In a hurry? Here’s a quick summary…
- Speaker Moses Wetang’ula supports efforts to grant the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) international legal status.
- CPA’s transition from a UK charity to an inter-parliamentary organization is expected to be finalized by the end of 2024.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula on Wednesday welcomed renewed efforts to legalize and formally recognize the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), stating it is long overdue.
Established in 1971 and registered as a UK charity, the CPA unites legislative bodies across Commonwealth nations.
However, its current status as a British charity has long been under scrutiny, with reform efforts spanning two decades to elevate it to an international organization on par with UN agencies, which enjoy diplomatic privileges under the Vienna Convention.
Wetang’ula shared his views during the 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Sydney, Australia, where he is leading Kenya’s bicameral parliamentary delegation.
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Notably, African nations attending the conference are pushing for CPA to be recognized as an international inter-parliamentary organization, a move Wetang’ula hopes will soon be realized.
“By the close of the year, this transformation will be complete, fulfilling recommendations made at the 66th conference in Accra, Ghana, in 2023,” he expressed.
Support for this legal shift also came from CPA Secretary-General Stephen Twigg, who revealed that legislation in the UK is on track to grant CPA a new international status.
“This year, 2024, marks a momentous step for the CPA. With government legislation announced in the King’s Speech in July, we are firmly on the path to securing a new international legal status,” Twigg noted, adding that the CPA’s transition will align it with similar inter-parliamentary organizations by the time of the next conference in Barbados.