The Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has held its first fully virtual meeting from 19 to 22 August 2020 chaired by the Chairperson of the Executive Committee, Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, MP, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Cameroon. The CPA Executive Committee represents the nine regions of the CPA - Africa; Asia; Australia; British Islands and Mediterranean; Canada; Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic; India; Pacific; South-East Asia.

The CPA Executive Committee Mid-Year meeting was attended by representatives from all of the nine CPA Regions along with the Officers of the Association including: CPA President, Hon. Anthony Rota, MP, Speaker of the House of Commons at the Parliament of Canada; Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, MP (Ghana) representing the CPA Vice-President, Hon. Aaron Mike Oquaye, MP, Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana; Vice-Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee, Hon. John Ajaka, MLC, President of the Legislative Council of New South Wales; CPA Treasurer, Hon. Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar bin Hj Mohd Akin, MP (Malaysia); CPA Small Branches Chairperson, Hon. Niki Rattle, Speaker of the Parliament of the Cook Islands; and the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP), Hon. Shandana Gulzar Khan, MNA (Pakistan). The meeting was also the first CPA Executive Committee attended by the new Secretary-General of the CPA, Mr Stephen Twigg.

The Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee said: “The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) provides a unique platform for inter-parliamentary dialogue to take place amongst its membership of 180 Member Parliaments and Legislatures. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s membership not only comprises national Parliaments of the Commonwealth, but also provincial, state and territorial Legislatures as well as devolved Assemblies. The diverse nature of the membership provides the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association with a unique position within the parliamentary community to offer a comprehensive perspective on how to strengthen parliamentary democracy Commonwealth-wide and discuss new and innovative approaches on how to do so.”

The CPA Executive Committee Mid-Year meeting was due to have been held in April 2020 in Assam, India but had to be postponed due to COVID-19 global pandemic and travel restrictions in place.

Ahead of the CPA Executive Committee meetings, the CPA Chairperson and the CPA Secretary-General met virtually with the CPA Regional Secretaries.