Overview
- The 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth runs January 14–16 in New Delhi, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to inaugurate the event on January 15 in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan.
- Anonymous officials say Pakistan’s Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq will not attend and that Pakistan’s flag will not be displayed at the venue.
- Bangladesh will be unrepresented because its parliament was dissolved in August 2024, leaving no Speaker in office.
- An official communique reports 59 Speakers and Presiding Officers confirmed, totaling 61 participants, with broad participation from Commonwealth countries and autonomous parliaments.
- Organizers say sessions will examine the use of artificial intelligence in legislative work, the effects of social media on parliamentarians, and the security, health and well-being of members.