The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Stephen Twigg

Preparations are now well-advanced for the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) in Barbados this October. I am immensely grateful to the Parliament of Barbados for hosting our conference and I am confident that it will be a vibrant, engaging and enjoyable opportunity for all participants.

The 68th CPC comes at a momentous time for our Association and its membership as we will have our new international legal status conferred on us by the end of 2025. This new status will provide a strong foundation for our future development. This foundation will underpin the new Strategic Plan 2026-2029 for the CPA which will be presented at the conference for discussion and adoption. I am grateful to all those who have participated in the consultation process for this Strategic Plan.

We will meet in Barbados against a backdrop of global uncertainty in which multilateralism, democracy and human rights are under threat. It is a backdrop that challenges us all but provides an opportunity for the Commonwealth to once again demonstrate its relevance. The CPA can play an important role as part of the Commonwealth family. That is why partnerships and the promotion of Commonwealth values feature prominently in the draft Strategic Plan alongside a reaffirmation of our core commitment to parliamentary strengthening.

In promoting these key objectives, we will have an opportunity to reaffirm our key CPA themes of gender equality, disability inclusion, representing small jurisdictions, empowering young people and supporting Parliaments to address sustainable development, climate change and technology.

I have been pleased to have had the platforms to discuss our strategic priorities at the 54th CPA Africa and 54th CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Conferences this year hosted respectively by the National Assembly of The Gambia and the Senedd in Wales. The Deputy CPA Secretary-General, Jarvis Matiya also spoke about these priorities at the 61st CPA Canada Regional Conference in Québec and will do so at the 47th CPA Regional Conference of the Caribbean, Americas and the Atlantic (CAA) Region in The Bahamas. I look forward to similar discussions when I attend the CPA India Regional Conference in September.

As well as the adoption of a new strategic plan, the 68th CPC will also conduct key elections for the positions of Treasurer and the Chairperson of two of our CPA networks – the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) and the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD). I am immensely grateful to the three CPA Officers who have held these important roles since the 65th CPC in 2022 - respectively Hon. Anurag Sharma, MP (India Union), Hon. Zainab Gimba, MP (Nigeria) and Hon. Laura Kanushu, MP (Uganda).

They have served in leadership roles through a very significant period for the CPA as we finally saw progress on our legal status. Their legacy is strong as we have healthy finances and vibrant networks – reflected in the strong commitments to gender and disability inclusion in the new draft Strategic Plan. I wish them well for the future and I look forward to working with their successors.

Last year, at the 67th CPC in Sydney, Australia, delegates elected a new CPA Chairperson and a new CPA Small Branches Chairperson, and the CPA Executive Committee elected a new CPA Vice-Chair. It has been a privilege to work with Hon. Dr Christopher Kalila, MP (Zambia), Hon. Valerie Woods, MNA (Belize) and Hon. Carmel Sepiuloni, MP (New Zealand) and I thank them for their service.

2025 has already been a busy year for the CPA with Regional Conferences, a Mid-Year CPA Executive Committee meeting in London and a wide range of programmes activities including the CPA Small Branches and CWP Workshops and two CPA Parliamentary Academy residencies. I am fortunate to work with a dedicated team of CPA Secretariat staff most of whom will be attending the 68th CPC.

Let me finish by returning to the issue of status. When I was interviewed for this job in 2020, I made a promise to the nine Parliamentarians who interviewed me – that I would make it a personal priority to take forward the longstanding matter of the CPA’s legal status. There have been ‘ups and downs’ along the way but I am very pleased that we are almost there now after the passage of primary legislation by the UK Parliament earlier this year.

This new status is a collective achievement of the CPA’s entire membership, and I believe it is truly a moment for us to celebrate but also an opportunity to further strengthen and enhance our work. I look forward to meeting many of you in Barbados where we can discuss further how best the new CPA can assist Parliaments and Parliamentarians across the Commonwealth as we address the challenges of global insecurity, climate change, conflict and economic uncertainty.