Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, (CPA) previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation, British by foundation, which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights.

As of 1989, the CPA acknowledges as Patron - the Head of the Commonwealth, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - and as Vice-Patron, by rotation Heads of State of the Commonwealth national government hosting its upcoming Annual Conference. The association's supreme authority is the General Assembly, constituted by delegates to the annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference.[1] The business and activities of the CPA are managed by an Executive Committee, which reports to the General Assembly. The CPA's funds are derived from membership fees paid by its branches, as well as from two trust funds and benefactors.

The official publication of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is The Parliamentarian, the Journal of Commonwealth Parliaments. The organisation administers the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP), a group across the Commonwealth which promotes greater representation for women in Parliament.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) currently has 181 branches and is divided into nine regions - Africa; Asia; Australia; British Islands and Mediterranean; Canada; Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic; India; Pacific, and South-East Asia. The CPA Secretariat is based in London.

History

CPA African Branch meeting, 2014

It was founded as the Empire Parliamentary Association in 1911, with its first branches being Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, the latter branch administering the association as a whole. In 1948 the association changed its name to the current Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, and invited all branches to participate in the organisation's administration.

Officers

The current Chair of the CPA Executive Committee is Rt Hon. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Speaker of Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban of Bangladesh,[2] who succeeded Rt Hon. Sir Alan Haselhurst MP (2011 – 2014), formerly Chairman of Ways and Means of the UK Parliament.

The current Vice-Chair is Hon. Datuk Seri Dr. Ronald Kiandee, Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives from the Parliament of Malaysia.

The current Treasurer is Hon. Request Muntanga, Member of Parliament of Zambia.

The current Chair of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians is Rt Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, Speaker of Parliament of Uganda.

Secretaries-General

The CPA's 7th Secretary-General is Mr Akbar Khan.[3]

Previous Secretaries-General have been: Dr. William F. Shija, former Minister Tanzania Parliament (2007 – 2014); Hon. Denis Marshall, former Minister New Zealand Parliament (2002 – 2006); Hon. Arthur Donahoe, former Speaker Nova Scotia House of Assembly (1993 – 2001); Hon. Dr. David Tonkin, former Premier South Australia (1986 – 1992); Sir Robin Vandervelt from South Africa (1961 – 1985); Sir Howard d’Egville (1949 - 1960).[4]

Members

Members of the CPA are listed below. Both national and subnational parliaments are included.

Members National and Sub-National Parliaments
 Alderney States of Alderney
 Anguilla Parliament of Anguilla
 Antigua and Barbuda Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda
 Australia Parliament of Australia. Australia National Branch has withdrawn from the CPA.

Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, Parliament of New South Wales, Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, Parliament of Queensland, Parliament of South Australia, Parliament of Tasmania, Parliament of Victoria, Parliament of Western Australia

 The Bahamas Parliament of the Bahamas
 Bangladesh Parliament of Bangladesh
 Barbados Parliament of Barbados
 Belize Parliament of Belize
 Bermuda Parliament of Bermuda
 Botswana Parliament of Botswana
 British Virgin Islands House of Assembly of the British Virgin Islands
 Cameroon National Assembly of Cameroon
 Canada Parliament of Canada

Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, National Assembly of Quebec, Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Yukon Legislative Assembly

 Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands
 Cook Islands Parliament of the Cook Islands
 Cyprus House of Representatives of Cyprus
 Dominica House of Assembly of Dominica
 Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands
 Fiji Parliament of Fiji
 Ghana Parliament of Ghana
 Gibraltar Gibraltar Parliament
 Grenada Parliament of Grenada
 Guernsey States of Guernsey
 Guyana National Assembly of Guyana
 India Parliament of India

Andhra Pradesh Legislature, Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Assam Legislative Assembly, Bihar Legislative Assembly, Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, Delhi Legislative Assembly, Goa Legislative Assembly, Gujarat Legislative Assembly, Haryana Legislative Assembly, Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Jammu and Kashmir Legislature, Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Kerala Legislature, Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Manipur Legislative Assembly, Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, Mizoram Legislative Assembly, Nagaland Legislative Assembly, Odisha Legislative Assembly, Puducherry Legislative Assembly, Punjab Legislative Assembly, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, Sikkim Legislative Assembly, Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Telangana Legislative Assembly, Tripura Legislative Assembly, Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly, Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, West Bengal Legislative Assembly

 Isle of Man High Court of Tynwald
 Jamaica Parliament of Jamaica
 Jersey States of Jersey
 Kenya Parliament of Kenya
 Kiribati House of Assembly (Kiribati)
 Lesotho Parliament of Lesotho
 Malawi Parliament of Malawi
 Malaysia Parliament of Malaysia

Johor State Legislative Assembly, Kedah State Legislative Assembly, Kelantan State Legislative Assembly, Malacca State Legislative Assembly, Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly, Pahang State Legislative Assembly, Penang State Legislative Assembly, Perak State Legislative Assembly, Perlis State Legislative Assembly, Sabah State Legislative Assembly, Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, Selangor State Legislative Assembly, Terengganu State Legislative Assembly

 Maldives People's Majlis
 Malta Parliament of Malta
 Mauritius Parliament of Mauritius
 Montserrat Legislative Council of Montserrat
 Mozambique Parliament of Mozambique
 Namibia Parliament of Namibia
 Nauru Parliament of Nauru
 New Zealand Parliament of New Zealand
 Nigeria Parliament of Nigeria

Abia State Adamawa State, Akwa Ibom State, Anambra State, Bauchi State, Bayelsa State, Benue State Borno State, Cross River State, Delta State, Ebonyi State, Edo State, Ekiti State, Enugu State, Gombe State, Imo State, Jigawa State, Kaduna State, Kano State, Katsina State, Kebbi State, Kogi State Kwara State, Lagos State, Nasarawa State, Niger State, Ogun State, Ondo State, Osun State, Oyo State, Plateau State, Rivers State, Sokoto State, Taraba State, Yobe State Zamfara State

 Niue Niue Assembly
 Pakistan Parliament of Pakistan

Provincial Assembly of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, Provincial Assembly of Sindh

 Papua New Guinea Parliament of Papua New Guinea

Bougainville House of Representatives

 Rwanda Parliament of Rwanda
 Samoa Legislative Assembly of Samoa
 Seychelles Parliament of Seychelles
 Sierra Leone Parliament of Sierra Leone
 Singapore Parliament of Singapore
 Solomon Islands National Parliament of the Solomon Islands
 South Africa Parliament of South Africa

Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature, Free State Legislature, Gauteng Provincial Legislature, KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, Limpopo Legislature, Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature, Northern Cape Provincial Legislature, North West Provincial Legislature, Western Cape Provincial Parliament

 Sri Lanka Parliament of Sri Lanka
 Saint Helena Legislative Council of Saint Helena
 Saint Kitts and Nevis. Also known as Saint Christopher and Nevis. National Assembly (Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Nevis Island Assembly

 Saint Lucia Parliament of Saint Lucia
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines House of Assembly of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
 Swaziland Parliament of Swaziland
 Tanzania Parliament of Tanzania

Zanzibar House of Representatives

 Tonga Legislative Assembly of Tonga
 Trinidad and Tobago Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago
 Turks and Caicos Islands Turks and Caicos Islands House of Assembly
 Tuvalu Parliament of Tuvalu
 Uganda Parliament of Uganda
 United Kingdom Parliament of the United Kingdom

 Scotland, Scottish Parliament

 Wales, Welsh Assembly

 Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Assembly

 Vanuatu Parliament of Vanuatu - CPA Branch currently in suspension.
 Zambia Parliament of Zambia

Additional Links

References

  1. ↑ www.wikinewsindia.com
  2. ↑ CPA Chair at www.cpahq.org
  3. ↑ CPA HQ
  4. ↑ www.npg.org.uk

Notes

External links

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