Commonwealth Speakers, Members and parliamentary staff from the CPA British Islands and Mediterranean (BIM) Region have attended the annual Regional Conference, which was this year held in the UK Parliament on 26 and 27 April 2023.

The 52nd CPA BIM Regional Conference focused on the theme of ‘Inclusive and Sustainable Parliaments’ and delegates shared their own Legislatures’ experiences as they participated in the discussions. Delegates heard from guest panellists over two days on the topics of gender representation, disability inclusion, workplace equality networks, parliamentary standards and the climate emergency.

More than 30 Parliamentarians and officials were welcomed by the CPA UK Joint Branch President, Rt Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, MP, Speaker of the UK House of Commons and the Chair of the CPA UK Branch, Rt Hon. Dame Maria Miller, MP.

The keynote speaker was Rt Hon. Karen Bradley, MP, Chair of the UK House of Commons Procedure Committee who spoke about practice and procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of proxy voting. She also wrote about the topic in a recent issue of The Parliamentarian.

In his address to delegates, the CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg reflected on the Regional Conference theme and said:

“The CPA Strategic Plan has strong commitments to diversity and inclusion with cross-cutting themes including Gender, Disability and Youth. I am pleased to have this opportunity to thank the CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Region for its work in championing greater representation of women both in Parliaments and in the governance of the CPA itself.” He went on to talk about the impact of the CPA’s Capital Investment Fund in promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities and praised the recent use of the Fund in the CPA Isle of Man Branch to conduct an accessibility audit and implement physical improvements to their Legislative building to improve access.

In the margins of the Regional Conference, Members of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) BIM Regional Steering Committee also met to discuss the Network’s forthcoming business for the Region.

Representatives from many CPA Branches were in attendance including Scotland, Alderney, Wales, Jersey, Falkland Islands, Isle of Man, Malta, Gibraltar, Cyprus and the United Kingdom.

The CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Region is one of the nine Regions of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. It consists of thirteen Legislatures, from the United Kingdom, one of the largest Parliaments in the Commonwealth, to Alderney, one of the the smallest. The Regional Secretariat is based within the CPA UK Branch, and undertakes a number of programmes, including Election Observation Missions to Crown Dependencies and UK Overseas Territories.

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The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association connects, develops, promotes and supports Parliamentarians and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and the implementation of the enduring values of the Commonwealth. The CPA is an international community of around 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance.

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