The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) welcomes the announcement that His Majesty King Charles III, Head of the Commonwealth, will be the new Patron of the Association.
As Head of the Commonwealth, King Charles reinforces the links by which the Commonwealth joins people together from around the world. The King succeeds the late Queen Elizabeth II as Patron of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Queen Elizabeth supported the organisation from her accession to the throne in 1952 and became Patron in 1989.
The King has also followed in the late Queen’s footsteps in visiting many Commonwealth Parliaments and has met with many Commonwealth Speakers and Members of Parliament. Read about the King’s many visits to Commonwealth Parliaments.
Founded in 1911, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association has a membership of almost 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures at national, state, provincial and territorial level with around 17,000 Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff across nine Regions.
As the Head of the Commonwealth, King Charles spoke of about the work of Commonwealth organisations like the CPA in his recent Commonwealth Day message: “I cannot say often enough that it is by coming together that we create the best chances to improve our world and the lives of people everywhere. Indeed, over the years countless people across the Commonwealth have been inspired to form their own Commonwealth Associations, from lawyers and accountants to business and trade networks, and many more besides. The work they do is absolutely vital, sharing professional knowledge, experience, and expertise across the Continents for the betterment of each one of us.”
The CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg said: “We are delighted that His Majesty King Charles will be the new Patron of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. His patronage should help to raise the global profile of the CPA’s work with Commonwealth Parliaments to promote parliamentary democracy and supporting Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to face the major challenges in their roles as well as our work in youth engagement, human rights, climate change and supporting small states.”
The CPA promotes parliamentary democracy and good governance adhering to Commonwealth values and principles. The CPA has been a leading partner in vital work supporting Parliaments over the years including the CPA Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures and the Commonwealth Latimer House Principles on the Separation of Powers between the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is an international community of 180 Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance. Founded in 1911, the CPA brings together Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and implement the enduring values of the Commonwealth. It offers a vast opportunity for Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and to share good practice.
