PM Modi to Inaugurate 28th CSPOC in New Delhi; Om Birla to Take Chairmanship

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) on Thursday, January 15 at 10:30 am in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan within the Parliament House Complex in New Delhi. The Prime Minister will also address the delegates during the inaugural session.

The three-day conference, being hosted by the Parliament of India from January 14 to 16, will be chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. A total of 61 Speakers and Presiding Officers representing 42 Commonwealth countries, along with delegates from four semi-autonomous parliaments, will participate, making it the largest CSPOC gathering to date.

The conference agenda includes discussions on key contemporary parliamentary issues such as the role of Presiding Officers in strengthening democratic institutions, the application of artificial intelligence in legislative functioning, the influence of social media on lawmakers, innovative methods to improve public understanding of parliamentary processes, and ways to promote civic engagement beyond electoral participation.

Addressing the media, Om Birla said the conference would focus on shared parliamentary traditions, democratic governance, and enhanced institutional cooperation. He highlighted that the entire preparatory work for the event has been conducted digitally, without the use of paper. An integrated mobile application and a web-based event management system have been developed to handle coordination, facilitation and information sharing.

Responding to queries, Birla clarified that Pakistan will not participate in the conference, while Bangladesh will remain unrepresented as it currently does not have a Speaker, with general elections scheduled next month. He also noted that the conference will be attended by the Presidents of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

The previous edition of CSPOC was hosted by Uganda in January 2024. India formally assumed hosting responsibilities for the 2026 edition during that conference.