From CPA by the LA office

Note: This is the conference that Councillor, Mr. David Wight and MLA, Mr. Kenneth Bryan are currently attending as representatives from the Cayman Islands.

The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Executive Committee, Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, MP spoke to Parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth about the vital role that they can play in the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and Commonwealth Summit due to take place in the United Kingdom in April.

The CPA Chairperson urged Commonwealth Parliamentarians to work together to effect change and said: “We are all fingers of the same hand in the Commonwealth. I urge each and every one of us to work to strengthen our collective vision and never cease in our relentless efforts to keep growing and impacting positive change. The road might be rough and the journey long. But I can guarantee you, as long as we walk that road together, we will push and even surpass our limits.” To read the CPA Chairperson’s speech in full please click here.

The CPA Chairperson, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Cameroon, addressed the opening session of the inaugural Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum, in London, UK from 26 February to 1 March 2018, and attended by over 80 Parliamentarians from 25 countries across the Commonwealth. The CPA Chairperson spoke alongside Rt Hon. Patricia Scotland QC, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth; Rt Hon. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the UK Commonwealth Minister; and Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The opening session was chaired by Hon. James Duddridge, MP, Chairperson of the CPA UK Branch who said: “The Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum is a great opportunity for Commonwealth Parliamentarians as they can engage and feed into the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in a way they haven’t before. We were delighted to welcome Parliamentarians to Westminster, to a really engaging programme where we have had many valuable and productive discussions.”

The Forum also heard from many other delegates including: UK Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon. Boris Johnson, MP; and the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ms Amina Mohammed. It was designed to set the scene for Commonwealth Parliamentarians ahead of the CHOGM 2018 which will focus on the key theme of ‘Towards a Common Future’. The Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum engages Parliamentarians in the summit agenda and creates opportunities for in-depth cross-Commonwealth discussion. The CPA UK Branch organised the Commonwealth Parliamentarians Forum in Westminster in partnership with the UK Government.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), now in its 107^th year with HM Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth as its Patron, exists to develop, promote and support Parliamentarians and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and to implement the enduring values of the Commonwealth. The CPA is an international community of around 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance.

IMAGES: Supplied