The Parliament of the Cayman Islands has conducted a self-assessment against the CPA’s Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures.

The self-assessment took place in October 2023 and included a series of interviews with key parliamentary leaders, which began with the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, and the Clerk of Parliament, Zena Merren-Chin, followed by a meeting with the Governor of Cayman Islands, H.E. Jane Owen.

The CPA Benchmarks assessment was supported by Clive Barker from CPA Headquarters and Shannon Dean, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Other key meetings during the week included the Premier of the Cayman Islands Government, Hon. Wayne Panton, government and opposition MPs, civil servants, journalists and civil society leaders.

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. In recent years, 26 Commonwealth Parliaments have undertaken further assessments against the updated CPA Benchmarks.

Speaking about the self-assessment, the then Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Katherine Ebanks-Wilks said:

"This is a great opportunity to see for ourselves where Cayman’s Legislature is performing well, and where we need to improve our parliamentary practices. I welcome this opportunity to gain a better viewpoint of our accomplishments, and to find solutions on strengthening our parliamentary governance.”

UPDATE (May 2024): CPA Benchmarks Report for the Parliament of Cayman Islands

Following the visit, a final Outcomes Report has been published with recommendations for reform to strengthen parliamentary institutions in the Cayman Islands. 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).

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.

-ENDS-

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.