10th CPA India Region Conference on Sept 23-24

Delhi: The Parliament of India is slated to host the 10th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Conference on September 23–24, 2024.

This two-day conference will be presided over by Om Birla, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chairman of the CPA India Region. The CPA India Region’s Secretary is Utpal Kumar Singh, Secretary General of the Lok Sabha.

It is anticipated that the Presiding Officers from all of India’s states and union territories—the Speaker and Deputy Speakers of the Legislative Assemblies and the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Councils—will attend this conference.

The theme of this two-day conference is ‘The role of legislative bodies in the attainment of sustainable and inclusive development’. The Presiding Officers are expected to share their experiences, initiatives, best practices and suggest further actions that are required to be taken to make the legislatures more responsive to the needs of the people and for achieving sustainable and inclusive development.

Headquartered in London, the CPA is an officially Accredited and Associated Commonwealth organisation. The CPA currently has about 180 branches across the world and is divided into nine regions, including India – Africa; Asia; Australia; British Islands and Mediterranean (BIM); Canada; Caribbean, Americas and the Atlantic (CAA); India; Pacific; and South-East Asia.

The CPA India Region comprises of a total of 31 Legislatures – the India Union Branch (Parliament of India) and 30 State CPA Branches (State Legislatures) spread across India. After the Africa Region, India has the largest number of member Branches of the CPA. Based on a decision taken at its Udaipur conference in 2023, the CPA India Region has been restructured into 9 zones from 4 zones earlier to make them more effective and dynamic.

The CPA connects, develops, promotes and supports legislators and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and implement the enduring values of the Commonwealth such as Democracy, Human rights, Equality, Empowerment, Equity, International peace and security, Tolerance, respect, and understanding, Freedom of expression, Separation of powers, Rule of law, good governance, Sustainable development, Protecting the environment, Access to health etc.

The CPA India Region Conference is held annually. It may be recalled that the 9th CPA India Region Conference was held in Udaipur, Rajasthan in August 2023 whose theme was ‘Strengthening democracy and good governance in the digital age’.

Along with the All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC), the CPA India Region Conference is an effective platform that brings together the Presiding Officers of the Parliament of India, the States and Union Territories on one platform for brainstorming on topics of shared value and relevance related to the challenges and opportunities for the legislatures. The goal of such conferences is to further strengthen the country through democratic institutions and make the legislatures more effective, efficient and responsive to the needs of citizens.
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