65 young people from 39 Commonwealth jurisdictions took part in a three-day ‘mock’ Parliament organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). The 12th Commonwealth Youth Parliament (CYP) was hosted by the Parliament of New Zealand in Wellington from 2 to 5 September 2024. 

The CPA Branches represented at the 12th Commonwealth Youth Parliament were: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Punjab, Pakistan, Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Australia, Falkland Islands, Jersey, Gibraltar, United Kingdom, Wales, Saint Lucia, Guyana, Turks and Caicos Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Prince Edward Island, India, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Tonga, Samoa, Niue, Nauru, New Zealand, Fiji and Singapore. 

Participants aged 18 to 29 acted as Members of the ‘Parliament of Okifenua’, a fictional island nation of 2.5 million people in the South Pacific. They represented four mock political parties, two of which were in a governing coalition and two who represented the opposition. 

Delegates were assigned roles including Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, party leaders, whips, members of Parliamentary Committees and Ministers for the environment, foreign policy, finance, immigration, social development and housing. 

At the opening ceremony, the CPA President and President of the Legislative Council of New South Wales, Hon. Ben Franklin, MLC welcomed the participants:  

“To all the delegates, I want to say how excited I am to see so many passionate and engaged young people ready to dive into this unique opportunity. This isn’t just a chance to observe how a Parliament works - it’s your chance to get hands-on experience, to debate, to challenge ideas and to really understand the processes that shape governance.” 

Youth delegates were also welcomed by the Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, Hon. Gerry Brownlee, MP.

Hon. Teanau Tuiono, MP and Hon. Francisco Hernandez, MP (both New Zealand) served as the Speaker of the 12th Commonwealth Youth Parliament during their proceedings. Youth delegates were supported by several experienced political mentors, including Hon. Nicole Werner, MLA and Hon. Michael Galea, MLA from the Victoria Legislative Assembly and Hon. Tamatha Paul, MP, Hon. Katie Nimon, MP and Hon. Tom Rutherford, MP from the Parliament of New Zealand. 

The 12th CYP centred on a debate over a mock Bill on people displaced by climate disasters, and what the correct humanitarian response should be. The Bill was divided into three sections: the first of these focused on the granting of climate change visas, the second on providing an assistance programme for visa holders and the third on establishing a climate change humanitarian fund.  

The Youth Parliamentarians debated, amended and voted on the mock Climate Change Resettlement and Humanitarian Aid Bill legislation.  The Bill was introduced by Prince Kwakye from Ghana, who acted as the Foreign Minister and a member of the governing Okifenuan Social Democratic Party.

Following passionate Second Reading debates, the Chamber held inquiry-focused amendment debates before ending with the Third Reading debate. Joseph Walding-Karaitiana of New Zealand, Nicholas Sagadaya of Guyana, Priscilla Sevor of Ghana, Corissa McClure of Guyana and Sabrina Jamil of the United Kingdom brought the debate to a close by providing their summaries as party leaders. At the final vote, the ‘mock’ Bill passed with 44 votes in favour to 18 against. 

Reflecting on the week’s programme, Sabrina Jamil, the UK’s representative and the Leader of the Oceanic Progress Party in the mock Parliament, said:

“This incredible role gave me the opportunity to represent over 17 million young people across the UK, collaborating with Youth Parliamentarians from around the globe in Wellington.” 

A delegate from Guyana, Nicholas Sagadaya, was selected for the role of Prime Minister. He also had positive comments about the week: 

"The Commonwealth Youth Parliament allowed everyone the chance to experience a rich culture from New Zealand as well as the parliamentary procedures. Overall, it was a positive experience.” 

During the week, participants were also welcomed to the British High Commission in Wellington by Her Excellency Ms Iona Thomas OBE, the current British High Commissioner to New Zealand who spoke about the Commonwealth in the lead up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa later this year. 

The Commonwealth Youth Parliament is the CPA’s flagship youth programme. It is designed to introduce young Commonwealth citizens to the role and purpose of Parliaments as democratic institutions and providers of good governance. 

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For images of the 12th Commonwealth Youth Parliament please click here

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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