H.E. Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani is a statesman with over four decades of public service spanning grassroots leadership, national stewardship, and global engagement.

His tenure as Prime Minister is remembered for restoring judicial independence, steering the 18th Constitutional Amendment, expanding fundamental rights, strengthening Parliamentary and provincial autonomy, improving governance and pursuing a balanced peace strategy.

A committed advocate of inclusion and interfaith harmony, he secured representation for religious minorities in the Senate, instituted state recognition of major religious festivals, and advanced protections of sacred sites. He was ranked 38th on Forbes’ list of the world’s most powerful people in 2009.

As Speaker, he strengthened parliamentary oversight to ensure good governance. Now, as Chairman of the Senate and Founding Chairman of the ISC, he is advancing a dynamic parliamentary diplomacy agenda focused on interregional connectivity, inclusivity, mutual respect, shared prosperity, conflict resolution,
peace and security.

Hon. Carmel Sepuloni is a New Zealand Parliamentarian, currently serving as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and the Deputy Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party.

She entered Parliament in 2008 as New Zealand’s first MP of Tongan descent. She has held significant ministerial offices, including Social Development and Employment, Child Poverty Reduction, Foreign Affairs (Pacific Region), Pacific Peoples, Women and Disability Issues, and in 2023 she became New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister — the first Pacific woman to hold this office.

All her work is underscored by her commitment to building equitable opportunities for all New Zealanders. As Vice-Chair of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, she has championed the CPA’s mission of promoting effective governance and collaboration across the Commonwealth, whilst amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities.

Mr. Aristos Damianou is a Member of the Cyprus House of Representatives, representing the Nicosia constituency under the banner of AKEL-Left-New Forces since 2011. Born on 3 June 1972 in Famagusta—currently occupied by Turkish troops—he holds a Law degree with Honors from Middlesex University and an LLM in Public International Law (Merit) from Queen Mary, University of London.

In parliament, Mr. Damianou serves as Chairperson of the House Standing Committee on the Interior. He is also a member of the Committee of Selection; the Special Committee on Ethics for Members of the House; and the Standing Committees on Financial and Budgetary Affairs, Legal Affairs, Justice and Public Order, and Human Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women.

Mr. Damianou leads the Cyprus branch delegation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). In this role, he has actively participated in numerous international CPA events, including the 70th Westminster Seminar, the 66th and 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conferences (CPC), and the 2023 CPA Parliamentary Development Residency Course in Edinburgh. Most recently, in 2024, he attended a CPA UK seminar addressing gender-based violence and modern slavery in supply chains.

Dr Elizabeth Macharia is Legal Adviser and Head (ag.) of the Rule of Law Section of the Commonwealth Secretariat. The Rule of Law Section works to support the continuing development of the law across the Commonwealth through promoting the role of the rule of law in good governance, development of knowledge products, judicial training and convening the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting.

Dr Macharia has worked in private practice, in the magisterial bench and as Head of the Law Department at the University of Botswana. Dr Macharia is a long-standing member of the International Association of Women Judges and Magistrates and has convened judicial education training sessions in Botswana in several areas including access to justice for persons with disabilities, refugee law, human trafficking and human rights. She is published in international law and sentencing law and practice.

Latoya McDowald-Hurley serves as the Legal Officer in the Rule of Law Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She began her academic journey in Barbados, completing her secondary education before earning a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Kent. She then pursued the Bar Professional Training Course at BPP Law School and is admitted to the Bar in both England and Wales, as well as Barbados. Additionally, she holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of the West Indies.

Before joining the Commonwealth Secretariat, she worked as a Judicial Counsel at the Caribbean Court of Justice and served as Senior Legal Adviser for a US/UK funded Criminal Justice Reform Project, covering Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

A Fellow of the Institute of Court Management, she is deeply committed to advancing justice reform by promoting modern court management and administration practices and strengthening judicial independence. Her contributions include publishing a study on case flow management within Barbados’ criminal magistracy, co-authoring criminal justice reform strategies, and championing public education initiatives on the rule of law.