The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Secretary-General Stephen Twigg met Members and parliamentary staff from the Welsh Parliament (Senedd) on 20 June 2023.

During the visit, the CPA Secretary-General was welcomed to Parliament by the Llywydd (Presiding Officer) and CPA Wales Branch President, Elin Jones MS, the Deputy Presiding Officer and CPA Wales Branch Vice-President, David Rees MS and the Clerk of Parliament and CPA Wales Branch Secretary, Manon Antoniazzi.

At a meeting with Members of the CPA Wales Branch Executive Committee (including David Rees MS, Rhiannon Passmore MS, Sam Rowlands MS, Natasha Asghar MS, Alun Davies MS and Mark Isherwood MS), the CPA Secretary-General answered questions on the legal status of the CPA and the upcoming 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Accra, Ghana.

He also met Rhun ap Iowerth MS, CPA Wales Branch Chair and newly elected leader of Plaid Cymru, and Huw Irranca-Davies MS, who was part of the Welsh delegation to the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Halifax, Canada in August 2022.

During a tour of the Senedd building in Cardiff, opened in 2006, the CPA Secretary-General heard about its many sustainability features, including a rainwater harvesting system and a biomass boiler, and its Commonwealth connections, such as the funnel and canopy made of Canadian cedar wood and the parliamentary mace gifted by the Parliament of New South Wales.

Reflecting on the visit, the CPA Secretary-General said:

"It was a great pleasure to visit the Senedd and hear from Members of the CPA Wales Branch. I was particularly impressed by their active championing of youth participation in democracy through the Welsh Youth Parliament, which is made up of 60 Members aged 11 to 18. The Youth Parliament's system of electing youth Members both directly and through partner organisations to ensure a truly representative and diverse youth Parliament is a pioneering example of best practice for youth engagement."

The CPA Wales Branch was established on 1 January 2000 following the creation of the Welsh Parliament from 31 July 1998 and it is part of the CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Region.

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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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