Odisha Legislative Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy attended and addressed the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference held at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.
The four-day conference brought together Speakers, Ministers, MPs, MLAs, and Secretaries from 56 countries.
Delivering her address, Padhy highlighted India’s vision of progressing through simultaneous development and climate resilience. She emphasised that development and environmental stability cannot be pursued in isolation, noting that sectors like agriculture, water, energy, health, infrastructure, and disaster management are deeply interconnected.
Highlighting Odisha’s experience, Padhy shared how the state successfully overcomes frequent natural disasters through robust early warning systems, cyclone shelters, timely evacuation protocols, organisational coordination, and active community participation.
She stressed that climate change is not merely an environmental or scientific issue, but a core development challenge requiring legislative backing, dedicated budgetary allocation, monitoring, and accountability.
Padhy also participated in the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians session and discussions on enhancing the participation of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in parliamentary systems.
The Indian delegation, led by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, included Speakers from 17 state assemblies among more than 200 delegates. Odisha Deputy Speaker Bhabani Shankar Bhoi and Assembly Secretary Satyabrata Rout were also present at the conference.
