The 61st General Assembly of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has appointed a new Secretary-General for the Association.

Mr Karimulla Akbar Khan was recommended to the 61st General Assembly by the Association’s International Executive Committee, which is made up of representatives of the nine regions of the CPA – Africa; Asia; Australia; British Islands and Mediterranean; Canada; Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic; India; Pacific; South-East Asia.

The Secretary-General Elect, Mr Karimulla Akbar Khan, is originally from Guyana before moving to the United Kingdom. Mr Khan is an honours graduate in English Law (Bachelor of Law LL.B (Hons)) of the University of Reading. He also holds a Master’s in Public International Law (LLM) from Jesus College, University of Cambridge. Mr Khan is a qualified Barrister-at-Law and was admitted to the English Bar in 1990. Mr Khan has held senior positions with, amongst others, the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and at the Commonwealth Secretariat, specialising in International Law.

The new Secretary-General Elect succeeds the late Dr William F. Shija, former Minister and Member of the Parliament of Tanzania, who served as Secretary-General of the CPA from 2007 until his untimely death in October 2014. Since October 2014, Mr Joe Omorodion has been the Acting Secretary-General & Director of Finance and Administration of the CPA, a position that he will continue to hold until the new Secretary-General Elect takes up his new position. The new Secretary-General Elect is due to take up his appointment from 1 January 2016 for a fixed term of four years.

Following the appointment of Mr Karimulla Akbar Khan by the 61st General Assembly, the Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee, Hon. Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury MP, welcomed the new Secretary-General Elect and said that the CPA Executive Committee looked forward to working with Mr Khan to further the work of the Association in parliamentary strengthening across the Commonwealth.

Mr Karimulla Akbar Khan will become the 7th Secretary-General of one of the oldest established organisations in the Commonwealth. The CPA, founded in 1911, is a membership association which brings together Members, irrespective of gender, race, religion or culture, who are united by community of interest, respect for the rule of law and individual rights and freedoms, and by the pursuit of the positive ideals of parliamentary democracy. The Association is made up of 180 Branches across the nine regions of the Commonwealth. It offers a vast opportunity for Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and to share good practice.