CPA launches new podcast mini-series to mark World Parliament Day 2022

A new mini-series from Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth, a podcast by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), has been launched to mark International Day of Parliamentarism, or World Parliament Day.

The mini-series, called 'The Juggle: How Politicians Prioritise', explores a simple concept that lies at the heart of parliamentary democracy – representation. It features interviews with Rt Hon. Nelly Mutti, Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, and Shri Anurag Sharma, Member of the Lok Sabha of India.

The Juggle: How Politicians Prioritise

A mini-series from Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth, a CPA podcast. Available now on all major podcasting platforms.

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As an elected representative, the job of a politician is to collect the views of the people they represent and use them to dictate their actions and decisions in Parliament. It sounds simple in theory, but the reality is that the views of the wider public are not often defined, ordered or presented to politicians in a simple way.

Their challenge is to constantly juggle the competing interests of different groups of people, all of whom are demanding their attention and have a right to do so in a representative democracy. Successfully fulfilling their responsibility to represent others requires a constant balancing act.

The mini-series asks Members of Parliament about their processes for listening to and filtering the daily demands on their attention, choosing what’s important or urgent and deciding how best to focus their time and energy.

Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth, a CPA podcast, gives a voice to Parliamentarians, civil society experts and activists across the Commonwealth to discuss common democratic challenges and share their ideas on what can be done to solve them.

About the International Day of Parliamentarism (World Parliament Day)

The International Day of Parliamentarism, also known as World Parliament Day, is celebrated every year on 30 June. It was established in 2018 through a United Nations General Assembly Resolution.

The 2022 theme is focussed on public engagement. United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16.7 calls for 'responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.' Parliaments can contribute to this goal by listening to, educating and sharing information with their citizens and public. 

The CPA is committed to supporting better engagement and communication between Parliaments and the public. It has developed an Engagement, Education and Outreach Handbook as a practical resource which Parliaments can reference in their efforts to improve and expand their engagement work.

CPA Secretary-General Stephen Twigg said,

'World Parliament Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the contribution that Parliaments make to democracy. It reminds us of the importance of consistently engaging, educating and communicating with the public on the work that Parliaments do. The CPA Engagement, Education and Outreach Handbook supports Parliaments to do this by providing practical methods for strengthening their engagement and outreach work.'

Click here to download the CPA Engagement, Education and Outreach Handbook.

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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.