FOR one week starting today, the 67th Executive Committee meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) – Africa Region hosted by Parliament of Tanzania, will be taking place in Dar es Salaam.
A statement issued in Dar es Salaam by the Secretary General of the CPA Africa Region, who is also the Clerk of the National Assembly of Tanzania, Dr Thomas Kashililah, said the stage was set for the meeting, which brings together all CPA Africa Region Executive Committee (EXCOM) members.
Dr Kashililah said the meeting aims to provide a forum to deliberate on the preparation of the report, theme and topics of the 46th Regional Annual General Meeting scheduled for Nairobi, Kenya in August this year as well as the Proposed Budget for the Secretariat for the year ending 31st December, 2016.
“It is expected that all delegates, who are members of EXCOM, will work on the agenda of the Association towards the 46th Conference and other related matters particularly on how to tackle development challenges in the CPA region,” he said.
He added that the mission is to promote advancement of parliamentary democracy by enhancing knowledge and understanding of democratic governance.
It seeks to build an informed parliamentary community able to deepen the Commonwealth’s democratic commitment and to further cooperation among its parliaments and legislators.
Meanwhile, as part of their activities in the calendar, the 67th Executive Committee will also convene into three sub committees namely the Regional Representatives, CWP Steering Committee and subcommittee on Programme Planning and Finance to discuss different matters of the Association.
Among expected delegates to the meeting are the EXCOM Chair Lindiwe Maseko (MP) from Parliament of South Africa, CPA Africa Region President who is also the Speaker of the Parliament of Kenya, Justin Bedan Njoka Muturi (MP), his Deputy President who is the Speaker of Parliament of Mauritius, Santi Bai Hanoomanjee (MP) and CPA Treasurer, Request Muntanga from Parliament of Zambia.
Others are CWP Africa Region chair Lucia Witbooi from Parliament of Namibia, Board Chair of the CPA Investment Company and Speaker of Parliament of Tanzania Ms Anne Makinda (MP), the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, CPA, links members of national, state, provincial and territorial parliaments and legislatures across the Commonwealth.
Countries attending include Tanzania, Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique and Namibia Others are Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, and Siera Leone.
According to the statement, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation, of British origin, which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights.
As of 1989, the organisation acknowledges a Patron – the Head of the Commonwealth; Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – and a Vice-Patron, the head of state or of the government of the branch holding the upcoming conference. The association’s supreme authority is the General Assembly, constituted by delegates to the annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference.
The business and activities are managed by an Executive Committee, which reports to the General Assembly. The association’s funds are obtained from membership fees paid by its branches, as well as from two trust funds and various other sources.
It was founded as the Empire Parliamentary Association in 1911, with its first branches being Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, the latter branch administering the association as a whole.