CPA Asia conference to run from Feb 3 to 7, bringing together over 150 delegates from 17 legislative bodies
Sindh Assembly in session. PHOTO: NNI/FILE
KARACHI:
The Sindh Assembly will host the 7th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Asia Region Conference and the 2nd Joint CPA Asia and South East Asia Regional Parliamentary Conference from February 3 to 7, 2026.
Organised under the theme “Future Parliament: Redefining Democracy through Trust, Inclusion, Innovation and Peace,” the event will be the first major international parliamentary conference hosted by the Sindh Assembly since 2012.
More than 150 members of parliament, speakers, deputy speakers and parliamentary experts from 17 legislative bodies across Asia and South East Asia are expected to participate.
Read: Sindh Assembly denies debate on Gul Plaza tragedy
Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq will be the chief guest at the opening session and will formally inaugurate the conference. Speaker of the Sindh Assembly Syed Owais Qadir Shah will deliver the welcome address, while CPA Chairperson Dr Christopher Kalila, MP, will give the inaugural address. Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon will also address the ceremony.
The conference will feature plenary and breakout sessions on critical topics including peace and democratic trust, parliamentary education, fake news, artificial intelligence and misinformation, climate change and environmental legislation, parliamentary accountability, gender, technology and online harassment.
The plenary session on peace and democratic trust will include speakers and deputy speakers from the assemblies of Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Former Senate Chairman Senator Raza Rabbani will also address this session.
A special session on climate change, moderated by Senator Sherry Rehman, will examine disaster management, protection of vulnerable groups and parliament’s role in addressing environmental challenges, particularly in the context of the devastating 2022 floods.
Read More: MQM-P ends protest in assembly
The technology plenary session will focus on challenges faced by female parliamentarians, including online and digital harassment and deepfakes.
At the closing ceremony, CPA Secretary-General Stephen Twigg will deliver the keynote address, while Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah will attend as chief guest. The conference will conclude with the approval of the Karachi Charter.
The conference is to serve as a significant milestone in promoting regional cooperation, democratic stability and parliamentary diplomacy.
