Parliament of Lesotho undertakes CPA Democratic Benchmarks assessment to focus on parliamentary strengthening and reform

A delegation from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Headquarters met with the Parliament of Lesotho last week as part of a CPA Benchmarks self-assessment.

The CPA’s Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures provide a framework for excellence in Commonwealth parliamentary and legislative practice and were updated to include the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG16 on strong and sustainable democratic institutions. 

As part of their visit, the CPA delegation met with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Rt Hon. Tlohang Sekhamane, MP and the President of the Senate, Senator Hon. Mamonaheng Mokitimi; the Clerks of both Houses, Adv. Lebohang Fine Maema, KC, the Clerk of the National Assembly and Advocate Tšeliso Molise, the Clerk of the Senate; as well as other Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff, the judiciary, the media and civil society groups.

Speaking about the self-assessment, the Clerk of the Senate of Lesotho, Advocate Tšeliso Molise, said:

"The Parliament of Lesotho wishes to express our sincere gratitude to the CPA Headquarters for sending two consultants to Lesotho as part of our CPA Democratic Benchmarks self-assessment exercise. It has been a pleasure to welcome them to Lesotho and we hope that they had fruitful meetings with all of the stakeholders in order to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the Lesotho Parliament and make recommendations accordingly. We look forward to the CPA’s report and recommendations that will guide us on how our Parliament can be strengthened in serving the people of Lesotho."

The CPA Benchmarks assessments were supported by Natascha Visser, Research Manager at the Western Cape Provincial Parliament in South Africa and Clive Barker, Programmes Manager from the CPA Headquarters.

Above: The CPA team meet with the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Clerks of both Houses of Parliament.

UPDATE (July 2024): CPA Benchmarks Report for the Parliament of Lesotho

Following the visit, a final Outcomes Report has been published with recommendations for reform to strengthen parliamentary institutions in Lesotho. The Outcomes Report will play an important role in developing the effectiveness of the Parliament and contribute to its implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This CPA Benchmarks assessment was supported with project funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) aimed at further parliamentary democracy and good governance across the Commonwealth.

The CPA supports Parliaments to fulfil the outcomes of the self-assessments through CPA Technical Assistance Programmes, which could involve updating the rules of procedures, training for Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff, or developing corporate policies. These project outputs will strengthen parliamentary institutions for improved good governance.

To find out more about this project please email hq.sec@cpahq.org. The CPA's Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures are available to download on the CPA website.

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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.