Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

Draft Strategic Plan 2013-2017:

The CPA produces programmes and services to assist Parliaments, their Members an staff to provide effective governance by exposing them to the diversity of good practices in parliamentary governance and political policies throughout the Commonwealth.

The Association collaborates with Parliaments and other organizations, including the intergovernmental community, to achieve its mission. It brings Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff together to exchange ideas among themselves and with experts in various fields to identify benchmarks of good practices and new policy options they can adopt or adapt in the governance of their societies.

Commonwealth Heads of Government have recognized the Parliaments and Legislatures of the Commonwealth as essential elements in the exercise of democratic governance, and have endorsed the efforts of the Association as the parliamentary partner of the Commonwealth's governmental and non-governmental sectors. CPA activities focus on the Commonwealth's commitment to its fundamental political values, including: just and honest government, the alleviation of poverty, fundamental human rights, international peace and order, global economic development, the rule of law, equal rights and representation for all citizens of both genders, the separation of powers among the three branches of government and the right to participate in free and democratic political processes.

Strategies, Core Functions and Areas of Work

To accomplish its mission, the CPA pursues the following three Strategies:

1. To provide to members and parliamentary officials a range of core functions to promote parliamentary knowledge and Commonwealth parliamentary co-operation;

2. To organize for members and parliamentary officials a range of special programmes and services to meet the changing needs of the parliamentary community and

3. To create links between Parliamentarians and agencies working in the international arena in the field of good governance.

The Association's Core Functions are to:

* Represent and promote parliamentary democracy, the association and the values of the Commonwealth to both Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth worlds;

* Arrange a Plenary Conference of Commonwealth Parliamentarians to include the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, the Small Branches Conference and a youth programme;

* Provide a programme of seminars, workshops, study groups and professional development opportunities, including gender and youth focused programmes, for Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff;

* Publish and disseminate parliamentary information, and

* Encourage, develop and co-ordinate the exchange of knowledge, skills and information among members and among the constituent branches of the association including representatives of Parliaments in emerging non-Commonwealth democracies which have had close links with Commonwealth countries. The areas of Work for the life of the strategic plan will be categorized under one of the following headings:

* Commonwealth, parliamentary and professional development,

* Human rights,

* Global, national and personal security,

* Sustainable development and

* Good governance practices and the rule of law.

Overall objectives for 2013 to 2017

Objective 1: To assist members and branches to adopt good practice of democratic governance and to strengthen the institution of Parliament and the rule of law.

To achieve this objective the association will:

a) Use successful programmes and practices already tested by the association and further develop innovative methods and techniques appropriate to the CPA's mission;

b) Facilitate the exchange of comparative constitutional, procedural and practical precedents and methods of operation among Commonwealth Parliaments;

c) Strengthen parliamentary libraries and research services across the Commonwealth through the continued provision of information services assistance;

d) Encourage the financial independence of legislatures.

Objective 2: To promote the commonwealth and deepen its commitment to democracy and the rule of law.

To achieve this objective the association will:

a) Promote the Commonwealth and its democratic values and principles through all the Association's activities;

b) Strengthen the CPA's relationship with the Commonwealth's governmental and non-governmental sectors;

c) Encourage good practices in defining benchmarks across Commonwealth legislatures;

d) Sponsor outreach programmes, especially for women and young people, to improve public awareness of the values of parliamentary democracy and to encourage participation, and

e) Develop election observation tools an strategies for conflict management and resolution to enable the CPA to engage in election observation and conflict management within the region.

Objective 3: To encourage the professional development of Members and parliamentary staff.

To achieve this objective the association will:

a) Conduct and promote interpersonal meetings and increased use of ICT and social media communications tools to provide professional development programming.

Objective 4: To assist developing Parliaments with consultancy and advisory services and engage with other organizations to provide broad-based support programmes.

To achieve this objective the association will:

a) Focus CPA resources on Regions and Branches which have little if any funding or professional knowledge available to them by providing developing Parliaments with technical assistance and parliamentary support programmes in partnership with other organizations.

Objective 5: To strengthen the CPA at branch, regional and international levels through communications.

To achieve this Objective the association will:

a) Use evolving industry-standard and good practices in all communications product.

Objective 6: To promote gender equality and equity in the work of the CPA and across the association.

To achieve this objective the association will:

a) Encourage women to stand for election to representative bodies by advocating the removal of barriers to their participation and to facilitate their professional contribution as Members.

b) Ensure that gender continues to be mainstreamed across all activities to assist Parliaments and Legislatures to exceed the Commonwealth Heads of Government target of having women occupying no less than 30 percent of decision-making positions.

Objective 7: To address the concerns facing small Branches:

To achieve this Objective the association will:

a) Continue to hold a small branches conference and other dedicated initiatives to ensure that small branches play a full part in the work of the CPA at all levels.

Objective 8: To improve the organizational development of the association and to increase its effectiveness and efficiency.

To achieve this objective the association will:

a) Pursue best administrative practices to ensure the productivity of the Secretariat;

b) Abide by the laws of the host country of the association's Secretariat, and

c) Ensure the association remains in a viable financial position at all times.

Monitoring Arrangements

The Executive Committee will monitor progress in the achievement of these objectives at their Mid-year Meeting in 2015 and will provide a review statement with an analysis of progress to the General Assembly in 2017.