The Secretary-General of the CPA, Dr William F. Shija, speaking to delegates during the Plenary Session.
reported in Perth last year on what could be done to strengthen the Commonwealth. For this reason, I feel obliged to
once again, thank the CPA Sri Lanka Branch for hosting this conference. The hosting of the Annual Conference is a major exercise and I believe delegates will join me in commending Sri Lanka for hosting the Conference for the third time in the history of our Association, having first done so in 1974, 1995 and this year.
On our part, this conference
is therefore a continuation of the programmes kit that we expend considerable resources each year to enable members and parliamentary staff to exchange and debate parliamentary and other global issues. It is through events such as this conference programme that Commonwealth Parliamentarians effectively participate in the examination of national, regional and
international issues such as terrorism, human trafficking, international trade, climate change and others. The CPA programme activities
reflect the broad categories of our current Strategic Plan; that is, Professional Development for Members and Staff; Technical Assistance for Branches; Assistance to improve Human Rights; Global, National and Personal Security; and Sustainable Development. It is through these broad-based programme areas that we are able to support our Member Branches and respond to branch or regional requests based on the available resources each year. For example, for decades now, our professional development workshops for members and staff have included the rotational annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Seminar such as the one held in New Delhi, India, last year, the one in Samoa this year and the Canadian Seminar held in
Ottawa each year. We also have been convening several workshops on Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures; Post-Election Seminars for Branches; and the annual and Small Branches Conferences. There have also been Government and Opposition Workshops in Nigeria for West Africa and Tanzania for East Africa that were held in partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat; Staff Development Workshops at Regional level, as well as Technical Assistance Programmes to support Branches such as Bougainville, the Solomon Islands, Malawi, Swaziland and Guyana. All these activities significantly contribute to the strengthening of parliaments and elevate the relevance of the Commonwealth. In the area of gender, the CPA
has continued to support the work of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians. Governance
programmes to promote gender equality and equity in the work place have been held in cooperation with the Commonwealth Secretariat and other partners. For example, last year, the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Pacific Region Gender and Democracy Seminar was held in New Zealand. Also, the number of women
elected as Members of Parliament and those who attend CPA events has over the past 10 years steadily increased. The CWP Chairperson regularly writes to CPA Branch Presidents encouraging them to include more women in their delegations to the Annual Conference because this is a very enriching parliamentary experience. I am happy to recall that we have worked closely with the first CWP Chairperson, Hon. Lindiwe Maseko, Speaker of Gauteng, MPL, Hon. Kashmala Tariq, MNA, of Pakistan as well as the current CWP Chairperson,