Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Marks UN International Day of Democracy 2024

Since 2007, the United Nations has marked the International Day of Democracy (IDD) every 15 September. This official day provides an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world, as well as the role played by the international community, national governing bodies, civil society and individuals in upholding this ideal.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is proud to mark this occasion, and we have highlighted some of our work towards promoting and celebrating democratic best practice below.

The theme of this year’s event is ‘Ensuring effective governance of Artificial Intelligence at all levels.’ Through our cross-cutting theme of technology and innovation, we have focused on how AI can support good governance, as well as some of the perils which it might cause if not used responsibly.

Ensuring effective governance of AI at all levels

In recent years, we have seen new actors and changes in the methods and tactics used to spread disinformation and sow confusion online, with electoral processes and democracies around the world under particular threat. Social media combined with artificial intelligence and synthetic media have added a new layer of complexity to this issue.

This International Day of Democracy, UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that AI, if left unchecked, “could have serious implications for democracy, peace and stability.”

Providing Legislators with the tools to understand these emerging technologies is more important than ever, which is why this year we launched the Parliamentary Handbook on Disinformation, AI and Synthetic Media with the Organization of American States (OAS).

In launching the toolkit, CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg noted that:

“Parliamentarians play a crucial role in protecting democratic processes and promoting transparency and accountability. It is vital that they are knowledgeable about the latest developments in disinformation, AI and synthetic media.”

You can read and download the full handbook below:

Engaging Youth in Governance

To mark this year’s International Day of Democracy, James Pinnell, Deputy Head of Programmes at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, participated in a webinar panel on ‘Youth Political Engagement for Inclusive Governance’ hosted by the United Nations Development Programme on 10 September 2024. The webinar explored the avenues and strategies to advance youth political participation for responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative governance in the Asia-Pacific region.

Other panellists included

• Mridul Upadhyay, Youth Political Participation Coordinator at UNDP Asia Pacific;
• Diana Torres, Regional Governance Advisor at UNDP Asia Pacific and
• Marte Hallema, Lead Author of a UNDP report on ‘Youth, Peace and Security: Fostering Youth-Inclusive Political Processes.’

This event saw the Regional Launch of the CPA and UNDP’s joint Youth Parliament Toolkit. The Toolkit contains expert advice on establishing, planning, running and promoting a Youth Parliament with additional case studies and evaluation methods from across the Commonwealth.

During the event, James outlined the role this toolkit could play for Commonwealth Legislatures:

The CPA also recently hosted our annual Commonwealth Youth Parliament (#CYP12)  in New Zealand. Read about CYP 12 here.

The 17th Caribbean Regional Youth Parliament also took place recently at the end of this year's CPA Regional Conference for the Caribbean, Americas and the Atlantic Region. Read about this event here.

You can also watch the UNDP ‘Youth Political Engagement for Inclusive Governance’ webinar by clicking here or  view below:

New Podcast | Kate Doust: Being a Presiding Officer, barriers for women in politics and the future of the ‘modern’ Commonwealth

In our most recent episode of ‘Parliamentary Conversations in the Commonwealth’, the CPA’s Podcast, Jeffrey Hyland, Editor of The Parliamentarian, spoke to Hon. Kate Doust, a Member of the Legislative Council from the Parliament of Western Australia. 

The conversation focused on her role as a Presiding Officer and Member of Parliament; how her trade union background has helped in her career; the barriers facing women in politics and how to overcome them and the role of ‘modern’ Commonwealth in the world.

One way in which we celebrate outstanding examples of good governance and advocacy for Parliaments is through the CPA Commonwealth Parliamentarian of the Year Award. Hon. Kate Doust discusses the impact of being the first recipient of this award.

Listen to the CPA Podcast by clicking here or via YouTube below:

Women Parliamentarians establish UK Women’s Caucus

Drawing on inspiration from the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Parliament and the Scottish Parliament, the Fawcett Society, one of the UK's leading charities campaigning for gender equality and women's rights, convened women MPs to facilitate the launch of a women’s parliamentary caucus in the UK Parliament on 9 September 2024. 

The launch event was supported by the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Network Coordinator, Bénite Dibateza, who provided information on what the UK Parliament can learn from other women's caucuses in Parliaments across the Commonwealth and beyond.

The CWP supports Parliaments to develop their own women’s caucuses and provides an online course on effective women's parliamentary caucuses through the CPA’s Parliamentary Academy using examples from across the network. 

The UK Parliament now joins other Commonwealth Legislatures such as those of Sri Lanka, the Seychelles and Tanzania in having an official women’s caucus. You can also read a case study about the setting up of the Grenada Women’s Parliamentary Caucus. Parliamentary women’s caucuses can play a vital role in encouraging representation and equality within Legislatures.

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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.

For media enquiries, please contact communications@cpahq.org.