The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the Civil Service College are launching a new professional development programme aimed at new Government Ministers. The ‘From Backbencher to Minister’ programme is designed to equip new Ministers with the skills and tools to perform their roles more effectively.
The new five-day programme, to be hosted in London, UK from 12-16 July 2021, combines classroom engagements with experiential learning and will walk new Ministers through their responsibilities, identifying the skills necessary for effective leadership of government departments. Topics covered by the programme will include ‘Communicating a Minister’s Priorities’, ‘Managing a Minister’s Private Office’ and ‘The Role of Special Advisers’. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the UK Parliament’s House of Lords and the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, with an evening dinner held at the Palace of Westminster on the opening night.
The CPA is a network of over 17,000 Commonwealth Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff with a well-established reputation for delivering high-quality professional development programmes for its members. The CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg said: “This new programme, that the CPA is supporting in partnership with the Civil Service College, will provide a unique opportunity for professional development for Government Ministers and bring new skills and tools to the role. As a former UK Government Minister myself, I know the effectiveness of individual Ministers can depend on their skills and so this programme is likely to have a significant impact on their effectiveness.”
The Civil Service College is a leading provider of high quality, bespoke training for those working in the public sector and civil service. Sonny Leong CBE, Civil Service College Chief Executive and Chair of the Council for Education in the Commonwealth, said: “The job of a Minister is a strange one – there is no job description, no application, no interview: you are appointed to be a chief decision-maker of a large and complex department that you may know absolutely nothing about. Isn’t it strange that there is no training provided to new Ministers on how to do their job? We are pleased to be partnering with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association on this programme for new Ministers from across the Commonwealth to share their experiences and gain insights from current and past Ministers.”
The new ‘From Backbencher to Minister’ course will draw upon the knowledge of industry experts with extensive experience working in government. Led by ex-Ministers, parliamentarians and civil servants, the comprehensive introduction to the role of Government Minster provided by this programme will provide new Ministers with the best possible foundation to ensure a smooth and fast transition into their position.
The new ‘From Backbencher to Minister’ course will run from 12-16 July 2021 in London, UK. For further details please visit https://www.
To book a place on the programme, please contact Ade Arimoro: ade@
Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers from Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom and KwaZulu-Natal have emphasised the importance of independent Parliaments and Legislatures and the adaptations that have been made, especially during the current COVID-19 global pandemic, during the second webinar on this topic organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. The CPA webinar for Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth provided a timely and unique opportunity to examine the nature of Parliaments as independent institutions in the context of COVID-19.
The first panelist was the CPA President, Hon. Anthony Rota, MP, Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada spoke about the Canadian Parliament’s experience of virtual proceedings during the current COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of a healthy and functioning Parliament to democracy. The Parliament of Canada has implemented hybrid proceedings as a temporary measure in consultation with both Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff and required the support of the Opposition to support emergency legislation.
Hon. Bridgid Annisette-George, Speaker of the House of Representatives at the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago spoke about maintaining parliamentary procedures for all Members of the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament, which was not suspended or restricted at any time. The Parliament had implemented strict screening processes and safety measures, including the reconfiguration of the chamber. Speaker Annisette-George also spoke about the ‘people-centered’ approach to working adopted by the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago that included working from home and staggered working for Members and parliamentary staff.
Rt Hon. Dame Eleanor Laing, MP, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, spoke about the importance that the UK Parliament had placed on maintaining parliamentary sittings during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that Parliamentarians were able to continue to scrutinize the Executive. The UK Parliament has implemented ‘socially-distanced’ proceedings and has allowed some MPs to participate via video technology.
The Speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, Hon. Nontembeko ‘Ntobeko’ Boyce, MPL spoke about the experience of a provincial legislature in South Africa and the coordination with the national Government and local authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislature has continued sittings but also used IT technology and social distancing measures to ensure that safety was maintained.
Matthew Salik, Head of Parliamentary Development at the CPA Headquarters Secretariat spoke about the launch of the CPA’s Model Law for Independent Parliaments earlier this year and the CPA’s work with Commonwealth Legislatures on establishing Parliamentary Service Commissions and ensuring that Parliaments can remain robust, effective and independent institutions.
Speakers and Presiding Officers attended the CPA webinar from many Commonwealth Parliaments including Uganda, Mauritius, South Africa, Zambia, Malta, Alberta, Bermuda, Sierra Leone, Ontario, Lesotho, St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Yukon, Saint Lucia, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Malawi, Seychelles, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Falkland Islands, Jersey, Western Cape and Gauteng.
The webinar was closed by the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Stephen Twigg who spoke about how Parliaments in the long-term can establish policies, strategies and powers to give them the necessary resources to function independently and effectively. It is important that Parliaments learn from the current pandemic and implement the necessary changes that are required. As democratic institutions, Commonwealth Parliaments must ensure public confidence in their ability to manage their affairs and to conduct their essential legislative, oversight and representative functions, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The CPA Headquarters Secretariat is providing assistance to Commonwealth Parliaments through its programme of seminars and its toolkits like the Model Law for Independent Parliaments and the CPA’s Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures to provide Legislatures with a robust framework of parliamentary procedures.
A recording of the ‘CPA webinar for Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth: COVID-19 and Independent Parliaments’ will be available for the benefit of all Commonwealth Parliaments on the CPA’s YouTube channel at: www.cpahq.org/cpahq/youtube.
To download a copy of the CPA’s toolkit on Model Law for Independent Parliaments please visit www.cpahq.org/cpahq/modellaw.
]]>The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has emphasised the key role of building effective partnerships with Commonwealth organisations in achieving the organisation’s strategic goals for 2022-2025 during a CPA webinar event. The CPA webinar on ‘The Commonwealth in 2025: Building effective partnerships’ was attended by over 40 Commonwealth organisations and partners representing a wide range of disciplines.
The Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee, Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka MP, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Cameroon opened the webinar and spoke of the challenging times that all organisations are facing with the external flux and uncertainty of COVID-19. The CPA Chairperson said: “The CPA will prioritise its strategic objectives and will continue to work closely with partner organisations in the Commonwealth.”
The webinar event provided an opportunity for the recently appointed CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg, to meet virtually with representatives of many Commonwealth organisations and external partners and to discuss the upcoming work of the CPA and in particular, the new CPA Strategic Plan 2022-2025. The CPA Secretary-General spoke of his commitment to engage and consult with as many Commonwealth partners as possible during the planning for the new CPA Strategic Plan and said: “The CPA recognises the importance of consultation with organisations at local and regional level as well as national and international.”
The CPA Secretary-General spoke of the challenging global context due to COVID-19 and of the opportunities that new technology can bring. “Technology has the potential to engage with a much wider audience and can increase the engagement of citizens with their Parliaments and Parliamentarians.”
The CPA Secretary-General also spoke of the critical importance for global progress of the values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter as well as the Commonwealth Latimer House Principles and the CPA’s Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures which provide a framework for good governance in the Commonwealth. “Democracy, the rule of law and human rights are all fundamental principles that we must work towards achieving and the UN Sustainable Development Goals provide us with an ambitious set of targets for the wider Commonwealth family to realise.”
The webinar also held a Q&A session facilitated by the Secretary-General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Dr Joanna Newman MBE which saw questions from a number of different Commonwealth organisations including the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), the Commonwealth Equality Network and the Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network.
A recording of the CPA webinar on ‘The Commonwealth in 2025: Building effective partnerships’ will be available on the CPA’s YouTube channel at: www.cpahq.org/cpahq/youtube.
To feedback on the new strategic plan 2022-2025 and future direction for the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association visit www.cpahq.org/cpahq/consultation
]]>The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network has launched its new Anti-Harassment Policy Guidelines to support Parliaments across the Commonwealth in the effort to both address and remove all traces of harassment across parliamentary workplaces. The CWP is a network of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and these guidelines will be distributed to the CPA’s membership of around 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures.
The Anti-Harassment Policy Guidelines define harassment as “unwanted behaviour directed at an individual with the purpose or intent of humiliating, disrespecting, intimidation, hurting or offending them.” They have been designed to support all Parliaments regardless of their experiences to endorse and uphold a zero-tolerance approach to harassment, which could include, but is not limited to, a wide range of unwanted sexual, discriminatory, physical and psychological behaviours or actions.
Drawing from a wide range of anti-harassment policies and procedures from Parliaments in the Commonwealth, these guidelines provide a detailed step-by-step approach that offers insights and case studies on what appropriate methods should be included when developing or updating their respective anti-harassment policies.
The CWP Chairperson, Hon. Shandana Gulzar Khan, MNA (Pakistan) said that “At the 6th Triennial CWP Conference, held in the margins of the 64th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Uganda in 2019, the issue of bullying and harassment in the workplace was highlighted as an important issue which needed to be tackled across the Commonwealth and beyond. The devastating consequences of this unacceptable behaviour are far-reaching and as both a visible and representative institution, all Parliaments must show leadership and set an exemplary standard for all by taking a proactive role in having such policies in place.” The CWP Chairperson also said that “both the CPA and the CWP network will continue to work with all 180 Parliaments and Legislatures represented in the CPA’s membership to combat harassment in all its form.”
Click here to download a copy of the ‘CWP Anti-Harassment Policy Guidelines: A Toolkit for Commonwealth Parliaments’ or please visit www.cpahq.org/cpahq/cwpresources.
A copy of the guidelines is also attached to this email.
*Please note: This toolkit is published by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association for the benefit of its membership and for the wider international community. This information is intended to supplement the current global pandemic advice and information from a wide range of international organisations. This toolkit does not supersede existing national guidance and plans. Rather, this toolkit should be used to augment existing relevant national plans and focus the support of the international community.
Please click here or visit www.cpahq.org/cpahq/cwp for more information about the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network.
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