Cape Town’s convention centre filled with more than 900 parliamentary delegates on Monday as the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference opened its doors, bringing together representatives from Commonwealth Parliamentary Association member parliaments to wrestle with a question that feels urgent: can legislatures still defend democracy when the rules-based international order is under sustained pressure?
The gathering runs through Friday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Its theme, “Uniting to protect multilateralism, observing international law for equality and development in the Commonwealth and beyond: The Role of Parliaments,” sets the tone for what Stephen Twigg, Secretary-General of the CPA, described as one of the most attended Commonwealth Parliamentary Conferences in the organization’s history.
The world delegates arrived from is not a comfortable one. Dr Christopher Kalila, Chairperson of the CPA, told the opening session that public trust in democratic institutions has eroded significantly. He pointed, though, to South Africa’s own democratic journey as evidence that parliaments can still serve the will of their people and hold executives accountable. The challenges facing the world today, Kalila said, do not respect national borders. Global uncertainties, geopolitical tensions, economic volatility and climate change all demand that member legislatures exchange ideas and find solutions together.
Twigg echoed that urgency. Parliaments, he argued, must not merely debate but actively defend democracy and rebuild trust across borders. In a fractured world, partnerships and collective efforts are essential to strengthen multilateralism and promote the rule of law. He characterized the CPA as entering a new and exciting phase in its century-old journey.
What changed, concretely, is the CPA’s legal standing. The organization is transitioning from its former UK charitable status to formal recognition as an inter-parliamentary organisation with proper diplomatic standing, privileges and immunities. Refilwe Mthsweni-Tsipane, President of the CPA and Chairperson of South Africa’s National Council of Provinces, noted that this new legal status is being formally recognized in the same country where the transformation began.
That origin story stretches back to 2013. South Africa hosted the 59th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Johannesburg at the Sandton Convention Centre, where delegates first debated changing the CPA’s status. It was the first time South Africa had hosted the international event since rejoining the Commonwealth in 1995 following apartheid’s end. Twigg commended the Africa region of the CPA for rallying support for what became known as the Sandton recommendation.
The timing carries its own weight. South Africa is now marking 30 years of its democratic constitution, and the CPA is receiving formal international legal recognition at the same moment. Twigg said the new status will strengthen partnerships among member parliaments and give the organization a unified voice at the United Nations. He also expressed hope that similar inter-parliamentary formations would receive special observer status in international forums.
Kalila was direct about what the 69th conference must accomplish: build the partnerships needed to address predicaments that affect democracies globally. The conference continues through Friday, with full coverage available at https://www.parliament.gov.za/news/69th-cpc-opens-cape-town-focus-multilateralism-and-rule-law. Whether the resolutions reached in Cape Town this week translate into coordinated action at the United Nations and beyond remains the open question delegates will carry home.