PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION ATTENDS 46TH COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE

A parliamentary delegation comprising the Hon. Mario Galea, Regional Representative of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the Hon. Anthony Abela, Head of Delegation, and the Hon. Adrian Vassallo will be attending the 46th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPA).

The Maltese representatives and approximately 150 other Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures will discuss the future of the Commonwealth, when they meet in London and Edinburgh from 20 to 29 September under the auspices of the CPA. Their input will be channelled by the CPA into the High-Level Review of the Commonwealth to be considered by Commonwealth Heads of Government at their 2001 meeting in Brisbane, Australia.

The UK meeting will discuss a range of pressing international issues over the nine days of meetings in the two British cities. The conference will culminate in a final plenary session to give conference delegates an opportunity to consider global needs and current Commonwealth programmes as they propose ways in which the Commonwealth can become a more influential force in the international community.

This review was initiated by British Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Tony Blair at the 1999 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Durban, South Africa. It is being conducted by a group of 10 Heads of Government, including that of Malta, under the chairmanship of the Commonwealth's First President in Office, H.E. President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa. The High-Level Review Group held its first ministerial meeting in New York earlier this month during a United Nations gathering.

The conference will feature major addresses by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth and Patron of the CPA, and by Prime Minister Blair and UK Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary Rt. Hon. Robin Cook MP. The new Commonwealth Secretary-General, Rt. Hon. Don McKinnon, will address the conference on developments in the Commonwealth to date.

The Maltese delegates will also be attending the CPA Conference of Members from Small Countries which will be held in Jersey - 17/20th September 2000 - prior to the plenary conference. They will be discussing the particular problems facing Parliaments in nations, states, provinces and territories with fewer than 400,000 people.

The Jersey conference will be the 20th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference of Members from Small Countries, the world's oldest continuing meeting dedicated to the interests of small states.

Topics to be discussed by the conference include: The Knowledge Economy and the Use and Benefits of Information Technology in Small Jurisdictions; Green Tourism; Means of Enhancing Local Culture and Identity (Including Indigenous Languages) in Small Jurisdictions; and Representation of Non-Independent Territories Within the Commonwealth.