The Gibraltar Parliament and CPA Gibraltar Branch are hosting the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Executive Committee for their Mid-Year Meeting in Gibraltar this week. 

A statement from the CPA follows below: 

The two-day meeting will take  place from 18 to 19 April 2022 and will welcome Speakers and Members of Parliament from across the  Commonwealth, both in-person and via video link. 

Delegates will discuss key governance issues and planning for the year ahead including the CPA’s legal status, financial reporting and future activities, such as the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Ghana. 

The CPA Executive Committee was due to have been held in Gibraltar in recent years, but the in-person meeting  had been postponed due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and travel restrictions in place at the time.  

The Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee, Hon. Ian Liddell-Grainger MP (UK) said: “The Commonwealth  Parliamentary Association provides a unique platform for inter-parliamentary dialogue to take place amongst  its membership of Parliaments and Legislatures. The CPA Executive Committee is pleased to be meeting in  Gibraltar to further the CPA’s work in strengthening parliamentary democracy across the Commonwealth  supported by the CPA Headquarters Secretariat team.” 

The Speaker of the Gibraltar Parliament and CPA Gibraltar Branch President, Hon. Melvyn Farrell, BEM GMD RD  JP MP and the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Hon. Fabian Picardo, KC, will both welcome parliamentary colleagues. The Speaker said: “I am delighted to welcome Parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth to Gibraltar for  the CPA Executive Committee meetings. The CPA Gibraltar Branch is active in the wider CPA networks and is  committed to engaging with the Commonwealth. The CPA is a forum through which we are able to share our  innovations, experiences and best practices in our Parliament and where we can learn from other Legislatures  on delivering parliamentary democracy and good governance for our citizens.” 

The CPA Gibraltar Branch was established in 1951 and is a member of the CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Region as well as the CPA Small Branches network. The CPA Gibraltar Branch has hosted the CPA Executive  Committee previously in 1969, 1987 and 2000 and most recently hosted the Commonwealth Women  Parliamentarians (CWP) British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Conference in October 2022. 

The CPA Executive Committee comprises 38 Members representing the nine regions of the CPA - Africa; Asia;  Australia; British Islands and Mediterranean; Canada; Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic; India; Pacific; South East Asia as well as the Officers of the Association (CPA President, CPA Vice-President, Chairperson of the CPA  Executive Committee, CPA Vice-Chairperson, CPA Treasurer and the Chairpersons of the Commonwealth  Women Parliamentarians (CWP), the CPA Small Branches and the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with  Disabilities (CPwD)).