As chair of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) James has been leading the Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum which started on Monday 26 February 2018 to Thursday 01 March 2018.
The Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum was intended to help set the scene for the eventual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), hosted in the UK between 16 and 18 April 2018. The CHOGM 2018 theme – ‘Towards a Common Future’ – has the four main goals:
* A more sustainable future
* A fairer future
* A more secure future
* A more prosperous future
The Parliamentarians' Forum is intended to spark dialogue, engage parliamentarians in the summit agenda and create opportunities for in-depth cross-Commonwealth discussion. Following the success of the Commonwealth Parliamentarians’ Forum last week, James Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East, has been invited to attend a special service at Westminster Abbey to celebrate Commonwealth Day, which is on Monday 12th March to which Her Majesty the Queen will also be in attendance, and the Prince of Wales will host a special reception at Marlborough House that evening in celebration of the event.
There will also be a ceremony locally in Southend in which the Mayor, Councillor Fay Evans, will raise the Commonwealth Flag outside the Southend Civic Centre. The Mayor will also read out a personal message from The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Baroness Scotland, reaffirming the ties between the Commonwealth countries and their commitment towards democracy, development and respect for diversity.
James says:
‘Commonwealth Day is an important celebration where our fifty three member states join together to celebrate the values which unite us. I am delighted that Southend will be joining in this celebration and I am honoured to join her Majesty in giving thanks for our mutual ties and co-operation. After Brexit, there will be more opportunities to look outside the EU for business and trade, and I believe the Commonwealth would be the first natural place to do so, and I look forward to continue to work together with other Commonwealth parliaments in my role as Chair of the CPA’.