CPA Parliamentary Academy

A 2026 New Year’s message from CPA Secretary General Stephen Twigg

The CPA Sceretary-General looks back at some of the highlights of 2025, and ahead to exciting CPA campaigns and activities in 2026
Read the full message

New podcast episode on AI and democracy

Find out about the role of Parliamentarians, civil society and different systems of knowledge in AI in our latest podcast
Listen here

Global legislators call for 'AI guardrails' at AI Conference in Malaysia

MPs from around the world met in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to discuss AI adoption and regulation in Parliaments
Read more

Professional Development: The CPA Parliamentary Academy

Access our online courses on parliamentary processes, with free and paid options available.
Register for the Academy

Directory: Our Branches

The CPA is made up of 180 Parliaments and Legislatures across the Commonwealth. Browse our directory to find out more about each CPA Branch.
CPA Branches A to Z
What We Do

What We Do

Find out more about our projects, programmes, outputs and activities
Where We Work

Where We Work

Find out more about the CPA's Regions and Branches
Knowledge Centre

Knowledge Centre

Discover CPA resources from our library, blog, podcast and research service
Blogs

Blogs

Find policy case studies, resource collections, interviews and personal reflections from Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff across the Commonwealth
CPA News

CPA News

Read the latest news about the CPA and its activities
Events

Events

Find out about upcoming events from the CPA

Latest News

A 2026 New Year’s message from CPA Secretary General Stephen Twigg
News

A 2026 New Year’s message from CPA Secretary General Stephen Twigg

CPA Secretary General Stephen Twigg highlights the work of the CPA and Commonwealth in 2025, and looks ahead to activities in 2026

News from the CPA and Commonwealth Parliaments (December 2025)
News

News from the CPA and Commonwealth Parliaments (December 2025)

Our monthly round-up of the latest news, events and activities with the CPA and in Parliaments and Legislatures around the Commonwealth

Anguilla Legislature launches new accessible website
News

Anguilla Legislature launches new accessible website

The Anguilla House of Assembly launched its new website following a project funded through the CPA’s Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) network

Trinidad and Tobago Parliament hosts CPA Parliamentary Academy Residency for Commonwealth MPs
News

Trinidad and Tobago Parliament hosts CPA Parliamentary Academy Residency for Commonwealth MPs

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has held an Advanced Parliamentary Development Residency Programme for MPs, hosted by the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago

CPA marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities (#IDPwD)
News

CPA marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities (#IDPwD)

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), through its Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) network, has marked International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2025 #IDPwD on 3 December 2025

Global legislators call for AI guardrails at CPA, IPU, UNDP, Malaysian Parliament Conference
News

Global legislators call for AI guardrails at CPA, IPU, UNDP, Malaysian Parliament Conference

Parliamentarians and Parliamentary Staff called for guardrails in AI development at the CPA, IPU, UNDP, Parliament of Malaysia Conference on The Role of Parliament in Shaping the Future of Responsible AI, held in Kuala Lumpur from 28-30 November 2025.

Upcoming Events

2nd Joint CPA Asia and CPA South-East Asia Regional Conference

2nd Joint CPA Asia and CPA South-East Asia Regional Conference

Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
International Women's Day 2026

International Women's Day 2026

International
Commonwealth Day 2026

Commonwealth Day 2026

International
CPA Small Branches Workshop

CPA Small Branches Workshop

The Maldives
Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) Forum 2026

Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) Forum 2026

Western Cape, South Africa
CPA Parliamentary Academy Residency Programme for Members (Skills-Building) TEST

CPA Parliamentary Academy Residency Programme for Members (Skills-Building) TEST

Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

The Parliamentarian - Journal of Commonwealth Parliaments

Latest Issue:

The Parliamentarian: 2025 Issue Four – ‘Commonwealth Leadership’:

The Parliamentarian is the quarterly Journal of Commonwealth Parliaments published by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and features articles, news and legislative reports written by Members of Parliament, parliamentary staff and international experts across the Commonwealth about a wide range of global issues.

Find out about the publication here, or to read this issue on ISSUU, our online reading platform, click here >-

CPA Small Branches

Established in 1981, the network represents Commonwealth jurisdictions with populations under 1,000,000 and operates within the framework of the CPA. The CPA Small Branches network seeks to "empower small parliaments to overcome national and global challenges through cooperation, advocacy and the strengthening of parliamentary democracy and good governance"

Learn more

Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP)

The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) was founded in 1989 to increase the number of female elected representatives in Parliaments and legislatures across the Commonwealth and to ensure that women’s issues are brought to the fore in parliamentary debate and legislation.The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network provides a means of building the capacity of women elected to parliament to be more effective in their roles; improving the awareness and ability of all Parliamentarians, male and female, and encouraging them to include a gender perspective in all aspects of their role - legislation, oversight and representation and helping parliaments to become gender-sensitive institutions. 

Learn more

Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD)

Recognising the need to increase representation of persons with disabilities in political institutions, the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) network has been established to facilitate activities and programmes to champion and increase representation of persons with disabilities in Commonwealth parliaments and to work towards the mainstreaming of disability considerations in all CPA activities and programmes.

Learn more

Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference

The CPA's annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) brings together Parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth to discuss global political issues.

Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference

Our latest resources

Standards for Codes of Conduct for MPs and the Parliamentary Workplace

As a result of extensive research and consultation with Parliaments across the world, the ‘Standards for Codes of Conduct for Members of Parliament and the Parliamentary Workplace’ provides guidance for Parliaments and Legislatures. With the need for continuous improvement and tackling the additional challenges of harassment, bullying and abuse in the workplace as well as the challenges of new technology and online harms, the CPA Secretariat worked with Deakin University to develop an updated set of Standards for Codes of Conduct.

Front cover of the Parliamentary Handbook on Disinformation, AI and Synthetic Media
Parliamentary Handbook on Disinformation, AI and Synthetic Media

This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of disinformation, including its different forms and the various techniques used to spread it. It also covers the basics of AI and synthetic media, including their potential applications and implications for democracy, within and beyond the electoral cycle. You can also view the handbook on our ISSUU platform click here >

Handbook for Parliaments in Election Planning

This new Handbook for Parliaments in Election Planning is designed to assist Legislatures in planning for an election and the influx of Members of Parliament that follows with examples of best practice from across the Commonwealth.

CWP Gender-Sensitising Parliaments: A Seven-Step Field Guide

This Field Guide complements the 'CWP Gender Sensitising Parliaments Guidelines', providing a blueprint for Parliaments interested in undertaking a gender sensitive review and making their institution more inclusive and representative.

Mental Health Toolkit for Commonwealth Parliaments

This toolkit provides guidance, advice and education on how to protect and promote the mental health and well-being of Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff.

Engagement, Education and Outreach Handbook for Commonwealth Parliaments

This Handbook provides guidance to Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures on how to increase public engagement and outreach, to ensure the public get a greater say in how they are governed.