Mr. Akbar Khan, is the Commonwealth-wide Secretary-General of the CPA. He will share with students the background and future of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. He would like to have an open dialogue afterwards with students on their views of the Commonwealth and of the priorities which Parliamentarians in Commonwealth countries should establish.
The CPA connects, develops, promotes and supports Parliamentarians and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and the implementation of the enduring values of the Commonwealth. The CPA collaborates with Parliaments and other organizations, including the intergovernmental community, to achieve its Statement of Purpose. It brings Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff together to exchange ideas among themselves and with experts in various fields, to identify benchmarks of good practices and new policy options they can adopt or adapt in the governance of their societies. CPA activities focus on the Commonwealth's commitment to its fundamental political values, including: just and honest government, the alleviation of poverty, fundamental human rights, international peace and order, global economic development, the rule of law, equal rights and representation for all citizens of both genders, the separation of powers among the three branches of government and the right to participate in free and democratic political processes.
Come out and meet Mr. Khan and explore the future of the Commonwealth of Nations and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
Date: Monday, October 16, 2017
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Place: TBD
Sponsors: the Royal Commonwealth Society Ottawa and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Canada Region
Biography: Mr. Khan, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) - The Secretary-General, was born in Guyana, South America before moving to the United Kingdom. Mr. Khan is an honours graduate in both International Law from the University of Cambridge (Jesus College) and in English Law from the University of Reading (UK). Following graduation, Mr. Khan qualified at the English Bar as a Barrister-at-Law (1990) and subsequently as an Attorney-at-Law at the New York Bar in 2000 (USA). He is also a qualified Workplace Investigator for Misconduct. Mr. Khan has practiced at the English Bar and has worked in the fields of international law and human rights for the United Nations Organization in Geneva and the Palestinian Territories (Gaza). He joined Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2003 as a legal adviser and has held several diplomatic positions. These include Head of the International Law Section at the British Embassy, The Hague representing British legal interests before the International Courts and United Nations Tribunals. This was followed by a period of special leave in which he served as the Director of Legal Affairs and Principal Legal Counsel to the Commonwealth Secretary-General at the Commonwealth Secretariat. In 2012, as Head of the Commonwealth Delegation he led the high-level fact finding mission to the Republic of the Maldives to establish the circumstances behind the transfer of executive power. Between 2013/15 he headed the UK Delegation to the International Meetings of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), and Chaired the CGPCS Working Group on Capacity Building off the Horn of Africa. In recognition of his contribution to promoting the international rule of law and good governance he was appointed a Member of the prestigious World Economic Forum Global Council on the Rule of Law (2012 -2013). He was also featured as one of the ‘Leaders’ on the Rule of Law by The Hague Institute on the Internationalization of Law (HiiL). Mr. Khan is currently an Independent Member of the Audit Committee for the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames; a Legally Qualified Chair (LQC) of the Police Misconduct Panels; and is a Board Level Diversity Champion for ParliREACH, a UK Parliamentary staff association that promotes race, ethnicity and cultural heritage.