Our monthly round-up of the latest news, events and activities with the CPA and in Parliaments and Legislatures around the Commonwealth.

In this edition:

• Solomon Islands carries out a CPA Benchmarks self-assessment
• The President of the Bahamas Senate visits the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago
• Presiding Officers from Grenada visit their counterparts at the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago
• Australian Senate President leads parliamentary visits to Fiji and Tuvalu
• Trinidad and Tobago, ParlAmericas, the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Network and UN Women hold Parliamentary Workshop on making Parliaments responsive to the needs of women and men
• Zambia hosts 56th Plenary Assembly of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF)
• First Gender-Sensitive Legislation Workshop held in Pakistan

Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians network holds joint Caribbean workshop on gender responsive Parliaments

Delegates from across the Caribbean attended a workshop organised by the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network, ParlAmericas and UN Women Caribbean on the theme of ‘Making the Work of Parliaments Responsive to the Needs of Women and Men’. Delegates met from 4 to 6 December 2024 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

The workshop was opened with speeches by the Speaker of the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament, Hon. Bridgid Annisette-George, MP who is also the Vice-President of ParlAmericas; Tonni Brodber from UN Women Caribbean; Alisha Todd, Director-General of ParlAmericas and CPA Secretary-General Stephen Twigg.

The workshop aimed to support Parliamentarians in furthering the effectiveness of their work in meeting the unique needs of women, men and all societal groups across all facets of parliamentary responsibility with sessions on mainstreaming gender equality in Parliaments, parliamentary workplaces and constituency engagement. 

To read more about the workshop please click here.

Solomon Islands Parliament undertakes CPA Benchmarks self-assessment

A delegation from Commonwealth Parliamentary Association International Headquarters met with the National Parliament of Solomon Islands from 9 to 13 December as part of a CPA Benchmarks self-assessment. The CPA’s Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures provide a framework for excellence in Commonwealth parliamentary and legislative practice.

The CPA Benchmarks self-assessment was undertaken by Beverly Duffy, Clerk Assistant (Committees) in the Legislative Council of the Parliament of New South Wales, and CPA Headquarters Good Governance Project Manager, Fraser McIntosh. 

Read more about the self-assessment here.

Australian Senate President leads parliamentary visits to Parliaments of Fiji and Tuvalu 

A delegation from the Australian Federal Parliament, led by the President of the Senate, Senator Hon. Sue Lines visited the Parliament of Fiji for a bilateral visit on 4 December 2024. 

The Members were welcomed in the Chamber by the recently elected Speaker of the Fiji Parliament, Hon. Filimone Jitoko, before a bilateral meeting and a discussion with Fijian Members of Parliament.

The President of the Senate of Australia congratulated the Speaker of Fiji on his recent appointment and highlighted the bilateral relations between the two Parliaments. The Speaker of Fiji thanked the Australian Parliament for their support over the years as the Fiji Parliament has benefitted greatly from the twinning arrangements, which supports study exchange programmes, capacity building and professional development for both Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff.  

Following this, the Australian delegation visited the island of Tuvalu where they met with the Prime Minister, Hon. Feleti P. Teo who emphasized the importance of deepening bilateral relations between Australia and Tuvalu through the Falepili Union Treaty, particularly addressing climate change challenges. Both nations acknowledged the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures as Tuvalu prepares to receive its first submarine internet cable, a significant step toward improved connectivity. The discussion also addressed the critical issue of gender equality in government, with Tuvalu's leaders advocating for increased representation of women in politics.

Find out more about the CPA Australia Region here and the CPA Pacific Region here.

Grenada Presiding Officers visit their counterparts at the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago 

On 5 December 2024, the Presiding Officers of the Grenada Parliament - Senator Hon. Dr Dessima D. Williams, President of the Senate and Hon. Leo Cato, Speaker of the House paid a joint courtesy call on the President of the Senate, Senator Hon. Nigel de Freitas and Speaker of the House, Hon. Bridgid Annisette-George, MP, at the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago.  

The visit took place during a workshop organised by the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network, ParlAmericas and UN Women Caribbean on the theme of ‘Making the Work of Parliaments Responsive to the Needs of Women and Men’ in Port of Spain. 

Read more about the CPA Caribbean, Americas and the Atlantic Region here.

Bahamas Senate President visits Trinidad and Tobago Parliament

The President of the Senate at the Parliament of The Bahamas, Senator Hon. Julie LaShell Adderley paid a joint courtesy call on the President of the Senate, Senator Hon. Nigel de Frietas and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Bridgid Annisette-George, MP, at the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago on 4 December 2024.

The Bahamas Senate President was also visiting Port-of-Spain for the joint Caribbean Parliamentary Workshop on gender organised by ParlAmericas, UN Women Caribbean and the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians network.

First Gender-Sensitive Legislation Workshop held in Pakistan

The Women's Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) of the National Assembly of Pakistan has held a two-day workshop on ‘Advancing Gender Equality in Legislation: A Workshop on Gender-Sensitive Legislative Drafting’ from 14 to 15 December 2024 in Islamabad. 

The Workshop was held under the leadership of the Pakistan Women’s Parliamentary Caucus Secretary, Hon. Dr Shahida Rehmani, MNA in partnership with the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS). The Workshop was attended by women Members of Parliament from Pakistan (Federal and Provincial Assemblies) as well as MPs from The Maldives and Sri Lanka. 

The International Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network, Hon. Dr Zainab Gimba, MP (Nigeria) attended the Workshop and highlighted the CWP’s work in helping Parliaments to become gender-sensitive institutions and to encourage all Members to include a gender perspective in all aspects of their role - legislation, oversight and representation. 

Read more about the workshop here.

Read more about the workshop here.

Zambia hosts 56th Plenary Assembly of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) 

The National Assembly of Zambia hosted the 56th Plenary Assembly Session of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) from 9 to 10 December 2024 in Livingstone. The meeting, running under the theme of ‘Leveraging Technology and Innovation for Smart, Inclusive and Responsive Parliaments in the SADC Region’, focused on the modernisation of parliamentary processes through digital technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), in a bid to create democratic, inclusive and efficient governance systems in the region. 

The Assembly was opened by the Vice-President of Zambia, Her Honour W.K Mutale Nalumango, and was attended by the Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, Rt Hon. Nelly B. K. Mutti, SC, MP; the Speaker of the National Assembly of Seychelles, Hon. Roger Mancienne, who is also the President of the SADC Parliamentary Forum; and the Secretary-General of the SADC-PF, Ms Boemo Sekgoma. 

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum is a regional interparliamentary body composed of Members of Parliament from SADC Member State National Parliaments, representing over 3,500 Parliamentarians in the SADC Region and aims to support and improve regional integration through parliamentary involvement and best practice in regional cooperation. 

Read more about the work of SADC here.

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