Why in the news?

  • The plenary session of the 11th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, India Region Conference was held in Karnataka.

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

  • What is it?: An international association of national, state, provincial, and territorial parliaments within the Commonwealth.
  • Establishment: Founded in 1911 as the Empire Parliamentary Association and renamed as CPA in 1948.
  • Headquarters: London, UK
  • Objectives:
    • Promote democratic governance, rule of law, and human rights.
    • Encourage parliamentary cooperation and exchange of best practices.
    • Strengthen parliamentary institutions in member states.
    • Foster capacity building of parliamentarians and staff.
  • Membership:
    • Over 180 national, state, provincial and territorial legislatures from more than 55 Commonwealth countries.
    • Members include both bicameral and unicameral legislatures.
    • India is an active member and several Indian state legislatures are part of the CPA.
  • Structure: Composed of a General Assembly, Executive Committee, Regional Groups(9 regional groups) and Secretariat (In London).
  • Key Activities:
    • Conferences & Workshops: Annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC).
    • Training: Programs for MPs, Speakers, and legislative staff.
    • Publications: The Parliamentarian journal, research reports.
    • Technical Assistance: Supports democratic reforms, gender equality in legislatures.
  • Indian Participation:
    • India hosted the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in 1957, 1975, and 2007.
    • Indian Speakers and parliamentarians regularly participate in CPA activities.
    • State legislative assemblies also engage through regional branches.
  • Challenges:
    • Funding and resource constraints.
    • Relevance in a changing global political order.
    • Balancing diversity among developed and developing member states.
  • Significance:
    • Strengthening of parliamentary democracy.
    • Platform for India’s parliamentary diplomacy.
    • Reflection of Commonwealth values of democracy, development, and cooperation.