The Parliament of Ghana and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Ghana Branch will host the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (66th CPC), one of the largest gatherings of Commonwealth Parliamentarians beginning today, Saturday, September 30 to October 6.
This flagship event will bring together over 500 Parliamentarians, parliamentary staff, and decision-makers from across the Commonwealth to address the critical issues facing today’s Parliaments. Speakers, Presiding Officers, and Members of Parliament from almost 180 Parliaments and Legislatures across the Commonwealth, including national, state, provincial, and territorial Legislatures, will attend the 66th CPC conference.
The conference will be hosted by the CPA President (2022-2023), Rt Hon. Alban Bagbin, MP, Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana.
This is the first time that the CPA Ghana Branch and the Parliament of Ghana will host the CPA’s annual conference.
The CPA Africa Region, which is very active within the CPA’s nine Regions, will host the annual conference for the 17th time. The CPA Executive Committee and CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg, will also attend the conference.
With the ever-increasing focus on greater scrutiny of Parliamentarians and Parliaments, the CPA’s annual conference offers the opportunity for Members to benefit from professional development, supportive learning, and the sharing of best practices with colleagues from Commonwealth Parliaments together with the participation of leading international organizations.
The main conference theme for the 66th CPC is: ‘The Commonwealth Charter 10 years on: Values and Principles for Parliaments to Uphold’. 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Commonwealth Charter which outlines the principles and values of the Commonwealth. A special issue of The Parliamentarian, the Journal of Commonwealth Parliaments, published ahead of the conference, featured articles examining the Commonwealth Charter as well as a supplement focusing on Ghana with articles by the Speaker, Members, and parliamentary staff from the Parliament of Ghana.
The conference will explore a wide range of workshop topics from the threat of terrorism to gender quotas in Parliaments, tackling energy poverty and achieving sustainable trade and economic development to youth engagement and e-Parliaments.
During the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, there will also be a number of additional conferences and meetings including the 39th CPA Small Branches Conference; meetings of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) and Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) networks; the 66th CPA General Assembly; governance meetings of the CPA Executive Committee; and the 57th Society of Clerks-at-the-Table (SoCATT) meeting.
The inaugural CPA Emilia Monjowa Lifaka Lecture will also highlight the key role of Commonwealth Parliamentarians in global education in the margins of the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. The CPA Lifaka Lecture has been established in memory of Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, the late Chairperson of the CPA International Executive Committee and Deputy Speaker of Cameroon.