Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also Vice-Patron of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), will open the 63rd CPA Conference officially today at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad.
The 63rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC), one of the largest annual gatherings of the CPA, already began here on November 1 at the Radisson Blu hotel in the capital city. The main theme of this year’s conference is ‘Continuing to enhance the high standards of performance of Parliamentarians,’ while the theme of the CPA is Democracy, Diversity and Development.
Earlier, the President and Chairperson of the CPA and Speaker of the Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said this year’s CPA conference would elect its new chairperson for a three-year term. “Out of the 52 countries in the CPA, representatives of 44 countries arrived to attend the event. The guests continue to arrive until on Saturday (November 4), so we are expecting a large number of delegates.”
According to the CPA programme details, the CPA will hold a special session on the Rohingya crisis after the official opening. Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali will explain the situation and the CPA officials would brief on the Rohingya issue after the special session.
It said a presentation on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would be made immediately after reading out a written message of the CPA Patron UK’s Queen Elizabeth II. Deputy Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Md Fazle Rabbi Miah is leading a four-member Bangladesh delegation in the 63rd CPC and the other members are Chief Whip of the Jatiya Sangsad ASM Feroz, Fazilatun Nasa Bappy and Fakhrul Imam.
The CPA President and Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury , also Speaker of the Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad, is hosting the 63rd CPC.
