66th CPC in Ghana: Commonwealth Parliamentarians to address global issues and examine parliamentary democracy

One of the largest gatherings of Commonwealth Parliamentarians will take place next week at the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (66th CPC) hosted by the Parliament of Ghana and CPA Ghana Branch. The flagship event will bring together over 500 Parliamentarians, parliamentary staff and decision makers from across the Commonwealth for this unique conference. The CPC offers the prospect of the coming together of the CPA’s global membership to address the critical issues facing today’s Parliaments.

The 66th CPC will be attended by Speakers, Presiding Officers and Members of Parliament from across the membership of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). The CPA is the only parliamentary association to bring together national, state, provincial and territorial Legislatures and the CPA’s membership includes almost 180 Parliaments and Legislatures across the Commonwealth.

The 66th CPC conference will be hosted by the CPA President (2022-2023), Rt Hon. Alban Bagbin, MP, Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana from 30 September to 6 October 2023 in Accra, 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 is very active within the CPA’s nine Regions, and this will be the 17th time that the Region has hosted the annual conference. The CPA Executive Committee will also attend the conference as well as the CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg.

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 practice with colleagues from Commonwealth Parliaments together with the participation of leading international organisations.

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: 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.