By Chandan Singh | Page 3 News Worldwide | New Delhi
New Delhi: Delhi Legislative Assembly Speaker Shri Vijender Gupta on Saturday departed for Cape Town, South Africa, to participate in the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC), scheduled from September 13 to 18.
Hosted by the Parliament of South Africa and the CPA South Africa Branch, the conference will deliberate on the theme, “Strengthening International Law and Parliamentary Democracy in a Changing World Order: Commonwealth Leadership.” Speakers, presiding officers, parliamentarians and parliamentary officials from across the Commonwealth will discuss contemporary challenges facing democratic legislatures and ways to strengthen parliamentary democracy and international cooperation.
Delhi Assembly Deputy Speaker Shri 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. The association provides a platform for parliamentarians and officials to exchange experiences and strengthen democratic governance, accountability, inclusion, the rule of law and institutional integrity.
During the conference, Shri Vijender Gupta will chair a session on “Delivering Inclusivity Measures in Capacity-Strained Parliaments.” He will also address a workshop on “Artificial Intelligence in Parliaments: Current Applications, Prospects and Implementation Strategies.”
At the AI-focused session, Gupta will highlight the growing use of artificial intelligence in legislative institutions and its potential to improve parliamentary research and access to institutional information. He is also expected to underline the need for accuracy, transparency, accountability, data integrity and parliamentary oversight as legislatures adopt emerging technologies.
Gupta will further address sessions 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.”
His interventions will focus on the responsibility of legislatures to strengthen democratic institutions, uphold constitutional and parliamentary values, promote international cooperation, protect human rights and contribute to peace.
The wider conference programme will cover issues including inclusive and fair trade, inequality and underdevelopment, accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities, parliamentary leadership on climate adaptation and resilience, post-legislative scrutiny and stronger public engagement with parliaments.
Drawing on the experience of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Gupta will highlight its digital transformation, including implementation of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) and the Assembly’s transition towards paperless legislative functioning.
He will also present Vidhān Sāthī, an AI-enabled legislative assistance platform developed by the Delhi Assembly to facilitate Members’ access to legislative records and institutional information in Hindi and English, including through voice-enabled features.
The Delhi Assembly’s experience is expected to demonstrate how emerging technologies can enhance legislative capacity and access to institutional knowledge while keeping human judgement and democratic accountability at the centre of parliamentary decision-making.
The participation of Gupta and Deputy Speaker Bisht in the 69th CPC will provide the Delhi Legislative Assembly an opportunity to engage with Commonwealth legislatures and exchange experiences on evolving parliamentary practices. Gupta’s chairing of and participation in key sessions will also showcase Delhi’s experience in digital legislative transformation and AI-enabled innovation, while contributing to discussions on inclusive parliaments, democratic resilience, human rights, peace and international law.
