VIEW FROM THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
EFFECTING CHANGE
View from the 7th Secretary-General
CPA
The start of 2016 marked the start of my tenure as the 7th
Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), a proud and distinguished organization now in its 105th
year. I
am humbled by this honour conferred by the 61st General Assembly and commit myself to working tirelessly across all nine regions of the organization in an inclusive manner for the benefit of all our membership.
I echo and endorse the highly pertinent comments of the Hon. Chairperson, Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury MP, in stating that the ‘CPA is a unique platform of Parliaments of Commonwealth countries with great potential to effectuate innovative changes in addressing the common concerns for ensuring the welfare of its people.’ My first article for The Parliamentarian coincides with the outcomes of two major conferences affecting both the Commonwealth and the wider global community. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2015, held in Malta in November 2015, brought together world leaders from the Commonwealth and beyond in a shared purpose under the theme, ‘The Commonwealth: Adding Global Value’. The Commonwealth Heads of Government reaffirmed their shared and enduring commitment on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth to the values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter. During a time of extraordinary global challenges and opportunities, the Heads of Government addressed issues as diverse as climate change, sustainable development, trade and investment, migration, and countering violent extremism and radicalisation. They also deliberated on safeguarding the interests of Commonwealth small states and emphasised that the unique nature of the Commonwealth adds value in responding to contemporary global challenges. The role of diverse groups across the Commonwealth was recognized by the different forums held alongside CHOGM 2015 – the People’s Forum, the Business Forum, the Youth Forum and for the first time, the Women’s Forum.
Immediately following the CHOGM 2015 meeting was the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, more commonly known as COP21, which was held in Paris. The parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reached a landmark agreement on 12 December, charting a fundamentally new course in the global climate effort.
It is worth noting that COP21 brought to an end the strict differentiation between developed and developing countries replacing it with a common framework that applies to all countries and commits them to make their best efforts and to strengthen them in the years ahead. Although the full impact of COP21 will not be seen for several years, Parliamentarians have fundamental role in
10 | The Parliamentarian | 2016: Issue One
Mr Akbar Khan Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
translating the outcomes into a national framework for action.
Climate change is one of the leading issues facing Commonwealth jurisdictions and the cooperation between the Parliaments of the Commonwealth will be a key factor in tackling this global problem. For many climate change risks turning the clock back on years of progress; for others it poses an existential threat. The irony of climate change is that the least responsible for pollution often ends up being the first casualty of climate change as we have seen in The Maldives in the Indian Ocean, amongst other small states in the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth Leaders’ Statement on Climate Action stated that the Commonwealth’s 53
member states “represent in our diverse national circumstances and common purpose one third of the world’s population spread across all continents and oceans. Our countries include some of the largest, smallest, wealthiest, poorest and most vulnerable on the planet. We represent more than one quarter of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Over half of us are least-developed countries, Small Island Developing States or both.” The threat posed by climate change, which continues to grow and to put at risk the economic, social, environmental, and cultural well-being of Commonwealth member states and citizens, puts our most vulnerable states and communities at risk. The consequences of climate change can be a national catastrophe, requiring urgent responses and adequate support.
Parliamentarians have a key role to play in all of these areas and the principles of the Commonwealth Charter are more relevant than ever. There will be the opportunity for Commonwealth Parliamentarians to gather at the 62nd
Commonwealth Parliamentary
Conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh in September 2016 where many of these issues will be discussed.
By working together and sharing good practice, Parliamentarians can upskill themselves to affect real change that will have a long term impact for generations to come. Linked to this is the importance of the ‘Commonwealth Family’ working together at a much higher level of collaboration to ensure comprehensive outcomes both within and across the Commonwealth. In this regard, I cannot but recall the view of one former British Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon. William Hague MP, when he stated in 2011: “In a world dominated by networks and not by power blocs of old, the Commonwealth is the ultimate network.”
Thank you.
Akbar Khan 7th
Secretary-General Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)
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