CLGF 30^th Anniversary blog: CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg

Stephen Twigg is the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). The Association is made up of over 180 Legislatures (or Branches) divided up between nine geographic regions of the Commonwealth and represents Parliaments at a national, state, provincial and territorial level. It offers a vast opportunity for Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and to share good practice. 

As the 30^th anniversary year of the foundation of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) concludes, its work is more important than ever. The topics that repeatedly arise in Commonwealth meetings are ones that CLGF has positively influenced the debate on for decades: climate change and environmental resilience, human rights and gender equality, and, above all, strong and democratic local governance.

At the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), we represent over 18,000 legislators of national and subnational Parliaments, which has given us an understanding that politics doesn’t just happen at the level of national governments or Parliaments but also at a local level. For example, we engage with Parliamentarians in one of the largest federal Provinces in the world - Punjab, Pakistan - which has over 81 million inhabitants but still maintains strong local links between citizens and their government.

We also represent Parliamentarians from Legislatures where that local link is more literal: our newest member Parliament is Sark, a small Channel Island off the coast of France with just 562 inhabitants. When I visited Sark and its Legislature, the House of Pleas, earlier this year, I saw what these local links can really mean and how the legislators are part of the local community.

In its 30-year history, the CLGF has shown a steadfast commitment to strengthening local governance. They’ve brought together Mayors, experts and policymakers from some of the world’s largest cities like Delhi, London and Dhaka, each with populations approaching, or exceeding 10 million, with councillors whose constituencies might have populations in the hundreds of thousands.

At the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, we emphasised how, in order to achieve our shared Commonwealth values, we needed to look at all levels of government. During our joint panel on empowering underrepresented voices in politics, CLGF Secretary-General, Lucy Slack highlighted the specific role of mayors and councils in achieving this, with a particular emphasis on the contribution of the Commonwealth Women in Local Government Network (ComWLG).

As we continue to fight against democratic backsliding across the Commonwealth, this local focus is more crucial than ever. At the CPA, we use our Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures to work with Legislatures to identify where they could modify their parliamentary practices, and combining these with the CLGF’s Aberdeen Principles for local governance can give a full view of how jurisdictions and policymakers at all levels can protect their democracies and embody democratic values.

As CLGF concludes its 30th anniversary year, I recognise the remarkable work they’ve done and look forward to continuing to work together for the next 30.

For more information about the CPA and the work they do, go to the website.