COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REPORT AND PERFORMANCE REVIEW 2017 Statement of Purpose CONTENTS The Commonwealth Parliamentary Assocation (CPA) exists CPA ANNUAL REPORT AND to connect, develop, promote and support Parliamentarians PERFORMANCE REVIEW 2017 and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance, and implement the enduring values of the Commonwealth. History and Status 12 months in review 2 The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association It collaborates with Parliaments and other organisations, including the intergovernmental community, to achieve (CPA) was originally established in 1911 as the Testimonials from our Members and Partners 4 Empire Parliamentary Association. In 1948, the name its Purpose. The CPA brings Parliamentarians and was changed to the Commonwealth Parliamentary parliamentary staff together to exchange ideas among Association. themselves and with experts in various fields, to identify Executive Summary 6 good practices and new policy options which they can adopt or adapt in the governance of their societies. The CPA was registered as a charity on 22 October Chairperson’s Foreword 7 1971 (registration number 263147) under the laws of the United Kingdom. Its principal office is located at Commonwealth Heads of Government have recognised the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, CPA the Parliaments and Legislatures of the Commonwealth as Secretary-General’s Foreword 8 Headquarters Secretariat, Richmond House, Houses of essential elements in the exercise of democratic governance, Parliament, London SW1A 0AA, United Kingdom. and have endorsed the efforts of the Association as the parliamentary partner of the Commonwealth’s Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference and Executive Committee Meetings 10 The Association’s Constitution was first adopted by the governmental and non-governmental sectors. General Assembly in Cyprus on 6 September 1993, and CPA Programmes - Progress and Key Outputs: The CPA’s activities focus on the Commonwealth’s amended by the General Assembly of the Association • Parliamentary Benchmarking and Development 14 at its meetings in New Zealand on 19 October 1998; in commitment to its fundamental political values, Canada on 7 September 2004; in India on 28 September including: just and honest government, the alleviation • CPA Small Branches 20 2007; in Kenya on 18 September 2010; in South Africa of poverty, fundamental human rights, international • Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) 22 on 5 September 2013; and in the United Kingdom on 16 peace and order, global economic development, the rule • Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities 29 December 2016. of law, equal rights and representation for all citizens of both genders, the separation of powers among the three • Public Outreach 30 The current membership is made up of over 180 national, branches of government and the right to participate in • Communications and Publishing including The Parliamentarian 38 state, provincial and territorial Parliaments or Branches free and democratic political processes. in 53 countries of the Commonwealth. Each Branch is Progress on Cross-Cutting Issues – Gender and Rule of Law 41 autonomous, raises its own finances and pays an annual Public Benefit subscription to the Association’s International Secretariat In pursuance of the CPA’s aims and objectives, the CPA Branch Visits in 2017 42 in London. The annual subscription is determined at the Trustees have considered the UK Charity Commission’s Association’s annual meeting of the General Assembly. guidance on public benefit. In broad terms, all stakeholders in the legislative arm of government (the CPA Regional Conferences in 2017 44 www.cpahq.org only other two being the executive and judiciary) across the 53 countries of the Commonwealth in particular, and Working with Partner Organisations 48 the other countries of the world in general, benefit from the work of the Association through its promotion of the knowledge of the constitutional, legislative, economic, Corporate Effectiveness and Efficiency social and cultural aspects of parliamentary democracy. • Provision of Facilities for CPA Branches 52 During the year under review, the Trustees delivered on • CPA Headquarters Secretariat Staff - Learning and Development 52 the following core constitutional mandate of: • Governance and Management 53 • arranging Commonwealth Parliamentary Front cover images representing the Parliaments and Conferences, and other conferences, seminars, Visits to the CPA Headquarters Secretariat 54 Legislatures of the nine regions of the CPA: (top row left to meetings and study groups right) Parliament of Bangladesh (Asia Region); Parliament • providing facilities for the exchange of visits between of Cameroon (Africa Region); Parliament of Malaysia (South East Asia Region); (middle row left to right) Parliament Members of the Branches of the Association Appendix 1: Financial Statements 2017 55 of Gibraltar (British Islands and Mediterranean Region); • publishing material relevant to the aims and Nova Scotia House of Assembly, Canada (Canada Region); activitiesf o the Association, which shall include Appendix 2: Patrons and Executive Committee Members 2017-2018 72 Parliament of Western Australia (Australia Region); the regular publication of a periodical devoted to (bottom row left to right) Parliament of Kiribati (Pacific constitutional and parliamentary affairs (As at 31 December 2017) Region); Parliament of India (India Region); Legislative • maintaining at the CPA Headquarters Secretariat Assembly of the Cayman Islands (Caribbean, Americas and a centre for the dissemination and exchange of Appendix 3: List of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Branches 76 Atlantic Region). information on parliamentary matters. Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Annual Report and Performance Review 2017 | 1 CPA ANNUAL REPORT CPA ANNUAL REPORT AND PERFORMANCE AND PERFORMANCE REVIEW 2017 REVIEW 2017 12 MONTHS IN REVIEW: January to December 2017 Annual Conference and Governance Parliamentary Benchmarking and Development 63rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) CPA Executive 1 annual conference Committee Mid-Year CPA Parliamentary CPA Technical Assistance Programmes (TAP) Over 500 Commonwealth Parliamentarians Meeting Fundamentals Programme 2 Programmes in 2 Branches (Fiji and Mauritius) in 2 CPA 1 new CPA Chairperson elected 35 Executive Committee (CPA Small Branches with Regions 15 conference workshops and sessions Members attending McGill University, Canada) 1 feature article abou the TAP for The Parliamentarian 1 Rohingya refugees statement agreed 9 CPA Regions Online course: 23 Members mfro Over 50 Bangladeshi and international media represented 15 Branches Over 120,000 views on CPA’s social media Face-to-face course: 20 Members CPA Masterclasses CPRS (Research 12 CPA Masterclasses recorded Service) 5 Members from 4 CPA 2 research requests received CPA Networks Regions from Branches CPA Parliamentary 5 external organisations or 34 responses received from Fundamentals Programme CPA partners contributing Branches in 6 CPA Regions CPA Small Branches Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) (All CPA Branches with 2 Webinars with 6 Members 1 strategy session with 19 Members WITS University, South 1 new quarterly column in The Parliamentarian from 9 CPA Regions and 4 external partners Africa) from CPA Small Branches Chairperson 3 Regional Strengthening Funds activated Online course: 23 Members mfro CPA Post-Election Seminars 1 strategic planning workshop with 7 CPA 1 International Women’s Day video message 18 CPA Branches Turks and Caicos: 14 Members attended. 3 Resource Persons: Regions represented 3 CWP workshop sessions at 63rd CPC Face-to-face course: 20 Members Montserrat, Trinidad & Tobago and Ontario, Canada 1 CPA Small Branches Conference at 63rd 2 CWP Steering Committee meetings during the year Cayman Islands: 7 Members attended. 3 Resource Persons: CPC with 3 workshop sessions for Small 1 CWP Strategic Plan and 1 CWP annual newsletter Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica and Bermuda Branches Members published in print and online 1 new CWP Facebook page launched CPA Parliamentary Staff Development (All Branches with McGill Public Accounts Parliamentarians with University, Canada) Committees Disabilities Public Outreach Online course: 13 parliamentary 1 CPA study group delivered 30 Commonwealth staff funded from 13 CPA Branches 5 CPA Members attended Parliamentarians with Disabilities CPA Roadshows for Young People Face-to-face course: 10 4 external partners from 8 CPA Regions 18 CPA Roadshows in 2017 Commonwealth Day at CPA parliamentary staff 7 feature articles about the topic in 1,118 students Headquarters The Parliamentarian 50:50 male: female students 31 participants at CPA Headquarters event 45 MPs attended from 12 Branches in London 7 CPA Regions reached 13 Branches represented 26 schools and universities reached 6 CPA Regions Communications and Publishing 1 Teachers’ Resource Pack launched to schools online 11 MPs attended Over 57,000 views on CPA’s social media Communications Publishing 36 CPA press releases issued in 2017 4 issues of The Parliamentarian CPA Regional ‘Hot Topic’ Forums Commonwealth Day in Branches 54 CPA news stories on website 1 supplement published about Bangladesh 2 Regional Hot Topic Forums 11 Branches participating 305 digital and print news articles/mentions 4 CPA Update e-newsletters 3 CPA Regions (Caribbean, Americas and 7 CPA Regions represented 51,000 users and over 165,000 CPA website page