(Commonwealth)_ The 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference hosted in Bridgetown, Barbados, is a milestone for the Commonwealth and the world as a whole. Bridgetown is a very symbolic place since it is also host to the Bridgetown Initiative—a visionary framework for international development cooperation towards building a more resilient and fairer world. The city with rich traditions, committed to vision-driven development, is the best place to hold this historic gathering of nations. The ungrudging effort of the CPA and the legendary largesse of Barbadian hospitality have turned this meeting into one radiant carnival of cooperation and democracy.
The conference occurs at a time when a multitude of interconnected complex problems confront the world. War and turmoil persist, further eroding peace in most parts of the world. Rising inequality, rising debt, and increasing poverty are sundering countries from one another and even within. A runaway climate crisis litters small island developing states, threatening them with annihilation. An unsettling loss of confidence in institutions and democratic values is compounded by these stresses. All these issues feed into each other; they intertwine into a tangled, knotted, globally unstable web.
No one country can close these gaps on its own. It takes collective action and multilateralism. Today, in this moment of doubt, the Commonwealth must be an engine of cooperation and meaning. Stretching across 56 countries and a third of all humanity, the Commonwealth is held together by shared values—democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. Together, its people have the power to transform weakness into strength and turn adversity into a chance for mutual prosperity.
The new Commonwealth Strategic Plan embodies this belief. It revolves around constructing democratic, economic, and environmental resilience, paying particular attention to human capital investment. The Commonwealth aims to create sustainable and inclusive societies by empowering young people and women to be ready for future employment and entrepreneurship. The vision sees a world where democracies possess strong institutions, strong economies, and societies that are well prepared to handle uncertainties in the global world.
To achieve this vision, there must be parliamentary collaboration. The government can develop policies, but parliaments debate, develop, and implement them. Parliaments are responsible for budgets, ratify agreements, enact bills that bring obligations into life, and hold executives accountable. Parliamentary hearings and public engagement are the centrepieces of making citizens’ effective inputs in decision-making impacting their lives. Parliaments promote democracy while constituting the values in the core of the Commonwealth Charter.
In an era when democracy itself is under pressure worldwide, the contribution of functioning, representative, and accountable parliaments has never been more important. They serve as the cornerstone of trust and legitimacy, guaranteeing an open and people-focused government. The work of these institutions through the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association—capacity building, best practice, engaging women and youth parliamentarians—is clearing the way for democratic integrity.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General views parliaments as dear partners in the shared vision of the organisation. They are partners in the defence of democracy through the observation of elections and the building of institutions. They are partners in the reduction of non-tariff barriers to trade, expanding electronic trade, and channelling investment to those countries most in need of them. They share in calling for more level international debt management systems and for action on vulnerability, including climate vulnerability, in budget policy.
The Commonwealth speaks as one in pursuit of a renewable energy transition and climate justice across the globe. The Commonwealth nations also have an obligation to their youth to equip them with access to digital literacy, entrepreneurial education, and distance learning—all investments that count in the future economy.
War taints the age, yet it also presents vast possibilities. With concerted effort and in a climate of cooperation, the Commonwealth can transform the vulnerabilities of weak and small states into a reservoir of strength. Its threads of commerce can be rich spurs to balanced growth, and its democratic practices can demonstrate that multilateralism is not only possible but necessary. And lastly, the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference reminds us of the instant when development calls for harmony, responsibility, and shared resolve. The Commonwealth shows how states, parliaments, and the people can achieve something that no single state could do by itself if working together in respect and shared purpose.
