January 15, 2026 12:01 PM IST First published on: Jan 15, 2026 at 12:01 PM ISTIt is generally recognised by both knowledgeable experts and laymen alike that democracies today are traversing a difficult phase. The difficulty also arises from the fact that, at a time when the world’s problems are plentiful and appear daunting, global parliamentary cooperation among democracies could be better. It is against this backdrop that the Indian Parliament will get an opportunity to host the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) in New Delhi from January 14 to 16. India’s Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will chair the meeting attended by representatives of 53 Commonwealth countries and 14 autonomous parliaments from different parts of the world. The international conference will be inaugurated by the Indian Prime Minister on January 15.The conference is confined largely to members of the Commonwealth. But the issues related to Parliament that it is likely to debate have a certain relevance far beyond the Commonwealth. Issues likely to be taken up include the role of Speakers and Presiding Officers in maintaining strong democratic institutions; use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in parliaments; social media and its impact on Members of Parliament; and innovative strategies to enhance public understanding of parliament and citizens’ participation beyond voting.AdvertisementIt is worth recalling that the CSPOC was established in 1969 by the then Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons, and since its inception, it is Canada that has provided secretarial support for all its activities. It bears mentioning that the CSPOC is an autonomous entity with no formal affiliation with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, even if the membership of both fora is identical. Specific objectives of the conference include: Encouraging impartiality and fairness on the part of the Speakers and Presiding Officers of Parliaments; promoting knowledge and understanding of parliamentary democracy in its various forms; and developing parliamentary institutions.The conference in New Delhi will have four workshops dealing with AI in Parliament, social media and its impact; innovative strategies to enhance public understanding of Parliament; and security and well-being of MPs. The first workshop on AI is relevant for any modern parliament. The challenge is to ensure that AI enables a better understanding of issues, rather than diminishing the discussion on critical issues to a mechanical procedure. If the MPs need to be given training in AI, that must be encouraged, no matter how hard this may sound initially. The discussion on this issue also comes at a good time since the global AI Summit itself is scheduled to take place in New Delhi in the middle of February. AI can be useful in providing vital data and statistics to enable a fruitful discussion, so it must be viewed positively by all parliamentary stakeholders.The second workshop on social media and its impact promises to be an interesting one. It is hard to imagine an active MP not using social media these days. Particularly in a country like India, where most of the population is young, it is almost impossible to avoid social media. The Indian Prime Minister himself is an avid user of social media and has one of the highest followers in the world. Issues to be debated in this workshop may include veracity, authenticity, credibility and even the use of trolls. The point is this: It is not possible to avoid social media, so it is better to understand it and use it responsibly.AdvertisementThe third workshop is on the use of innovative strategies to enhance public understanding of the parliamentary process. It is hard to overemphasise the importance of this workshop. If parliament is indeed the temple of any modern democracy, it becomes vitally important to enhance public understanding through awareness, education and advocacy. A whole range of innovative strategies can be used for this purpose, ranging from audio-visual aids, allowing the public to observe live parliamentary proceedings, mock parliaments in schools and colleges, etc. A democracy can thrive only if it has the full support of the people, and this can be ensured only with public understanding of parliaments.most readThe last workshop pertains to the security and well-being of the MPs themselves. This workshop must look at terror threats, security infrastructure, including cyber threats, amenities, allowances and facilities for the MPs. Perhaps, the most important topic that will be debated by the special plenary session is the role of Speakers and Presiding Officers in maintaining strong democratic institutions. It goes without saying that Speakers and Presiding Officers play an important role in ensuring wide participation of MPs across the benches, fairness and impartiality, as well as ensuring order in the House. This can sometimes be a challenging task. This session gives an opportunity for all Commonwealth representatives to compare notes on this crucial topic.In conclusion, the 28th CSPOC will provide a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, share best practices and look at adopting new methodologies to strengthen democratic institutions in some 53 countries belonging to the Commonwealth.The writer is former Indian ambassador to France and currently dean/professor at OP Jindal Global University. Views are personal