During the 66th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) in Ghana, Commonwealth Parliamentarians attended the 66th CPA General Assembly on 5 October 2023. The CPA General Assembly was presided over by the CPA President (2022-2023), Rt Hon. Alban Bagbin, MP, Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana and was attended by Members from 102 CPA Branches. The CPA General Assembly, the Association’s supreme authority, is constituted by delegates to the annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference.

The CPA General Assembly also included a topical debate on food security and sustainability in the Commonwealth, with presenters from CPA Branches including Queensland, Tanzania, Canada, Isle of Man and Turks and Caicos Islands.

Some of the key decisions and outcomes were:

• Delegates welcomed the work undertaken so far to enable the CPA to be able to create a new non-charitable organisation and the renewed efforts to persuade the UK Government to agree to legislate to recognise the CPA as an international, interparliamentary organisation. In addition, delegates agreed to seek potential expressions of interest from CPA Branches on hosting the CPA Secretariat and a decision on the next stage will be made at the Mid-Year CPA Executive Committee in 2024.
• Delegates approved the 2022 CPA Annual Report (including the audited Financial Statements), the CPA Membership Report, the CPA Budgets and Financial Management Reports.
• Delegates approved the CPA Secretary-General’s annual appraisal and application for a second and final term (August 2024 to August 2028).
• Delegates approved future membership fees to increase by 4% in line with the revised budget and to reappoint internal auditors, Sayer Vincent.
• Delegates approved the report of the Working Group on CPC Modalities for future annual conferences and endorsed the motion submitted by the CPA Isle of Man Branch noting the work of the Commonwealth Association of Public Accounts Committees (CAPAC).
• Delegates endorsed reports from the three CPA networks – the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP), the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) and the CPA Small Branches.

Delegates also looked ahead to the next Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference – the 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) – to be hosted by the CPA New South Wales Branch and Parliament of New South Wales in November 2024.