Guyana hosted the 24th Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) between the 12th and 15th of July. The CPA has 53 members, 9 regions and 175 branches.

Guyana belongs to the Caribbean, Atlantic and Americas Region consisting of all CARICOM members except Suriname and Haiti and several other countries. The Region meets annually in preparation for the Annual Conference of the CPA which is to be held in Tanzania in September/October.

As host and Chair of the Regional Conference, Guyana is a member of the Executive of the Regional Committee and for the next term will continue to be a member of the Executive as the Immediate Past Chair. Guyana is also a member of the Executive Committee of the CPA as well as the Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers Conference (CSPOC).

Regional conferences of the CPA are not confined to matters of purely a parliamentary nature. Branches also take the opportunity to discuss issues of topical interest within the region and in the wider international community.

This enables delegates and observers, who usually comprise members of governing and opposition parties, to exchange opinions and views and to learn from each other. They are able to take these opinions to their individual CPA branches and thereby formulate views and policies.

Delegates and observers are also able to exchange views about developments within their own parliaments in relation to new and advanced facilities which can be adopted elsewhere and assist parliamentarians in representing their constituents.

The areas which the Guyana Branch of the CPA felt were necessary for discussion included the world financial crisis, its impact on our region, climate change, human rights, parliament, and security.

The topics were chosen after careful consideration by government and opposition members comprising the executive committee of the CPA and reflected current international and regional concerns.

Presenters were chosen from the various branches but members of the Guyana Branch bore the heaviest responsibility. The Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds, spoke about climate change and outlined Guyana’s proposals for a Low Carbon Development Strategy.

Ms. Gail Teixeira presented the topic on human rights outlining advances in the region and Guyana.

Minister Clement Rohee outlined the security situation in CARICOM, which was ably supplemented by Speaker Delroy Chuck of Jamaica. Speaker Michael Carrington of Barbados analysed the financial crisis and its implications for the region while Minister Jennifer Webster suggested priorities for public spending.

Member of Parliament Lance Carberry apprised the conference about the developments which are necessary for a parliament to serve the interests of the people.

The conference gave participants the opportunity on each topic to find out about developments in the presenter’s country and to talk about developments in their own countries.

This is the kind of interaction that the CPA facilitates and which makes it so important.

Several other regions outside the Commonwealth have established or are in the process of establishing parliamentary bodies to perform various categories of functions similar to the CPA which was formed in 1911 and will be celebrating its centenary in 2011.

Apart from facilitating exchanges by way of meetings and conferences, the CPA offers assistance of various kinds in strengthening parliaments through studies and recommendations, equipment, seminars and other means.

The Guyana National Assembly has benefitted enormously from the contributions of the CPA.