CPA Press Release
 

In an interview on Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth, a podcast by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Rt. Hon. Nelly Mutti, Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, outlined her priorities for building the capacity of the National Assembly to carry out its core democratic functions. 

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Deputy Secretary-General, Jarvis Matiya, attended the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and hosted by the Parliament of Austria in Vienna from 6 – 8 September 2021. Many Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers attended the conference which was held on the theme of ‘Parliaments for peace, people and planet’ and was the first time that many Speakers and Parliamentarians have been able to gather in person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Mr Jarvis Matiya, visited the Isle of Man this week to take part in the Annual Tynwald Day celebrations.  Mr Matiya joined Members and parliamentary staff of the House of Keys and Legislative Council, dignitaries, the judiciary, the clergy, local campaigners and the general public to celebrate the National Day of the Isle of Man. HRH The Princess Royal presided over this year’s occasion, which saw a return to full proceedings after a scaled back event in 2020 due to the pandemic.

The CPA Executive Committee, meeting virtually from 19-22 August 2020, has approved the postponement of the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) due to be hosted by the CPA Canada Region in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in January 2021.

The decision to postpone the CPA annual conference was the result of ongoing travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and the quarantine restrictions in place between different countries. The CPC will now be postponed to a future date in August 2021.

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.

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 outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and its subsequent spread as a global pandemic that has rapidly spread to at least 180 countries, has consequently plunged many Parliaments and Legislatures across the world into a state of emergency. Commonwealth Parliaments and Parliamentarians are grappling with many different issues both to implement the emergency health measures during this global pandemic while at the same time looking at new ways to conduct debates, scrutinise and pass legislation, hold parliamentary committees and question the actions of their governments.

The contemporary challenge from climate change is a global concern, its impacts touching every nation on earth. Despite contributing least to global greenhouse gas emissions, it is however, the small states and territories of the Commonwealth and beyond who will suffer disproportionately from its effects.

The President of the Republic of Uganda and Vice-Patron of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), His Excellency Yoweri K. Museveni has urged Commonwealth Parliamentarians to uphold democratic principles and the values of the Commonwealth as he opened the 64 th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (64th CPC) for over 500 delegates in Kampala, Uganda. The President of Uganda spoke of the Commonwealth having great potential through its common language and opportunities for cooperation on trade, culture and governance.

For immediate release, 12 September 2018