Members of the Parliament of Guyana have taken part in a professional development seminar delivered by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) from 10 to 11 May 2022. Members discussed best practice with colleagues and experts across the Commonwealth in a wide range of sessions designed to examine the core elements of democratic governance.

Topics covered included the Committee system, outreach and access, and technological innovation for Parliaments, with Members and Clerks from twelve Commonwealth Parliaments sharing their experience to support inter-parliamentary learning and continual professional growth in the Parliament of Guyana. A Member and Clerk from the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in Canada attended in-person as part of a twinning programme with the Parliament of Guyana, whilst other experts gave their presentations via video link.

The programme was attended by leaders from the Parliament. At the Opening Ceremony, remarks were delivered by the Prime Minister of Guyana, Hon. Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark A. Phillips, MSS, MP; the Speaker of the National Assembly of Guyana, Hon. Manzoor Nadir, MP; the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Lenox Shuman, MP; and Hon. Vincent Henry MP, an Opposition Member.

Several inter-parliamentary organisations, including ParlAmericas and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), also provided support to the programme to offer examples of best practice from Parliaments around the world. The Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Hon. Bridgid Annisette-George, Vice-President of ParlAmericas, and Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary-General, gave their insights into parliamentary processes and experts from different organisations led sessions throughout the programme.

At the Closing Ceremony, Hon. Manzoor Nadir MP, Speaker of the Parliament of Guyana, said:

 “I want to express our appreciation to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association for this programme. Every day has brought new knowledge, and I look forward to seeing how everyone in the 12^th Parliament [of Guyana] can work with the novel ideas we have heard and seen to put them into practice.”

Reflecting on the seminar, Hon. Lenox R. Shuman MP, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Guyana, added:

“The last two days have been very enriching, very enlightening. Workshops like these help us to better represent the people. I would like to extend the sincere appreciation of the 12^th Parliament [of Guyana] for the support of the CPA through this process.”

Members of the National Assembly of Suriname also joined parts of the programme, a unique cross-border parliamentary partnership which marked the first time that a non-Commonwealth Caribbean country has joined a CPA seminar.

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The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association connects, develops, promotes and supports Parliamentarians and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and the implementation of the enduring values of the Commonwealth. The CPA is an international community of around 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance.

For media enquiries, please contact communications@cpahq.org.