Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat IPA-2 Sub: 49^th CPA Conference hosted by Bangladesh Parliament. Bangladesh became Member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in 1972 and since then has remained active with the functions of the CPA with a few years break in the frist part of 1970s and in the eighties. But regular representation in the CPA was made during the 7^th and the 8^th Parliament. The concept of hosting a CPA’s annual conference was floated during the 7^th Parliament and met the approval of the CPA’s Executive Committee and the General Assembly in the 48^th Conference which was held in Namibia in 2-14 September, 2002. It was decided that Bangladesh Parliament, in cooperation with the CPA, would arrange the 49^th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Dhaka in 2003. Following the decision Bangladesh Parliament arranged the 49^th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Dhaka from 4-12 October 2003. The Main conference which included Plenary, General Assembly and Workshop Sessions was held at the Bangladesh China Friendship Conference Centre (BCFCC), the Executive Committe Meetings at The Pan Pacific Hotel Sonargaon, Small Countries Conference at Hotel Sheraton and the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Steering Committee meeting and Business meeting were held at The Pan Pacific Hotel Sonargaon,. The theme of the conference was ‘Partnerships for Global Peace and Prosperity’. And the Workshop Topics were as follows: Workshop A: Parliament and the Executive: Building a More Effective Partnership Workshop B: Do we Have Adequate Peace-keeping Mechanisms for Preserving World Order? Workshop C: Are the Millennium Development Goals Achievable? Workshop D: Reconciling Human Rights with Cultural Diversity? Workshop E: How can the Doha Round Contribute to Increasing Trade and Investment Opportunities for Developing Nations? Workshop F: Anti-Terrorism Legislation: Have we Achieved any Tangible Results? The topic of the Final Plenary was ‘Balancing Multilateral Support and National Sovereignty: Managing the Interface Between the International Community and Local Interest.’ The conference was attended by about 600 delegates from the CPA Branches. From Bangladesh Parliament a 22-Member Delegation particpated in the conference. Former Chief Whip Khondker Delwar Hossain led the delegation. That was the first CPA Conference that Bangladesh Parliament organised. However it was a successful conference from all respects.