CPA conf'ce begins today

Fighting corruption, empowering women and ensuring transparency in the activities of top officials of Commonwealth countries are likely to feature prominently at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference that formally begins in the city today.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the vice patron of the 63rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, is scheduled to inaugurate the annual mega event at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban at 10:30am.

Over 550 delegates from 144 national and provincial parliaments of 44 countries will join the conference. A total of 52 countries are members of CPA. 

The CPA and Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad are jointly hosting the conference with the theme: Continuing to enhance the high standards of performance of parliamentarians.

JS Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, also the CPA chairperson, will preside over the conference while Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Mia will lead the Bangladesh delegation.

The eight-day conference began on November 1 with meetings of different committees and sub-committees of CPA as well as conferences of its “Small Branches”.

After the inaugural event, all the remaining sessions of the conference will be held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. The meeting will conclude on Wednesday with the adaptation of “Dhaka Declaration”.

“The delegates of different member countries in Small Branches have proposed discussing various issues at the conference, including fighting corruption, ensuring transparency in the activities of top officials and taking effective measures to address climate change and environment pollution,” ruling Awami League lawmaker Tanvir Imam, also a member of the CPA media committee, told reporters at a briefing at a city hotel yesterday.

He briefed the press after the meeting of Small Branches of CPA. Of the over 180 national and provincial parliaments of the organisation, a group of 43 is classified as “Small Branches”, with each of the countries having a population of less than 500,000.

Tanvir said the annual event would bring together parliamentarians, parliamentary staff and decision makers from across the Commonwealth countries for a unique conference and networking opportunity.

During the final day's meeting of Small Branches yesterday, its members stressed the need for encouraging the youth community in active politics and role of parliaments in fighting corruption, the lawmaker added.

The conference will focus on the young generation as about 60 percent of 2.4 billion people living in Commonwealth countries are aged below 30.

This year's meeting is also significant from the point of view of the Rohingya crisis as a separate session will be held today where Bangladesh's Foreign Minister AH Mahmood will apprise foreign delegates on the issue. 

Bangladesh will also seek the CPA's support to force Myanmar to take back its nationals who have fled their homeland since August 25 following persecution.

As many as eight workshops will be held during the conference on a wide range of topics, including the role of parliamentarians in building stronger ties within Commonwealth, giving voice to the youth and mechanisms for ensuring effective participation of the youth in the governance process.

The election of the chairperson of CPA Executive Committee will also be held during the conference as the three-year tenure of the incumbent chairperson expires this year.

Speaker Shirin was elected chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee in October 2014.

The CPA was founded in 1911 as the Empire Parliamentary Association and its affairs were administered by the UK branch.