The All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group (PHRG) attended this conference organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

In celebration of the , the conference discussed some of the key principles underpinning the Magna Carta which are relevant to all Commonwealth nations today including: limiting arbitrary power, holding the executive to account and upholding the rule of law. Nearly 50 senior Parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth attended the conference in the UK Parliament.

In celebration of the Magna Carta’s 800^th anniversary, the conference discussed some of the key principles underpinning the Magna Carta which are relevant to all Commonwealth nations today including: limiting arbitrary power, holding the executive to account and upholding the rule of law. Nearly 50 senior Parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth attended the conference in the UK Parliament.

The PHRG attended two sessions, one focussing on the role of Parliamentary strengthening and another on rights and their boundaries. The first session explored how Parliaments and Parliamentarians can help strengthen the protection of human rights around the world, particularly focussing on improving the transparency of Parliaments themselves. At the latter session, the role of human rights defenders was discussed, with a presentation by human rights defender, Ruth Mumbi about her own experiences defending women’s rights in Kenya.

 

More information about the conference can be found on the CPA’s website: http://www.uk-cpa.org/.