Press Release
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK and VSO sign memorandum of understanding
22 May 2012
Today in the Houses of Parliament, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK (CPA UK) and international development charity VSO signed a memorandum of understanding which will see the two organisations explore opportunities for collaboration to improve governance in Commonwealth countries.
Priority areas for cooperation will include parliamentary strengthening, promoting women’s empowerment and building the capacity of elected members to improve accountability.
‘CPA UK welcomes the opportunity to work with VSO, an organisation for whose work we have always had high regard,’ said Rt Hon. Sir Alan Haselhurst MP, chair of the CPA UK executive committee. ‘Combining CPA UK’s expertise in designing international parliamentary strengthening programmes and VSO’s extensive and expert in-country networks, this agreement will ensure value for money and strengthen our united efforts to improve representation across the Commonwealth.’
VSO chief executive Marg Mayne said: ‘VSO is working in some of the world’s poorest counties to empower disadvantaged people and increase their participation in the decisions that affect their lives. Working more closely with CPA UK will help us to support the development of democratic governance systems, structures and practices that increase accountability. It will help us to put people closer to the heart of development.
‘Our work together in Sierra Leone has shown how much we can achieve together drawing on the CPA’s unrivalled knowledge of parliamentary strengthening and our extensive local networks.’
CPA UK and VSO have worked together informally on several programmes to date, including an in-country training seminar for committee clerks of the parliament of Sierra Leone in April 2012 and a seminar in Naivasha, Kenya run by UK members for members of the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association. With the formal agreement in place, it is anticipated that similar projects will follow, as CPA UK and VSO undertake to explore and develop other collaborations to further the priority objectives of each organisation.
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