Mr Stephen Twigg, Secretary-General, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has lauded Ghana’s Parliament for the successful hosting of the 66th Annual Meeting of the Association in Accra. He said it was a significant responsibility for any branch of the Association to take on to host a Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference; saying ‘and the team here in Ghana has delivered with professionalism, with commitment and with dedication’. ‘Can I thank you, Mr Speaker and the team here in Ghana for hosting us here in Accra,’ Mr Tigg stated in his remarks during the official opening of the CPA Conference. The CPA is an international network of nearly 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures working together to strengthen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance. The week-long Conference, which is under the Chairmanship of Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, was opened by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. It is on the theme of ‘The Commonwealth Charter 10 years on: Values and Principles for Parliaments to Uphold’. The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Commonwealth Charter, which outlines the principles and values of the Commonwealth. Mr Tigg noted that the CPA seeks to embolden and to implement the values set out in the Commonwealth Charter. He said their recommended benchmarks for democratic legislations within the Commonwealth had proved to be a powerful tool in assisting the Parliaments of Commonwealth to improve practices and to share the very best about democracy and good governance. He said two years ago, they launched their own online CPA Parliamentary Academy and that almost 1,500 people; both Parliamentarians and Parliamentary Staff had signed onto it. He said last week, he represented the CPA in New York at the UN Summit, when they had launched their new academy course on the crucial role of Parliamentarians in the implementation of the United Nations Agenda 2030 towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) He said SDG Four was about access to quality education for all and that 2023, which was the Commonwealth’s year dedicated to the youth, there was the need for the strengthening of education in all parts of the Commonwealth. Mr Tigg reiterated the CPA’s commitment to women’s representation and gender equality lies at the very heart of their mission. Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, President of the CPA urged Commonwealth Parliamentarians to uphold democratic principles and the values of the Commonwealth. He said as members of the CPA, there were a set of values and principles that brought them together, as enunciated in the Charter. Mr Ian Liddel-Grainger, MP, House of Commons, UK and Chairperson, CPA, Executive Committee, said the CPA stood for Parliamentary democracy and to strengthen what they believed in. Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, and Vice Chair of the CPA Executive Committee, underscored Ghana’s commitment to the CPA. He said it was refreshing to note that, since Ghana joined the Commonwealth in 1957 (which was the first by an Africa nation), the country’s commitment to the CPA, over the years, had been unwavering.

Source: Ghana News Agency