Participation by videoconference of the Honourable Anthony Rota, M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons, to the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, United Nations (IPU), Vienna, Austria
From 19-20 August 2020, the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Honourable Anthony Rota, M.P., led a parliamentary delegation that participated in the virtual meetings of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament.
The delegation comprised the following members of the House of Commons: Mr. Bruce Stanton and Ms. Alexandra Mendès. Also participating with the delegation were: Mr. Charles Robert, Clerk of the House of Commons, Mr. Alexandre Mattard-Michaud, Chief of Staff to Speaker Rota, Mr. Kevin Pittman, Secretary to the delegation and Ms. Natalie Mychajlyszyn, Advisor from the Library of Parliament.
Organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament brings together presiding officers from across the world and represents a unique global forum for parliamentary dialogue and engagement at the highest level. The Conference generally consists of a plenary debate, panel discussions, roundtables and the presentation of substantive reports. It was preceded by a Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament.
The overall theme of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament was Parliamentary leadership for more effective multilateralism that delivers peace and sustainable development for the people and planet. The agenda included such global priorities as gender equality, climate change, youth participation in politics, human mobility, the impact of science and technology on societies, democratic governance and counter-terrorism among others. Originally scheduled to be in-person in Vienna, Austria, the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament was held virtually due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The in-person portion of the Conference will now take place in Vienna, Austria, in 2021.