It’s time for the Commonwealth to come together to solve our greatest global challenges

As Commonwealth Parliamentarians gather in Sydney for the 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, the CPA Secretary-General reflects on the crucial role that they can play

Stephen Twigg is the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and a former UK MP.

The 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference takes place in Sydney, New South Wales from 3 to 8 November 2024.

Article posted on 06/11/2024.

This is the first time that the Parliament of New South Wales will host the annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference and so we are delighted to be in Sydney for the conference this week.

The CPA Australia Region – which includes the Federal Parliament in Canberra and the eight State and Territorial Legislatures in Australia - is very active within our membership, and this will be the fifth time that the Region has hosted our annual conference.

It is fitting that the CPA conference comes to Sydney as the New South Wales Legislative Council marks its bicentenary, the oldest legislative body in Australia.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) also has a long history since its establishment some 113 years ago with Australia as one of its founding members. The CPA organises its annual conference to address global issues and developments in the parliamentary system and brings together Parliamentarians from throughout the Commonwealth.

As one of the largest gatherings of Commonwealth Parliamentarians, this year’s conference will address the themes of promoting a resilient democracy, strengthening the role of Parliaments, examining the impact of Artificial Intelligence and encouraging inclusive political leadership for all citizens.

The democratic process is alive and well in many parts of the Commonwealth – as demonstrated this year with the list of the many elections taking place worldwide including the largest democratic election in the world in India through to elections in small states like the Solomon Islands. The next Federal Elections in Australia, due in 2025, will join that list.

However, we cannot be complacent, and democracy needs to thrive to survive.

The timing of the 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in New South Wales comes against the backdrop of international conflict, global economic uncertainty, cross-border security threats, the effects of climate change, especially on small and vulnerable jurisdictions, and pressures on the shared values of democracy, good governance and inclusivity.

The Commonwealth offers the opportunity to bring together MPs and key stakeholders to share and exchange ideas and best practices, re-enforcing the fact that we live in an inter-connected world and have a shared responsibility to address our common challenges.

The Commonwealth has a special place in the international community and is widely recognised for its convening power in bringing together nations and territories of vastly different sizes, populations and development.

We recently saw this co-operation in practice at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) hosted in Samoa – which was attended by the Prime Ministers of Australia, New Zealand and the UK amongst many Commonwealth leaders – and saw agreements on climate protection and ocean management, protecting human rights and promoting equality for all Commonwealth citizens, as well as supporting our young people, who make up 60% of the Commonwealth’s 2.7 billion people.

Above: The CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg visits a school in Tonga to speak about democracy and the Commonwealth.

We also saw the Commonwealth agreeing to address aspects of its more painful history and beginning to discuss inequality and righting the wrongs of our colonial past. As King Charles said, we can come together as a Commonwealth family to have respectful and positive conversations while also looking to our future.

The Commonwealth can position itself strongly and unequivocally beside its citizens and help to tackle the inequalities that cause so much poverty and injustice in our societies. Parliaments have a duty to represent the people they serve. One way that they fulfil this responsibility is by being inclusive, accountable, open and transparent public institutions.

Another key priority is the fight against climate change and Small Island Developing States in the Pacific Ocean have been powerful voices within the Commonwealth as they find themselves in the frontline of the battle to avert a climate disaster as sea levels rise. The Commonwealth helps to amplify the voices of those who need the most urgent action to protect the environment and to promote sustainable development.

The CPA also represents different groups within the parliamentary community and our three CPA networks – the CPA Small Branches representing jurisdictions with populations under one million people, the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) promoting gender equality in Parliaments and the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) supporting disability representation as well as accessible Parliaments – all aim to provide an additional platform for these voices and common interests to be heard throughout the Commonwealth.

Each of the almost 180 Parliaments within the CPA membership is a unique institution reflecting its own historical evolution and the CPA represents Legislatures at the national, state, provincial and territorial level.

What all Parliaments have in common is a capacity to strengthen democracy by acting as powerful agents of change. Success here is most likely if MPs and parliamentary staff have the necessary support to carry out their parliamentary and constitutional responsibilities. Parliamentarians have an important responsibility to hold governments to account as well as ensuring that legislation and budgets are scrutinised.

That is why the CPA’s annual conference in Sydney this week offers an important opportunity for Parliamentarians to benefit from mutual learning and the sharing of best practices with colleagues from across the Commonwealth to become more effective Members.

Let us hope that we can work together across the Commonwealth, and beyond, to learn lessons from each other and dedicate ourselves again to meeting the many challenges faced by Parliaments and citizens alike.

For further information about the 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference please visit the 67th CPC Hub.

For further information about the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association please visit www.cpahq.org or email hq.sec@cpahq.org.