Is the Assembly’s way best? - 60 parliamentarians from the Commonwealth attend #BIMR2014 Senedd conference
20 May 2014
The National Assembly for Wales will host a key Commonwealth conference on 28 and 29 May.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)’s British Isles & Mediterranean Region (BIMR) Conference will be hosted at the Senedd.
Sixty parliamentarians from legislatures as far afield as Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, St Helena and Malta, as well as delegates from the UK’s other parliaments, will attend in a bid to share best practice.
The conference will also be attended by CPA international observers from Canada, Australia, the Caribbean and Africa, giving the event a truly international mix of views and approaches to parliamentary democracy.
“Many legislative bodies, at a regional and nation-state level, are increasingly looking to the National Assembly to discover how it scrutinises legislation and policy, as well as how it communicates with the public and supports Assembly Members,” said the Assembly’s Presiding Officer, Dame Rosemary Butler AM.
“Since becoming Presiding Officer, I have welcomed numerous international delegations including a recent visit from a delegation from the Canadian Parliament which came to learn about a number of aspects of our work, including how we work bilingually and how we scrutinise environmental policy.
“We’ve also had regular visits from parliamentarians from as far afield as Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and the Aland Islands in the Baltic – all wanting to learn from us.
“The National Assembly for Wales is considered an exemplar of equality and accessibility but as well as showcasing and discussing our own experiences we are of course keen to learn of best practice internationally and discuss areas of mutual interest.
“This conference offers an opportunity to showcase the National Assembly as a distinct, innovative and progressive democratic institution, within the setting of the iconic Senedd, to an influential audience of international parliamentarians.”
As host, the National Assembly was able to set the agenda for the two days of discussion.
The theme of the conference will be “Equality of Access to Democracy” and will incorporate Plenary sessions on:
Campaigning for more women in public life – Chair: Dame Rosemary Butler AM, Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales;
Bilingualism and the role of official languages in Parliament – Chair: Simon Thomas AM, member of the CPA Wales Branch Executive;
Engagement of Young Citizens in the Democratic Process – Chair: David Melding AM, CPA Wales Branch Vice President and Deputy Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales.
“This conference provides a unique opportunity for parliaments across the BIMR and beyond to engage with each other about how best to serve the people that elect them,” said Joyce Watson AM, Chair of the National Assembly for Wales’ CPA Branch.
“We have chosen three main themes as past feedback from visiting delegations has shown that there is a keen interest in the Assembly’s positive experience and international reputation in these areas.”
For more details about the BIMR click here.
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