EDITOR’S NOTE
COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTS RESPOND TO THE COVID-19 GLOBAL PANDEMIC The Editor’s Note The first issue of The Parliamentarian in 2020 celebrated the to identify benchmarks of good governance and to implement the 100th anniversary of the first issue of the Journal of Commonwealth enduring values of the Commonwealth. The Acting CPA SecretaryParliament, first published in January 1920. In the time since the General also reports on how the CPA has responded with the last issue was published the planet has become publication of the ‘CPA Toolkit for Commonwealth engulfed by the worldwide pandemic of COVIDParliaments and Legislatures on the COVID-19 19 (Coronavirus) and Commonwealth Parliaments (Coronavirus) pandemic’, a series of international have responded to one of the greatest global webinars and a number of measures to support challenges in recent history. Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff. Commonwealth Parliaments have responded This issue features an article by former New to the international situation regarding Coronavirus Zealand Parliamentarian and now Chief Executive of in many different ways and in this issue of The the Electoral Reform Society, Darren Hughes, who Parliamentarian, we have published a series of asks ‘New pandemic, new politics? Inside the UK’s special reports on some of the ways that CPA virtual Parliament’. The Electoral Reform Society Branches are responding to the pandemic. This has also shared with readers an interview with UK special report on COVID-19 includes articles on Parliamentarian, Wera Hobhouse, MP on ‘Life for a Jeffrey Hyland, Editor Parliaments’ responses in Jersey, the Isle of Man, backbencher in the UK’s virtual Parliament’. The Parliamentarian, New Zealand, Kenya and the UK. UK Parliamentarian and former Secretary-General Commonwealth Parliamentary In this issue of The Parliamentarian, the of NATO, Lord Robertson of Port Ellen writes about Association Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary ‘COVID-19, the Commonwealth and the urgency of Association (CPA) Executive Committee, Hon. action on road traffic injury’ as he examines one of Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, MP (Cameroon) in her View article writes the greatest threats to human life in the Commonwealth. about COVID-19 and its impacts on the CPA. The CPA issued One of the CPA’s most important pieces of work in recent a statement to all of its 180 CPA Branches in Commonwealth years has been the Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Parliaments and Legislatures to provide reassurance to its Legislatures, which are helping to provide a framework for membership and to ensure the support to its membership is excellence in Commonwealth parliamentary and legislative practice consistent and robust during this time of uncertainty. by reinforcing the belief that effective Parliaments are one of the The CPA Small Branches Chairperson, Hon. Niki Rattle, principal institutions of any functioning democracy. A number of Speaker of the Parliament of the Cook Islands writes about how Commonwealth Parliaments have been undertaking self-assessments the latest global pandemic is affecting the Cook Islands, one of the against the CPA Benchmarks, both as part of the Commonwealth smallest jurisdictions in the Commonwealth and what the CPA Small Partnership for Democracy (CP4D) and with the CPA Headquarters Branches network can do in her View article for this publication. Secretariat. In this issue of The Parliamentarian, we feature reports The Acting CPA Secretary-General, Mr Jarvis Matiya in his View from the CP4D project as well as the many self-assessments taking article in this issue outlines how the CPA will continue to provide place in CPA Branches. In addition, Tom Duncan, Clerk of the maximum support to its membership and partners by using alternative Australian Capital Territory Legislature and a consultant on the revised means to deliver on its mandate of developing, promoting and CPA Benchmarks in 2018, writes about the ACT experience and their supporting Commonwealth Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff regular reassessments against the CPA Benchmarks. Over half of the world’s victims of modern slavery live in the Commonwealth. The United Kingdom’s Independent Anti-Slavery “Commonwealth Parliaments have responded Commissioner, Dame Sara Thornton, looks at the scale of the issue to the international situation regarding of modern slavery and the role of the Commonwealth. UK Parliamentarian, Alex Norris, MP, writes about ridding our Coronavirus in many different ways and in world of modern slavery by 2030, the work of the CPA UK Branch’s this issue of The Parliamentarian, we have Modern Slavery Project and the launch of an e-Handbook for published a series of special reports on some of Commonwealth Parliamentarians to raise awareness of modern slavery, human trafficking and forced labour. the ways that CPA Branches are responding to The CPA is working with McGill University in Canada on a global the pandemic.” partnership project to strengthen parliamentary oversight in Small 88 | The Parliamentarian | 2020: Issue Two | 100 years of publishing 1920-2020
