Promoting Parliamentary democracy
The CPA is an Association of Commonwealth Parliamentarians who,
irrespective of gender, race, religion or culture, are united by
community of interest, respect for the rule of law and individual rights
and freedoms, and by pursuit of the positive ideals of parliamentary
democracy.
The Association's mission is to promote the 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 co-operation among its Parliaments and Legislatures. This
mission is achieved through a Strategic Plan which ensures CPA
activities continue to meet the changing needs of today's
Parliamentarians.
CPA programmes provide the sole means of regular consultation among
Commonwealth Members, fostering co-operation and understanding and
promoting the study of and respect for good parliamentary practice. This
role is endorsed by Commonwealth Parliaments and Heads of Government. In
2003, governments bound themselves to an underlying set of Commonwealth
principles based on a CPA initiative with legal professionals to define
the proper relationships between the arms of government.
The CPA pursues its objectives by means of:
1. Annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conferences, Regional
Conferences and other symposiums
2. Interparliamentary visits
3. Parliamentary Seminars and Workshops
4. Publications, notably The Parliamentarian, conference
documentaries and newsletters on CPA activities and parliamentary and
political events, and
5. Its Parliamentary Information and Reference Centre for research
and communications.
Active CPA Branches now exist in 175 national, state, provincial and
territorial Parliaments, with a total membership of approximately 17,000
Parliamentarians.
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