CPA Secretary-General lauds arrangements for CPA parley

With parliamentarians from the entire Commonwealth due to gather in Colombo for a week-long meeting which will formally open on September 11, Secretary-General of the CPA Dr William A. Shija had discussions with High Commissioner Chris Nonis on the upcoming conference.

The CPA, headquartered in London, brings together more than 170 parliaments and legislatures throughout the Commonwealth, and is a powerful organisation dedicated to strengthening good parliamentary practice and respect for the institution of Parliament.Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa will be chairing the forthcoming CPA Conference. The cross-party UK parliamentary delegation to the 58th annual conference, will be led by Labour MP Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods.Dr Shija, CPA Secretary-General since 2006, was appreciative of the initiatives and ongoing preparations by the Sri Lanka Government and Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa to set the stage for a fruitful and successful meeting, the third to be held in Sri Lanka in nearly 40 years.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will be the chief guest at the conference that will discuss a range of issues of common concern from empowering future generations through access to health, education and vocational training to the threat to democracy, peace and security from terrorism. Dr Nonis said that Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma will also address the conference. Dr Nonis observed that holding the CPA conference in Colombo is indicative of the new climate of peace and normality in Sri Lanka after the war against terrorism and a sign of international confidence in Sri Lanka today.