshop. The aim of the workshop is to assist the CPA’s Small Branches to tackle their specific challenges in overseeing the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement and in the development of appropriate national legislation dealing with the prevention and impacts of climate change.

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Parliamentary staff develop skills to meet the impact of the fourth industrial revolution at 3rd SoCATT Africa Region Development Seminar in Namibia
Namibia has hosted the 3rd Society-of-Clerks-at-the-Table (SoCATT) Africa Region Development Seminar for clerks and parliamentary staff from across the Africa Region from 2 to 4 July 2018 in Windhoek. The seminar focused on the development agenda of the SoCATT African Region which is aimed at improving the capacity of Parliaments to ensure the realisation of Africa’s development strategy, Agenda 2063.

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November 2018

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Chairperson at CIS Interparliamentary Assembly: Parliamentarians have a duty to hold governments to account on international humanitarian law
The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, MP, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Cameroon has addressed the 48th Plenary Session of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States in St Petersburg, Russia. The CPA Chairperson was invited by the Interparliamentary Assembly and the International Committee of the Red Cross to address their conference commemorating the 150th anniversary of the St Petersburg Declaration of 1868 and to speak about international humanitarian law.

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Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Africa Region Chairperson supports Malawi Women’s Role-modelling Conference to inspire future Women Parliamentarians ahead of elections
The Malawi Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare in partnership with UN Women, the UNDP and the South African High Commission to Malawi, has convened a role-modelling conference for aspirant women Parliamentarians from 20 to 21 November 2018, in Lilongwe, Malawi. In preparation for the upcoming 2019 Malawi Tripartite General Elections, the Ministry of Gender has been working with the Women’s Caucus to encourage women to take part in the upcoming elections with over 800 women showing interest. The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Africa Region spoke as the guest speaker at the conference about the work of the CWP and its programmes across the Africa Region and beyond.

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Joint Statement on Sri Lanka - The Commonwealth Lawyers Association, the Commonwealth Legal Education Association and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
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CPA Chairperson speaks about enhancing the involvement of Parliaments in international human rights mechanisms at United Nations Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law in Geneva
The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Hon. Emilia Lifaka, MP, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Cameroon has spoken of the role of Commonwealth Parliaments and Parliamentarians in international human rights mechanisms at the 2nd session of the United Nations Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law in Geneva, Switzerland held from 22 to 23 Nov 2018.

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Joint programme developed between Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and McGill University to strengthen skillset of Parliamentarians wins Best Custom Program Award 2018
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Fundamentals Programme in partnership with McGill University, Canada has been awarded the Best Custom Program Award at the 2018 Conference on Management and Executive Development (CMED). The award recognises unique and innovative high-impact programmes for their exceptional design and customisation. The programme content was adapted to the needs of participants by McGill University’s School of Continuing Studies, which helped to develop the programme for Commonwealth Parliamentarians from the CPA Small Branches, a network of CPA Branches of less than 500,000 people. The award was announced at the annual Conference on Management and Executive Development (CMED) in Florida, United States.

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Commonwealth Parliamentarians meet in London, UK for CPA Executive Committee meeting to discuss governance matters
Over 40 Commonwealth Speakers and Members of Parliament have met in London, United Kingdom for the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) from 5 to 9 November 2018. Members of Parliament representing the nine regions of the CPA – Africa; Asia; Australia; British Islands & Mediterranean; Canada; Caribbean, Americas & Atlantic; India; Pacific; and South East Asia – attended the CPA Executive Committee, the governing body of the Association. The CPA meetings enable Commonwealth Parliamentarians to reach beyond their own Parliaments to contribute in a global setting to the development of best parliamentary practices and the most effective policies for parliamentary strengthening.

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Updated CPA Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures provide framework for Parliaments to meet contemporary challenges across the Commonwealth
A newly updated CPA Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures has been launched at an event held by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD). More than a decade on from the launch of the original CPA Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures by the CPA and its partners, an updated Parliamentary Benchmarks has been developed to reflect the changed landscape in which democracies now operate. The updated CPA Benchmarks include measurements for Parliaments to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the recommendations contained in the Commonwealth Charter.

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Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Executive Committee Statement on Sri Lanka
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Role of Commonwealth Parliamentarians and Parliaments in implementing the human rights agenda emphasised at launch of new report
The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Mr Akbar Khan has spoken of the key role of Commonwealth Parliamentarians and Parliaments in implementing the human rights agenda at the launch of a new report titled ‘The Global Human Rights Implementation Agenda: The role of National Parliaments’ alongside the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Rt Hon. Baroness Patricia Scotland, QC. The report is published by the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Human Rights Unit in partnership with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the Universal Rights Group.

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December 2018

‘We need to build a People’s Commonwealth for the 21st century’ says CPA Secretary-General at Middlesex University Lecture
The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Mr Akbar Khan has spoken of the enduring nature of the Commonwealth which comprises a unique network of peoples, civil society and parliaments as he delivered a Distinguished Lecture to a specially invited audience at Middlesex University in north London. The CPA Secretary-General explored how the Commonwealth’s networks, including the 17,000 Commonwealth Parliamentarians in over 180 Parliaments and Legislatures of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, mark the Commonwealth out as a uniquely constituted global player.

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Commonwealth Parliamentary Association commemorates 70th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) joins citizens across the world to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ‘magna carta’ for all mankind, adopted by the UN General Assembly on this day in 1948. Parliaments are the cornerstones of national protection systems and play a critical role in ensuring a State’s compliance with their international human rights obligations and, critically, share a responsibility with other branches of State to protect, respect and fulfil human rights. The CPA has launched a joint report on human rights; published a special human rights issue of The Parliamentarian; and joined the launch of the Commonwealth Youth Orchestra and Choir (CYO) human rights inspired Commonwealth Music Competition 2018.

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