CPA Executive Committee Meeting – Gibraltar

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Mid-Year Meeting of the Executive Committee is being hosted by the Gibraltar Parliament and CPA Gibraltar Branch.

The two-days meeting is taking place from the 18th to the 19th of April with Speakers and Members of Parliament from across the Commonwealth attending both in-person and via video link.

The CPA Executive Committee Meeting includes the meetings of the Coordinating Committee and Audit Subcommittee; Regional Secretaries; Finance Subcommittee; and the Planning and Review Subcommittee.

The Fiji Parliament is a Member of the CPA Executive Committee and is being represented at the meeting by the Deputy Speaker and Assistant Minister for Housing and Local Government the Hon. Lenora Qereqeretabua.

Delegates discussed key governance issues and planning for the year ahead including the CPA’s legal status, financial reporting and future activities, such as the upcoming 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Accra, Ghana in October.

The CPA Executive Committee was due to have been held in Gibraltar earlier, but the in-person meeting had been postponed due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and travel restrictions in place at the time.

The Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee the Hon. Ian Liddell-Grainger MP (UK) said: “The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association provides a unique platform for inter-Parliamentary dialogue to take place amongst its membership of Parliaments and Legislatures. The CPA Executive Committee is pleased to be meeting in Gibraltar to further the CPA’s work in strengthening Parliamentary democracy across the Commonwealth supported by the CPA Headquarters Secretariat team.” 

The Speaker of the Gibraltar Parliament and CPA Gibraltar Branch President the Hon. Melvyn Farrell, and the Chief Minister of Gibraltar the Hon. Fabian Picardo, both welcomed the Parliamentary colleagues including other accompanying delegates, secretariat and officials. The Speaker said: “I am delighted to welcome Parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth to Gibraltar for the CPA Executive Committee meeting. The CPA Gibraltar Branch is active in the wider CPA networks and is committed to engaging with the Commonwealth. The CPA is a forum through which we can share our innovations, experiences and best practices in our Parliament and where we can learn from other Legislatures on delivering Parliamentary democracy and good governance for our citizens.”

The CPA Gibraltar Branch was established in 1951 and is a member of the CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Region as well as the CPA Small Branches network. The CPA Gibraltar Branch has hosted the CPA Executive Committee previously in 1969, 1987 and 2000 and most recently hosted the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Conference in October 2022.

The CPA Executive Committee comprises 38 Members representing the nine regions of the CPA – Africa; Asia; Australia; British Islands and Mediterranean; Canada; Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic; India; Pacific; South East Asia as well as the Officers of the Association (CPA President, CPA Vice-President, Chairperson of the CPA  Executive Committee, CPA Vice-Chairperson, CPA Treasurer and the Chairpersons of the Commonwealth  Women Parliamentarians (CWP), the CPA Small Branches and the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD).

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