The Caribbean will be vying for chairmanship of the International Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) when elections are held in October this year.
On the final day of the just-concluded 39th Annual Conference of the Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic Region of the CPA at Hilton Barbados, Speaker of the House of Assembly in the Cayman Islands, Juliana O???Connor-Connolly, was unanimously nominated as chairperson for the Caribbean by her regional counterparts.
Barbados??? Speaker of the House of Assembly, Michael Carrington, made that disclosure on Wednesday during a press conference at Hilton Barbados.
???The most momentous event that came out of this conference was the endorsement of the nomination of Juliana O???Connor-Connolly from the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands as chairperson of the International Commonwealth Parliamentary Association,??? he said.
Mr. Carrington also wished the nominee success and gave the assurance that all efforts would be made to support her regionally.
If her bid is successful at the 60th annual conference of the worldwide body in Yaound??, Cameroon in October, the nominee will hold office for three years.
In accepting her nomination, Mrs. O???Connor-Connolly gave the assurance that she would work assiduously for the preservation of the goals and objectives of the CPA.
Those, she said, included but were not limited to, the pursuit of peace; the preservation of peace throughout the Commonwealth; the eradication of poverty; the empowerment of young people; and the engagement of the populace at large.
???I look forward to going with great anticipation to Cameroon, knowing I will be the candidate of the Caribbean. If successful, I will work diligently throughout the duration of the term to ensure that the Caribbean will continue in its rich heritage of transparency and accountability,??? she said.
Jamaica???s Speaker of the House of Assembly, Michael Peart, stated that after the unanimous decision to nominate Mrs. O???Connor-Connolly was made, it was now time for the campaigning to start.
This was also supported by Speaker of Trinidad and Tobago???s House of Assembly, Wade Stephen Mark, who said in addition to mobilising their own territories for the upcoming election, they would also be seeking to mobilise other areas of the Commonwealth to achieve another unanimous vote.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is an organisation of members of the various legislatures, both opposition and government, that meet together for discussion. Its principal role is to inform and educate its members, so that they are better able to carry out their role as representatives for people in these jurisdictions.
Over 70 parliamentarians drawn from member states of the CPA???s Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic Region were in Barbados for the body???s annual conference.
julia.rawlins-bentham@barbados.gov.bb