Following its election on 29 June 2020, the newly elected Members of the House of Assembly of Anguilla will be recipients of a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Post-Election Seminar. The Seminar, which is the CPA’s longest running programme, will be delivered for the first-time virtually with panellists presenting from across the Commonwealth, due to travel restrictions in place during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The CPA Post-Election Seminar which runs from the 20-24 July 2020, will provide a valuable opportunity to help shape the parliamentary careers of the newly elected and returning Members of the House in developing their skills and understanding of parliamentary democracy. The programme will cover areas focusing on parliamentary practice and procedure, administration and financing of Parliament, public outreach and engagement, the role of select committees as well as key Commonwealth values and principles, such as the Latimer House Principles on the Separation of Powers.

Members of the House will also address key and urgent areas of parliamentary and electoral reform in Anguilla emanating from the recent CPA Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures report and the CPA BIMR Election Assessment Mission.

The CPA Headquarters Secretariat will be delivering the programme in partnership with the House of Assembly of Anguilla, the Government of Anguilla and the CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Secretariat. The organisers have assembled leading Speakers, Parliamentarians, Clerks and expert panellists from across the Commonwealth including Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Dominica, United Kingdom, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands and Wales.

The Seminar will commence on Monday 20 July with opening addresses by H.E. The Governor of Anguilla, Tim Foy OBE, the Speaker of the Anguilla House of Assembly and the newly appointed Secretary-General Elect of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

The CPA Secretary-General Elect, Mr Stephen Twigg stated: “The CPA is pleased to work with the House of Assembly in the delivery of this important and worthwhile programme to support the strengthening of democracy and good governance in Anguilla. Delivering this programme through a virtual platform highlights Anguilla’s forward-thinking and adaptive approach to new ways of working in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This clearly demonstrates a positive future for democracy on the island.”

The CPA is the only Commonwealth body that works to strengthen territorial assemblies such as the House of Assembly in Anguilla, as well as national, state and provincial legislatures. The relationship between Anguilla and the CPA is key in providing a platform to develop good parliamentary practice within the UK Overseas Territories and to share good practice with other similar legislatures within the CPA Small Branches network and the wider Commonwealth.