26th Commonwealth Parliamentary Seminar in Dhaka, Bangladesh

The Chairperson of the CPA opens the Seminar.

The 26th Commonwealth Parliamentary Seminar was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 17 to 22 May 2015 and was attended by the Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee, Hon. Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury MP.

The 26th annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Seminar focused on strengthening parliamentary democracy and the four-day seminar was held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

A total of 45 parliamentarians and delegates from the nine regions of the CPA attended the seminar as well as local and foreign parliamentarians.

Post-Election Seminar for the Pakistan Senate

The Senate of Pakistan

The Senate of Pakistan held its elections on 5 March 2015 to elect new Senators to replace the 52 retiring senators. The newly elected Members of the Senate gathered together from 10 to 14 May 2015 in Islamabad, Pakistan to undertake a Post-Election Seminar delivered by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). Elections to the Senate are held every three years for one half of the Senate and each Senator has a term of six years.

Some of the topics being addressed at the Seminar were the Evolution of Parliamentary Democracy and the Constitution of Pakistan; Practice and Procedure in the House; Parliamentary Committees; Institutional aspects of the Parliamentary System including the relationship between the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary; Ethics and Accountability of Members of Parliament and Privilege and Members’ Interests. All these topics were hugely important for new Senators in their work entering the House for the first time and to the strengthening of democracy and the institution of parliament.

The Resource Team for this event were the Hon. Request Muntanga MP, CPA Zambia Branch and Treasurer of the CPA; Hon. Trevor Khan MLC, from the Legislative Council in New South Wales CPA Branch in Australia; Baroness Zahida Manzoor, from the House of Lords in the CPA United Kingdom Branch; and Dr. Godfrey Haantobolo, Deputy Clerk of the Zambian Parliament.

CPA Mid-Year Executive Committee Meeting in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

The opening ceremony at the Mid-Year Executive Committee

The Mid-Year Executive Committee Meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) was held from 28 to 30 April in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

At the meeting, the recruitment process of the CPA Secretary-General culminating at the General Assembly in Islamabad, Pakistan was reviewed and this was followed by reports from the Chairperson and the Acting Secretary-General.

The Executive Committee received and considered the recommendations from the Planning and Review, Finance and Audit Subcommittees.

Members of the Executive Committee received the report of the Audit Subcommittee which included an update on the implementations of findings from the Internal Audit Report 2014 as well as a report on the search for a new CPA Headquarters Secretariat property. Members agreed that the Audit Subcommittee name be changed to Performance and Review Group (internal business performance reviewers and independent internal auditors).

The CPA Business Plan was reviewed along with a progress report tracking the Key Performance Activities (KPAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the Business Plan.

Members also received the CPA Communications and Marketing Plan and agreed it would help improve the CPA’s communication systems, particularly between Members, Branches, Regions and the CPA Headquarters as well as the media and general public. It was observed that focus should continue to be given to enhancing relationships and coordination with other International Organisations such as the IPU, UN Women, World Bank and UNDP, etc.

Members also noted the Branches in suspension and the steps being taken to ensure the effective recoverability of all outstanding fees; no increase in the 2016 Branch Membership subject to its adoption by the General Assembly in October 2015. The Committee further noted the appointment of the CPA External Auditors (Haysmacintyre Registered Auditors, UK) and the successful audit of the 2014 financial statements and the issuance of a ‘clean bill of health’ by the auditors, and reviewed and noted the performance of the CPA Headquarters, Conference Assistance Fund (CAF) and Working Capital Fund (WCF) against the approved budgets for the period to February 2015. Members also approved the Budget for 2015, Projection and Forecast for 2015 and 2016 for the CPA Headquarters, CAF and WCF funds, and that these were underpinned by the 2014 CPA Financial Strategy.

It was reported to the Executive Committee that in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in October 2014, it had resolved that the CPA Secretariat should conduct a wider review to update member Branches’ delegate entitlement to the annual conference based on a formula agreed by the General Assembly in 1989, and report back to the meeting in Sabah in April 2015. The paper provided an update on the survey that had been conducted by the CPA Secretariat and the Executive Committee was advised that following the survey, the Secretariat had invited 17 eligible Branches to consider updating their delegate entitlement.

The Executive Committee agreed to Strengthening the Role of Small Branches with the election of a Small Branches Chairperson, introducing a constitutional amendment to the General Assembly at its meeting in Pakistan in October 2015.

At the Meeting, Members reviewed and agreed the subjects proposed by Branches and the CPA Headquarters for the agenda of the 61st Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in October 2015 in Islamabad, Pakistan, with the overarching theme of ‘Renewing the commitment to pluralism and inclusive democracy in the Commonwealth.’
A wide range of topics for debates and workshops for the Conference were also agreed as well as the five plenary topics for the 35th Small Branches Conference (SBC) also to be held in Pakistan in October. For further information about the Annual Conference please click here.

Finally the CPA Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements (for the period 1 January to 31 December 2014) were presented to the Executive Committee. The CPA Secretariat had attempted to place more strategic emphasis on the presentation of the report this year by specifically addressing how the Association's constitutional and strategic aims and objectives were delivered during the 2014 financial year.

For further information about the Governance of the CPA please click here.

CPA Parliament and the Media Conference in Andhra Pradesh, India

Participants at the CPA Parliament and the Media Conference.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in collaboration with the World Bank Group (WBG) and with the support of the Public Media Alliance (formerly the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association), the Commonwealth Journalist Association and the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association held a Conference on Parliament and the Media from 7 to 11 April 2015 in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. The Conference was hosted by the Andhra Pradesh Legislature. This Conference followed on from a series of conferences the CPA held between 2000 and 2003.

Given the technological advancements in the last decade it was felt that it was an opportune time for the CPA to revisit the subject of Parliament and the Media. Over recent years, there has been a growing acceptance that the general public has a right to participate in the free flow of information and to know what is going on in their community, particularly the workings of government and parliament. Indeed it is clear that an informed society and open and accountable democratic institutions are essential for growth and development.

To perform their respective duties effectively, parliament and the media must work together. This is further supported with the increasing use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) – including mobile and social media by the general public in their daily lives. As the Declaration on Parliamentary Openness states, “The onset of the digital era has altered fundamentally the context for public usage of parliamentary information and the expectations of citizens for good governance. Emerging technology is empowering analysis and reuse of parliamentary information with enormous promise to build shared knowledge and inform representative democracy.”  

The Conference focused on the importance of the relationship between Parliament and the Media and participants deliberated over how that relationship has evolved in the last decade. The Inaugural Session of the Conference was attended by Speakers/Presiding Officers and Secretaries from the States of India as well as CPA participants from Ghana, Kenya, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Victoria, Northern Territory, South Australia, Malta, Guernsey, British Columbia, Jamaica, Samoa and Johor. The Conference was declared open by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha with speeches from the Chief Minister and other Ministers from the Andhra Pradesh Legislature. The CPA was represented by Executive Committee Member, Shri Prem Das Rai MP, who delivered a speech on behalf of the Association.

The Resource Team included Mr. Craig James, Clerk of the British Columbia Legislature; Mr Chandra Shekher, Producer Lok Sabha Television; Mr Abilash Khandekar, retired print journalist; Mr Nic Dawes, Chief Content and Editorial Officer at Hindustan Times; Ms Manidra Kala, Head of Research PRS Legislative Research; Ms. Miriam Bensky, World Bank Group; and Mr. Prasanna Lal Das - World Bank Group.

Workshop on Benchmarks for Parliamentary Codes of Conduct applying to Members of Parliament in Melbourne, Australia

Delegates at the Codes of Conduct Workshop in Australia.

The Victoria CPA Branch hosted a joint CPA and Monash University workshop from 8 to 10 April 2015 in Melbourne, Australia.

The three-day workshop brought together Members and Clerks from across the Commonwealth to identify good practice in Codes of Conduct and their implementation across Commonwealth Parliaments, to consider draft recommended Benchmarks for Codes of Conduct and to examine methods of increasing accountability, transparency and public trust through the use of Benchmarks for Codes of Conduct and finally, to discuss possible ethical competency activities that could be provided to the CPA’s membership.

Participants at the event were from Kenya, Canada, United Kingdom, Bangladesh, New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria, Samoa, the Australian Capital Territory, India, Chhattisgarh and Perak, Malaysia.

The resource team included Associate Professor the Hon. Dr Ken Coghill, Co-Director, Parliamentary Studies Unit & Director, Monash Governance Research Unit; Mr David Skaggs, Co-Chairman of the Board of the Office of Congressional Ethics and a member of the U.S. Public Interest Declassification Board; Dr Abel Kinyondo, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Mr Scott Hubli from the National Democratic Institute; and Dr Cristina Neesham, Senior Lecturer, Swinburne University.

The participants adopted an agreed set of Recommended Benchmarks for Codes of Conduct applying to Parliamentarians which can be accessed here.

CPA WB Annual Conference in Kigali, Rwanda

Participants at the CPA WBI Annual Conference.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) joined with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB), the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Parliament of Rwanda to hold a three day Conference at the Parliament of Rwanda on the issues facing Parliaments in overseeing the work and impact of Extractive Industries.

The Conference was held from 12-16 January 2015 and was attended by ten members of the CPA from four different jurisdictions whose governments have either a long history of non-renewable resource extraction programmes or are just entering this field. The members exchanged views with senior experts from the field including from programme partners, the Minister of Mining of Rwanda, the WB, the IMF, the NRGI, the UNDP and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance who presented Members with international economic perspectives.

The Conference was officially opened by the Rt. Hon. Makuza Bernard, President of the Senate of Rwanda who emphasized that transparency and accountability in general, particularly in the Extractive Industries is key to proper functioning of national institutions and in achieving inclusive socioeconomic development. Mr Bernard called upon all participants to make concerted efforts to reverse the current situation of poverty in Africa, whereby the history of natural resources and bad governance have turned natural resources into a curse rather than making Africa a leader in extractive industries.

The main Conference agenda covered fiscal transparency in extractive industries, economic policy, using the budget process to ensure that development dividend benefits the Community, effective use of parliamentary oversight tools to enhance accountability of the extractive sectors and improving natural resource governance through enhanced political consensus.

This was the third major meeting in this Conference series on extractives.

CPA Youth Activities on Commonwealth Day in London, United Kingdom

CPA youth participants meet HM The Queen at the Marlborough House Reception.

Commonwealth Day was observed on 9 March 2015 and this year focused on the theme of ‘A Young Commonwealth.’ The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Secretariat organised a celebration of the day focussed on engaging the Commonwealth’s young citizens. A one day programme was organised by the CPA Secretariat and held in London which welcomed 33 young people nominated by CPA Branches from 6 of the 9 Regions of the CPA.

The programme was opened by CPA Acting Secretary-General & Director of Finance and Administration, Mr Joe Omorodion, and gave participants the opportunity to tour the Houses of Parliament at Westminster. The young people also met with two Commonwealth High Commissioners - H.E. Norman Hamilton (Malta) and H.E. Syed Ibne Abbas (Pakistan) – and there was also a session on the Commonwealth theme of ‘A Young Commonwealth’ with Human Rights Lawyer, Ms Ulele Burnham, based in London and originally from Guyana.

Participants also attended the multi-faith Commonwealth Day Observance Service held at Westminster Abbey and attended by HM The Queen. The programme concluded with two evening events. The first group of participants attended the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Reception at Marlborough House where HM The Queen was the Guest of Honour. The second group of participants was taken for an evening view of the city from the London Eye.

In addition to the UK-based Commonwealth Day activities, bursary funding was also made available to certain Branches to arrange their own celebrations. Grants totalling £7,228 were given to the following 17 Branches who applied for assistance with funding their Commonwealth Day activities.

·         Africa - Zambia, Mpumalanga, Seychelles, Ghana, Osun

·         Australia - Northern Territory, Norfolk Islands

·         British Isles and the Mediterranean - Falkland Islands, St Helena

·         Caribbean, Americas and the Atlantic - Dominica, Nevis, Guyana, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda

·         Pacific - Samoa, Niue, Kiribati

Commonwealth celebration of International Women’s Day in London, United Kingdom

International Women's Day is in March each year

International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on 8 March. This day is identified to highlight issues such as respect and appreciation for women's economic, political and social achievements and the progress made by women in their struggles for democracy, development and peace.

This year, to observe the event, the Commonwealth Secretariat organized a panel discussion at their Headquarters in London, United Kingdom on 6 March 2015. The theme of this discussion was ‘Equality for Women is Progress for All’, which is in line with the 2015 UN theme for International Women's Day.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) was represented by Ms Eleanor Laing MP, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means (United Kingdom) who delivered a Keynote Address on ‘Engaging Youth and Civil Society on Women’s Empowerment.’

The event focused on Commonwealth achievements towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and progress made in the areas of economic, political and social development for women. The event also highlighted Commonwealth gender priorities for the post-2015 Development Agenda and focused on what remains to be done to ensure there is equality for all, noting that equality for women is progress for all. The Commonwealth theme also responds to the 2013 Colombo Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) mandate and the 10WAMM Communiqué on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

International Executive Training Programme for Parliamentary Staff

Training Programme for Parliamentary Staff.

In collaboration with the World Bank Group and McGill University, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) sponsored seven mid-level parliamentary staff members from across the Commonwealth to attend the International Executive Training Programme for Parliamentary Staff.

The World Bank and the School of Continuing Studies (SCS) at McGill University in Montreal, Canada in collaboration with international partners including the CPA, developed a curriculum based on the capacity enhancement review. The result is a university-based professional development programme for parliamentary staff, with an intensive one-week Residential Seminar at McGill University, followed by expert-moderated E-learning courses and one-on-one professional mentoring. By equipping staff to become the ‘corporate memory’ of parliament, the program helps build the legislatures of tomorrow.

The programme is a unique training and skills building plan for mid-level and senior parliamentary staff. Combined with both a theoretical and practical approach, it uses a blended learning methodology of face-to-face training, e-learning courses, and, where appropriate, video-conferencing for its delivery. The goal of this program is to advance parliamentary democracy by enhancing knowledge and understanding of democratic governance.

This is the third such collaboration. This year, the CPA sponsored participants from CPA Branches in Malawi, Jersey, Scotland, Zambia, Malaysia, Punjab in Pakistan and Guyana.

Regional Trade Workshop for Parliamentarians from the Africa Region in Port Louis, Republic of Mauritius

Port Louis harbour, Mauritius

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), in collaboration with the World Trade Organsation (WTO) and the Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF), held a Regional Workshop for African Parliamentarians, Members of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and the East African Community (EAC) in Port Louis (Republic of Mauritius) from 4 to 6 May 2015.

The Workshop was designed to enable Parliamentarians to obtain a better understanding of the WTO Rules and its functions and to enhance the understanding of the Bali Ministerial Conference outcomes, and the way forward to conclude the Doha Round of Negotiations. It provided a forum for Parliamentarians to exchange views on their experiences in economic and trade policies, including emerging challenges and issues for African countries.

Invitations were extended to CPA participants from the following Branches in the Africa Region: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Annual Consultation of the Commonwealth National Women’s Machineries in New York, USA

Women Parliamentarians from across the world.

The Gender Section of the Commonwealth Secretariat organised a series of meetings in New York, USA in the margins of the 59th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women under the theme ‘Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action’. The event was also held to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Declaration, including current challenges that affect its implementation and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

The meeting was attended by women Ministers and representatives from Commonwealth National Women’s Machineries. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) was represented by the CPA Chairperson, Hon. Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury MP, Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament and the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Chairperson, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga MP, Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda.

The CPA Chairperson delivered a key note address at the Annual Consultation of National Women’s Machineries which took place on 15 March. The CWP Chairperson presented specifically on the ‘Parliamentary Experience of Uganda within Beijing and post-2015 development agenda.’

The theme of this meeting was ‘Women’s Political Leadership within Beijing+20 and post-2015 Development Agenda’. The meeting included a business segment and capacity strengthening for members. The capacity strengthening element focused on good practice employed by member states at increasing the participation of women in cabinets, ministerial positions, public service, local and community governance. The outcome of this meeting will feed in to the ongoing women in leadership research and side-events planned to identify good practices, strategies and mechanisms for strengthening inclusive participation.

12th CPA Canadian Parliamentary Seminar brings together Parliamentarians in Ottawa, Canada

Delegates at the 12th Canadian Parliamentary Seminar in Ottawa, Canada.

The 12th CPA Canadian Parliamentary Seminar took place in Ottawa, Canada from 24-30 May 2015. The Seminar brought together 17 Members of Parliament from across the Commonwealth to come together to learn about the Canadian Parliamentary system and specific issues poignant to parliamentary life in Canada.The participating parliamentarians came from Kenya, Malawi, Seychelles, Mpumalanga, Sri Lanka, Tasmania, Western Australia, Victoria, Australia Capital Territory, New South Wales, Jersey, Scotland, India Union, Uttar Pradesh, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos and Canada.

Mr Joe Preston MP, Chair of the CPA Canada Branch set out that the aim of the seminar was to promote knowledge and understanding of parliamentary democracy in all its aspects.The programme provided a mixture of useful working sessions and opportunities to network.

The Seminar provided sessions and workshops on a wide range of issues including The Canadian Political Scene; Committees; Election Financing; The role of Party Caucuses; Engaging Citizens; Parliament and Lobbyists; Election Media Coverage and the Caribbean Twinning Initiative. The Seminar also provided a unique opportunity for participants to present on regional topics of interest which made for a fascinating discussion. Participants presented on youth engagement programmes in Scotland; twinning programmes in Australia; local area development schemes and the empowerment of women in India; devolution developments in Kenya; committee workings in the Seychelles and Tasmania; the political systems of Jersey and Turks and Caicos and community engagement and outreach in Victoria and the Australia Capital Territory.

Delegates were able to attend Question Period in the House of Commons and a reception hosted by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Status of Women and Susan Truppe MP, Federal Representative for the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Canadian Branch.

IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians in Tokyo, Japan

The IPU Youth Conference took place in Japan.

The Acting Secretary-General & Director of Finance and Administration of the CPA, Mr Joe Omorodion attended the IPU Global Conference, hosted jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the National Diet (Parliament) of Japan.

The main aim of the Conference was to further strengthen the links between young politicians and devise new and creative solutions for peace and prosperity. The participants comprised of some 200 young parliamentarians from around 80 countries across the globe.

The IPU established a Forum of Young Parliamentarians in 2013 to enhance youth participation in parliament and provide a youth perspective to the IPU’s work. In October 2014, the IPU organised the Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians in Geneva on the theme Taking Democracy to task, offering a unique platform to discuss how to draw young people into the democratic process. The Conference also received the first ever global youth survey Youth participation in national parliaments which was published in 2014.

The Tokyo Conference was aimed at building on the Geneva Conference and addressing other areas in which youth engagement was crucial such as peace and prosperity. The Conference noted that young people between the ages of 15 and 25 accounted for one-fifth of the world’s population. Yet, they were almost three times more likely than older segments of the population to be unemployed; and that young people were over-represented among the direct and indirect victims of crime – whether caused by terrorism or armed conflict. It therefore followed that prosperous, peaceful, inclusive and safe societies required the participation and engagement of young people.

The CPA will be looking at different ways of joint working to promote youth projects and participation especially in relation to the annual CPA Commonwealth Youth Parliament with the next youth parliament due to take place in Australia in November 2015.

30th Session of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland

The 30th Parliamentary Conference at the WTO

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has a seat on the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization (WTO), based at the IPU Headquarters in Geneva. On 16 February 2015, Members of the Steering Committee considered the text of the preliminary draft outcome document on the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, as well as the amendments to it, with a view to making the revised draft available to all delegates at the start of the Conference plenary session. The Steering Committee meeting was held at the IPU offices; the Conference was held at the WTO premises.

The consolidated draft outcome document was distributed to all delegates on 17 February for adoption at the closure of the Conference. On the second day, the Conference received reports and presentations on the substantive theme: Trade as an enabler of peace and better living conditions. This was then followed by presentations from guest speakers on the topic of: policy, politics and trade: keeping the WTO negotiations on track. Subsequently, there was a hearing from the WTO Director-General, Mr Roberto Azevedo, on: Why trade? Reflections on the WTO anniversary.

The event was attended by the Acting Secretary-General & Director of Finance and Administration, Mr Joe Omorodion.

 

CPA Secretariat Photo Gallery - January to June 2015

 Pakistan Speaker visits CPA Secretariat

Hon. Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, MNA (pictured front centre) Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Islamabad and President of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association visits the CPA Secretariat in London.

 

  United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) visit

Ms Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York and former New Zealand Prime Minister visits the CPA Secretariat to hear about the work of the CPA and to meet with Mr Joe Omorodion, Acting Secretary-General and Director of Finance and Administration.

 

  High Commissioner of Barbados

His Excellency Mr Guy Hewitt, High Commissioner of Barbados to the United Kingdom, visits the CPA Secretariat Headquarters and meets with the Acting Secretary-General & Director of Finance and Administration, Mr Joe Omorodion.

 

 CASS Business School visit

Professor Paul Palmer from the CASS Business School in London meets with Mr Joe Omorodion, Acting Secretary-General & Director of Finance and Administration at the CPA Secretariat Headquarters.

 
British Columbia visit

Mr Craig James, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada visits the CPA Secretariat in London and meets with Mr Joe Omorodion, Acting Secretary-General & Director of Finance and Administration and Ms Meenakshi Dhar, Director of Programmes.

 

    Western Australia visit

Ms Lisa Baker MLA, Western Australia, visiting the CPA Secretariat Headquarters to meet staff and discuss her work with the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP).

 

 Commonwealth Human Rights Meeting at CPA

Advocate Karen McKenzie, Head of the Human Rights Unit at the Commonwealth Secretariat meets with Joe Omorodion, Acting Secretary-General and Director of Finance and Administration.

         CPA Professional Development for Clerks

Attendees at the CPA Professional Development Programme for Clerks pictured with CPA Secretariat staff in London including (front row left to right) Ms Kerry Scott, Manager, Public Information & Chamber Operations, Parliament of New Zealand; Ms Heather Lank, Principal Clerk, Senate Directorate, Parliament of Canada; Mr Paul Martinez, Clerk to the Gibraltar Parliament; Dr Szabó Zsolt, Legal Officer, Legislation Department, National Assembly of Hungary.

CPA Trustees Meeting

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Trustees Meeting was held at the CPA Secretariat in April 2015.

CPA Events & Calendar

2015

July
19-25 July - CPA Canada Regional Conference, British Columbia, Canada

26 July to 1 August - CPA Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic Region 40th Annual Conference, Tortola, British Virgin Islands

30 July to 1 August - CPA Human Rights Seminar for the Australia and Pacific Regions, Wellington, New Zealand

August
9-15 August - CPA Africa Region 46th Regional Conference, Nairobi, Kenya

17-21 August - CPA Small Branches Committees - Isle of Man

26-27 August - Public Accounts Committee Meeting for the Pacific Region - Wellington, New Zealand

September
2-5 September - CPA Constituency Development Funds Conference - London, UK

30 September to 8 October - 61st Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, Islamabad, Pakistan

October
2-3 October - 35th Small Branches Conference - Islamabad, Pakistan

26-28 October - CPA and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Legislators’ Experts Meeting on Climate Change - London, UK

The Parliamentarian – Issue Two out now!

The Parliamentarian is the quarterly Journal of Commonwealth Parliaments published by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and features articles and news written by Members of Parliament and Parliamentary staff across the Commonwealth about international issues.

The Parliamentarian 2015: Issue One is available online and 2015: Issue Two has just been released to CPA Branches. If you are interested in contributing an article or a news report or suggesting a theme for The Parliamentarian then please email editor@cpahq.org.

Members of Parliament and CPA Members can access copies of The Parliamentarian through their CPA Branch. Subscriptions are also available by post by emailing hq.sec@cpahq.org or an online version for iOS devices is available to purchase via the Apple store.