The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Thomas Tayebwa has asked the organizing committee of the 27th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) countries to have a topic of international significance for which the CSPOC2024 can be remembered for.

Tayebwa made these remarks on December 29, 2023, while meeting the organising committee at Parliament, which has broken off their festive season holidays to continue with the preparations for the conference.

“I suggest having a carbon neutral conference. So that the 27th CSPOC 2024 is a memorial one,” Tayebwa said.

He commended the organizing committee for the great job, and included tree planting as one of the activities, and use of KIIRA EV buses while going for the excursion as a means of reducing the carbon production.

He identified key places that have been organized and arranged by the committee where the Presiding Officers, their spouses and accompanying persons will tour including Namugongo Martyrs Shrine, Makerere University and the Uganda Wild Life Education Center.

Abdu Katuntu, the Chairperson of the Organising Committee, revealed that they have made progress and are ready to host.

“We are ready to host, and everything is set. We have a dedicated team, and they will make us proud,” Katuntu noted.

Katuntu applauded other stakeholders who have contributed immensely to the preparations, like the Directorate of Immigration (Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control-DCIC) and security forces.

Uganda will be hosting the 27th CSPOC from January 3-6, 2024. The conference aims to maintain, foster and encourage impartiality and fairness of Speakers and Presiding Officers of Parliaments of the Commonwealth countries as well as to promote knowledge and understanding of Parliamentary democracy in its various forms, among others.