New Delhi

India’s Parliament is set to host the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC), which will be the largest edition of the forum so far in terms of participation, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Sunday.

Addressing a press briefing, Birla stated that the conference will take place from January 14 to 16 and will focus on shared parliamentary traditions, democratic governance and strengthening institutional collaboration among Commonwealth legislatures.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally inaugurate the conference on January 15 at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan within the Parliament House Complex. Om Birla will serve as the Chairperson of the conference.

Highlighting the scale of the event, the Lok Sabha Speaker said that at least 42 countries have confirmed their participation, making it the most widely attended CSPOC to date.

Birla also said the entire preparatory and coordination work for the conference has been conducted digitally, with no use of paper. An integrated mobile application and a web-based event management system have been developed to handle coordination, facilitation and information sharing for delegates.

Responding to questions, Birla clarified that Pakistan will not be represented at the conference, while Bangladesh will also be absent as the country currently does not have a Speaker, with general elections scheduled next month.

The previous, 27th edition of CSPOC was hosted by Uganda in January 2024. At the conclusion of that conference, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh, who led the Indian Parliamentary Delegation, formally took over hosting responsibilities for the 28th edition to be held in India in 2026.

As part of the schedule, the CSPOC Standing Committee meeting will be held on January 14. The meeting will be chaired by the Lok Sabha Speaker and take place at the Red Fort in Delhi. Members of the Standing Committee will also be given a guided tour of the historic monument, followed by a light and sound show. A dinner in their honour will be hosted by the Lok Sabha Speaker at the Red Fort premises later in the evening.

Following the inauguration of the conference, Prime Minister Modi will hold an informal interaction with Speakers and Presiding Officers from Commonwealth countries.

Key themes to be discussed during the conference include the use of artificial intelligence in parliamentary functioning, the impact of social media on legislators, innovative approaches to improve public understanding of Parliament and citizen participation beyond elections, and issues related to the security, health and well-being of Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff.

A Special Plenary Session will focus on the role of Speakers and Presiding Officers in safeguarding strong democratic institutions, with Om Birla delivering the keynote address.

Birla has served as the Chairperson of CSPOC since the conclusion of the 27th conference in Uganda in January 2024. At the end of the Delhi conference, he will formally hand over the chairmanship to Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the UK House of Commons.

CSPOC was established in 1969 on the initiative of Lucien Lamoureux, then Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada. Since then, Canada has provided secretariat support for the organisation.

The forum brings together Speakers and Presiding Officers from the parliaments of 53 sovereign Commonwealth nations. While CSPOC functions independently and has no formal link with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the Commonwealth Secretariat or the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, its membership mirrors that of the CPA.

The conference seeks to uphold impartiality and fairness among parliamentary presiding officers, promote understanding of parliamentary democracy in its various forms, and strengthen legislative institutions across the Commonwealth.

CSPOC follows a two-year cycle, with a full conference held every alternate year, usually in early January, and a Standing Committee meeting organised in the intervening year.

The decision to host the 28th edition of CSPOC in India was finalised in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs during the 25th CSPOC held in Ottawa in January 2020. Om Birla had led the Indian delegation to that conference.

President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Dr Tulia Ackson and Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Dr Christopher Kalila are among the special invitees to the Delhi event.

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In keeping with CSPOC tradition, a post-conference visit to Jaipur has been arranged for the visiting delegates on January 17 and 18.