New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta on Saturday departed for Cape Town, South Africa, to attend the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC), being held from September 13 to 18.

Hosted by the Parliament of South Africa and the CPA South Africa Branch, the Conference is being organised under the overarching theme, “Strengthening International Law and Parliamentary Democracy in a Changing World Order: Commonwealth Leadership.”

The Conference will bring together Speakers, Presiding Officers, Parliamentarians and parliamentary officials from across the Commonwealth to deliberate on contemporary challenges confronting democratic legislatures and explore ways to strengthen parliamentary democracy and international cooperation.

Deputy Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Mohan Singh Bisht, will also attend the Conference.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), founded in 1911, connects more than 180 national, state, provincial and territorial Parliaments and Legislatures across the Commonwealth.

One of the oldest parliamentary associations in the world, the CPA provides a major institutional platform for Parliamentarians and parliamentary officials to exchange experiences, strengthen democratic governance and advance parliamentary practices rooted in accountability, inclusion, the rule of law and institutional integrity.

During the Conference, Delhi Speaker Vijender Gupta will chair the session on “Delivering Inclusivity Measures in Capacity-Strained Parliaments.”

He will also address the workshop on “Artificial Intelligence in Parliaments: Current Applications, Prospects and Implementation Strategies,” where he will speak on the growing application of AI in legislative institutions, its potential to strengthen parliamentary research and access to institutional information, and the practical challenges involved in its responsible implementation.

Gupta will underline the importance of accuracy, transparency, accountability, data integrity and parliamentary oversight as legislatures increasingly adopt emerging technologies.

He is also likely to speak on “New Leadership Opportunities for the Commonwealth: Parliamentary Action to Strengthen Democracy and International Law” and “Protecting Human Rights and Promoting Peace: The Role of Parliaments.”

Through these interventions, he will address the responsibility of legislatures in strengthening democratic institutions, upholding constitutional and parliamentary values, promoting international cooperation, protecting human rights and contributing to peace.

The wider Conference programme will also include deliberations on inclusive and fair trade, inequality and underdevelopment, accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities, parliamentary leadership in climate adaptation and resilience, and post-legislative scrutiny and strengthening Parliament’s engagement with the public.

Drawing upon the experience of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Gupta will highlight its continuing digital transformation, including the implementation of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) and the Assembly’s transition towards paperless legislative functioning.

–IANS

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