Over forty Commonwealth Clerks and parliamentary officials from across the CPA’s membership attended the CPA Advanced Residency Programme for Leadership in Parliament in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 9 to 15 June 2024. This was the first Residency Programme held for Clerks and parliamentary officials as part of the CPA Parliamentary Academy.

The five-day programme is specifically designed for parliamentary officials and enhances skills on topics ranging from leadership and strategic thinking to project management and conflict resolution. The Residency course provided attendees with an opportunity to meet in-person and learn from their colleagues in other Parliaments across the Commonwealth in a unique ‘training for trainers’ session which embeds sustainability into parliamentary learning and development.

One Parliamentary Clerk said:

“This was a fantastic CPA programme that brought together different perspectives from around the Commonwealth to learn from each other and to develop our skills in managing Parliaments, both large and small.”

The programme was co-hosted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Headquarters Secretariat and the Parliament of Sri Lanka with delegates attending from Australia Federal; Bougainville; Eswatini; Fiji; The Gambia; Guyana; Kenya; Maharashtra; The Maldives; New South Wales; New Zealand; Pakistan; Puducherry; Scotland; Seychelles; Sri Lanka; Tanzania; Trinidad and Tobago; United Kingdom.

The delegates were welcomed by the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and CPA Sri Lanka Branch President, Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, MP, who said that parliamentary officials have a great responsibility to serve their countries by strengthening democracy and that this programme is a great platform to build up the friendship and professional relations across the Commonwealth.

“It was a pleasure to welcome so many Parliamentary Clerks and officials from across the Commonwealth to the Parliament of Sri Lanka this week for the first CPA Parliamentary Academy Residency.”

The Secretary-General of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Mrs Kushani Rohanadeera added that aim of this CPA programme is not only to enrich professional skills but also to foster a culture of continuous learning and development within parliamentary institutions.

The CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg, said:

“I am very grateful to the Parliament of Sri Lanka for hosting the first CPA Parliamentary Academy Residency for Clerks. The Academy continues to go from strength to strength in promoting mutual learning and best practice. It also offers a great opportunity for Clerks and parliamentary officials to network, learn and develop their skills.”

Since the launch of the CPA Parliamentary Academy in 2021, there have been four Residency courses for Parliamentarians that were hosted by New South Wales (Australia), Western Cape (South Africa), Alberta (Canada) and Scotland.

This is the first time that a Residency Programme has been held for Clerks and parliamentary officials. The CPA Parliamentary Academy Residency courses complement the CPA’s online courses, providing face-to-face interactive learning and knowledge-sharing at a more advanced level.

For images of the Residency programme please click here. 

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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.