EDITOR’S NOTE
CHOGM 2018 OUTCOMES AND A NEW FOCUS ON THE COMMONWEALTH The Editor’s Note the 2018 Commonwealth People’s Forum in London, Following recent events, there is a renewed focus ahead of CHOGM 2018. on the Commonwealth that we have not seen for Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy, MP (Lok Sabha, India) a number of years. The diverse community of the gives us a view of CHOGM 2018 from India’s 53 Commonwealth nations has an opportunity to perspective and write of the increasing importance increase its promotion of prosperity, democracy and that his country is placing on the Commonwealth peace and to tackle the worldwide challenges such as connection. climate change that affect all of our global population. Just prior to the CHOGM 2018, the successful The role of the Commonwealth’s wide network XXI Commonwealth Games was held in the of organisations – from the Commonwealth Gold Coast in Australia. This issue hears from Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the Queensland Government Minister for the Games, Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Jeffrey Hyland, Editor Hon. Kate Jones, MP (Queensland, Australia) through to the Commonwealth Games Federation The Parliamentarian, about the impact of the event on the state and the and the Commonwealth Local Government Commonwealth country as a whole. Forum – is of huge importance in giving the Parliamentary Association This issue of The Parliamentarian features an article Commonwealth a unique role in responding to the by Rt Hon. David Hanson, MP (United Kingdom) world’s universal challenges. about the CPA UK Branch’s Modern Slavery Project in partnership with the This issue of The Parliamentarian reports on a wide range of UK Government that is reaching many Commonwealth countries. recent events and activities that have reached our membership in all Hon. Meraj Hamayun Khan, MPA (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, nine regions of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Pakistan) is the Chairperson of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus This issue reports on the many events that took place prior and in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and she writes about the during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) inspiring Malala Yousafzai. 2018 and Commonwealth Summit in the United Kingdom with a This issue celebrates the ten-year anniversary of the Pakistan wide range of activities involving Commonwealth Parliamentarians. Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) with an article by its Executive From the opening ceremony by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Director, Mr Zafarullah Khan about the work that the Institute has at Buckingham Palace to the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers undertaken in parliamentary development and youth engagement. meeting at Lancaster House, all of these events had a great impact. The CPA Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures This issue reports from three of the four Commonwealth Forums were developed as a global tool for parliamentary benchmarking - Women’s, People’s and Youth – which, together with the Business and several CPA Branches are undertaking self-assessments using Forum, took place in London ahead of the main CHOGM 2018 the benchmarks. This issue of The Parliamentarian hears from Ciara bringing together Parliamentarians, heads of government, global Furlong and Amanda Honeyman from the Queensland Parliament leaders, business executives, civil society groups, international and who share their insights and experiences of the benchmarking process. women’s organisations and young people. The Commonwealth V. K. Babu Prakash, Secretary of the Kerala Legislative Forums were a valuable opportunity to discuss shared agendas, forge Assembly (Kerala, India) writes about the Indian Parliament in relation important new partnerships and celebrate common interests. to judicial matters and the role that it plays. The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association On 12 March 2018, the CPA Headquarters Secretariat (CPA) Executive Committee, Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, MP celebrated Commonwealth Day 2018 with young people from the (Cameroon) builds on the outcomes of the Commonwealth Women’s Commonwealth and this issue features a report and images of the Forum in her View article on the subject of ‘Women and Politics’ and the events in London alongside reports from many CPA Branches about CPA Secretary-General, Mr Akbar Khan in his View article writes about the wide range of activities that took place across the Commonwealth leveraging the Commonwealth network to make lasting change. from St Helena to Zanzibar, Manitoba to New Zealand. Hon. Anġelo Farrugia, MP, Chairperson of the CPA Small The 9th Commonwealth Youth Parliament took place at the Branches (Malta) writes about the importance of the separation of powers to democracy in the Commonwealth, a subject he spoke about at States Assembly in St Helier, Jersey in a cold and wintry February 84 | The Parliamentarian | 2018: Issue Two