2025 Emilia Monjowa Lifaka Lecture
About the Lifaka Lecture
The 3rd Emilia Monjowa Lifaka Lecture will take place at the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Barbados.
The inaugural Emilia Monjowa Lifaka Lecture took place in October 2023 at the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Accra, Ghana, in memory of Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, the late Chairperson of the CPA International Executive Committee and Deputy Speaker of Cameroon.
Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka was a passionate champion of the CPA and served as CPA Chairperson from November 2017 to her untimely passing in April 2021. The Lecture is intended to provide a fitting tribute to her work.
Read Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka's biography ->
Previous Lifaka Lectures:
- 2023 - 1st CPA Lifaka Lecture: The importance of education for all Commonwealth citizens by Betty Abeng, Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth Education Trust - read more here.
- 2024 - 2nd CPA Lifaka Lecture: The key role of Commonwealth Parliamentarians in protecting and promoting human rights by Hon. Michael Kirby, AC CMG, Australian judge and Commonwealth expert - read more here.
Introducing the 2025 Emilia Monjowa Lifaka Lecture: Hon. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados
Hon. Mia Amor Mottley, SC, MP became Barbados’ first female Prime Minister in 2018, following a decisive victory that saw the Barbados Labour Party secure all 30 parliamentary seats. Born into a distinguished political family, Mottley was influenced by her grandfather, Ernest Deighton Mottley, the first Mayor of Bridgetown, and her father, Elliott Mottley, a barrister and diplomat. Educated at Queen’s College in Barbados and the London School of Economics, she was called to the Bar of England and Wales before becoming the youngest Queen’s Counsel in Barbados. Her political career began in the early 1990s, and she steadily rose through the ranks, serving as Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture, Attorney-General and Deputy Prime Minister. In these roles, she introduced key initiatives such as the EduTech programme and broke barriers as the first woman in multiple senior government positions.
As Prime Minister, Mottley has become a globally recognised leader, renowned for her advocacy on climate change, equity in global economic systems, and fair vaccine distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. She oversaw Barbados’ transition to a republic in 2021 and was re-elected for a second term in January 2022 Her leadership has earned her numerous international honors, including the United Nations Foundation Global Leadership Award and the 2025 Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, as well as invitations to deliver prestigious lectures in honor of leaders such as Kofi Annan and Nelson Mandela.
Read our full profile of Hon. Mia Mottley in the Barbados 68 CPC supplement of our journal, The Parliamentarian.
Who can attend the Lecture?
All delegates, observers and panellists at the 68th CPC are invited to attend the Lecture, which will take place during the Conference programme in October 2025.