CPA NEWS POST-PANDEMIC PARLIAMENTS ON THE AGENDA AT 50TH CPA BRITISH ISLANDS AND MEDITERRANEAN REGIONAL CONFERENCE IN NORTHERN IRELAND
All images credit: Northern Ireland Assembly.
Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) British Islands and Mediterranean (BIM) Region attended the annual Regional Conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland from 21 to 22 September 2021. The CPA Regional Conference, hosted by the Northern Ireland Assembly, focussed on the theme of ‘PostPandemic Parliaments'. Across the course of two days, the Acting CPA Chairperson, Hon. Ian Liddell-Grainger MP (UK), the CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg, and more than 50 Speakers, Members of Parliament, Clerks, and officials participated in a series of workshops on the impact that COVID-19 will have on the future of parliamentary democracy. Sessions explored topics such as emergency legislation, the future of hybrid Parliaments, and vaccine responses, acknowledging the common challenges that the pandemic continues to pose for Parliaments and Legislatures in the Region and elsewhere in the Commonwealth. At the opening of the CPA Regional Conference, delegates were welcomed to Northern Ireland by Alex Maskey MLA, Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly and President of the CPA Northern Ireland Branch who said: “The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world, and all our individual jurisdictions, has been unlike anything in living memory. The Northern Ireland Assembly, like all legislatures, had to review its procedures almost overnight and adapt and innovate at speed to ensure that the essential legislative, scrutiny and accountability functions of the Assembly could continue. This Conference provides an opportunity to assess and share experience about how parliamentary institutions have adapted to this emergency situation and consider lessons to inform us as we hope to increasingly focus on the pandemic recovery.” The CPA Regional Conference expanded upon existing work done by Branches both within the Region and across the entire Association. COVID-19 is the 2020/2021 Strategic Theme for the CPA BIM Region and in August a report was published examining the lessons that Parliaments can learn from the different responses to COVID-19 across the Region. During the Regional Conference, CPA Secretary-General outlined how the CPA is supporting Parliaments to lead the pandemic recovery and said: “Mutual learning is a crucial part of the response to the pandemic and at the core of the mission of the CPA. To make Parliaments stronger, more effective and fully independent, we must learn from each other. The CPA will continue to provide a forum for Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to come together and share their ideas and strategies as the pandemic recovery continues.” The CWP BIM Steering Committee also met to discuss upcoming activities and the network’s ongoing efforts to make Parliaments more gender-sensitive institutions. Throughout 2021, the Northern Ireland Assembly has been marking 100 years since the creation of Northern Ireland and the first sitting of the old Northern Ireland Parliament. To mark the Anniversary, the Assembly hosted a series of Virtual Lectures on the history of Northern Ireland, and a Parliament Buildings Open Day, featuring an exhibition on ‘100 Years of Women Members’. At the conclusion of the Regional Conference, Hon. William Humphrey MBE MLA, Chairperson of the CPA Northern Ireland Branch, said: “I hope that this Regional Conference has shown that Northern Ireland is a changing place. It’s for all of us to work together, in Northern Ireland and in the Commonwealth, to share information to ensure that the challenges we face will be met together. Our different experiences will make us stronger together as Members of the CPA.”
For the latest CPA and Commonwealth news please visit www.cpahq.org or follow the CPA on social media Twitter @CPA_Secretariat | Facebook.com/CPAHQ | LinkedIn | Instagram @cpa_secretariat 340 | The Parliamentarian | 2021: Issue Four | 100 years of publishing
