Over 80 parliamentarians from 25 Commonwealth countries will
attend the first Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum in London
next week (26 February – 1 March). High-profile speakers
include:
- UK Foreign
Secretary, the Rt Hon MP
- Leader of
the UK , the Rt Hon. MP
- Deputy
Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ms Amina Mohammed
- Minister of
State for the Commonwealth,
- Minister of
State for International Development, the Rt Hon. the
- Shadow
Secretary of State for International Development, MP
- Rt Hon. the
Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Charles Bowman
The Forum is taking place to ensure Commonwealth parliaments feed
into the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in
April 2018.
Parliamentarians will return to their countries better placed to
inform and influence their governments ahead of CHOGM, and
thereafter.
Chair of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK
(CPA UK), MP, said:
“The Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum is a great opportunity
for Commonwealth parliamentarians as they will be able to engage
and feed into a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
in a way they haven’t before.
“We look forward to welcoming parliamentarians to Westminster,
and to a really engaging programme. I know we will have many
valuable and productive discussions.”
The Commonwealth
The Commonwealth is a vibrant and diverse organisation which
promotes development, democracy and peace. CPA UK seeks to
advance democracy and strengthen parliaments across the
Commonwealth to lead to more sustainable development.
This year, the Commonwealth’s theme - Towards a Common Future -
will explore how the Commonwealth can address global challenges
focussing on four sub-themes: sustainability, fairness, security,
and prosperity.
The Bi-annual CHOGM is hosted by a different Commonwealth country
each time and the host country takes on a 2 year Chair-in-Office
role which the UK will hold from 2018-2020.
Earlier this year, The Gambia returned to the Commonwealth and
became the 53rd member state.
2018 will also see the Commonwealth Games take place in the Gold
Coast, Queensland, Australia in April. The next Games will take
place in Birmingham, UK in 2022.
The Commonwealth is an organisation made up of 53 independent
countries, 2.4 billion people, of which 60% are aged 29 or under,
with a combined GDP of $10.4 trillion. Queen Elizabeth II is the
Head of the Commonwealth and Head of State to 16 countries
including the UK.
Commonwealth Day will take place on 12 March 2018 to celebrate
the diversity, unity and values of the Commonwealth.
