Mr Speaker in conversation with parliamentarians from Gibraltar during a CPA UK programme before Covid

Monday 08 March 2021 marks Commonwealth Day, an annual celebration observed by members of the Commonwealth in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, the Pacific and Europe. This year, the theme of Commonwealth Day will be Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming.  

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, said: ‘It’s been almost a year since the world changed and I know that life currently looks very different for people across the Commonwealth.

‘But I am so impressed at how, through the innovation of colleagues across the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, we’ve still found ways to remain connected. Whether it be the Westminster village or the Commonwealth family, the past twelve months have shown the importance of working together to find shared solutions to the challenges we’ve faced.

‘Commonwealth Day is the ideal opportunity to reflect upon what we have in common in the diverse family of nations that the Commonwealth is, and celebrate ways in which parliaments have kept transforming and reinventing themselves to reflect the realities of the communities they represent.'

This year, to mark Commonwealth Day coinciding with International Women’s Day, CPA UK will host a virtual debate, bringing together women parliamentarians to share their thoughts around political participation and some of the obstacles they face.