President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will today open the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Conference, in Accra.
The President is the Vice-Patron of the CPA as per the statutes of the Association, which enjoins the president of the host nation to automatically assume the position of the vice patron.
Delegates from the 56 National Assemblies and 111 sub-National assemblies of the Commonwealth countries have been arriving in the country since Saturday, September 30, 2023, in anticipation of the official opening.
The over 600 delegates which include speakers, legislators, clerks of parliament, other parliamentary staff and observers have been participating in workshops on matters of security, human rights, environment, economy, gender and other cross-cutting issues.
Already, the CPA Executive Committee meeting, the 39th CPA Small Branches Conference, Conference of Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities, and Society of Clerks at the Table have been held ahead of the official opening.
The conference is being hosted by the Parliament of Ghana and the CPA Ghana Branch, under the patronage of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, who doubles as the President of the Commonwealth by virtue of being the speaker of the host nation.
It is on the theme: “The Commonwealth Charter 10 years on: Values and Principles for Parliaments to Uphold”.
Mr Bagbin would be expected to preside over the General Assembly of the Association on Thursday, October 5th, 2023, and chair the Elections Committee of the Association.
The conference is aimed at fostering dialogue and cooperation among member countries to address pressing global challenges within the context of Commonwealth values and would be climaxed with the 2023 Commonwealth Parliamentarian of the Year award on Friday.
Previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, the CPA is an organisation, which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights.
Mr Bagbin ahead of the conference told journalists that “as a nation, we consider it a privilege to host this prestigious conference”.
The theme, the Speaker said aligns with Ghana’s national sentiment as the country commemorates three decades of parliamentary democracy.
To him, the CPA envisions promoting inclusive, representative, and transparent Commonwealth Parliaments to effectively hold the executive accountable and advocate for the concerns of the electorate.
“To achieve this vision, the conference will emphasize the vital role of parliamentary diplomacy in tackling challenges and shaping policies that benefit our citizens,” Mr Bagbin said and entreated persons who have a role to play to extend the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality to all attendees.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
