STATEMENT ON THE OCASSION OF WORLD PARLIAMENT DAY 2026.
Grenada joins the world in marking World Parliament Day 2026. The day is also known as International Day of Parliamentarianism. The occasion is dedicated to marking the very valuable role that parliaments play in upholding and expanding for every people, the just expectations of democracy. Indeed, parliament or any other national deliberative or decision-making body, is the highest institution of any society and is intended to capture, secure and advance, in law, the aspirations of all members of the society as presented by an Executive.
This day, June 30th, is intended to highlight the critical role legislative bodies play in representing people, ensuring government accountability, passing laws, and tackling global challenges such as world and regional peace, global inequality, climate change, resilient and sustainable systems and the welfare of all, especially children, youth, refuges, migrants, farmers and all. World Parliament Day is also a time for parliaments to review their progress in becoming more representative, more transparent, and more inclusive, especially of those generally excluded from power and decision-making: women, persons living in remote areas, those living with disabilities.
Our country, Grenada, has a rich parliamentary history. After slavery ended, the Westminster Parliamentary system eventually extended democratic rights to all free people with the 1951 universal right to vote. This so lacked true inclusion, appeal and meaning, that over the next decades, at least two “People’s Parliaments” were organized at grassroots level. Gaining its independence in 1974 meant that Grenada ended colonial parliamentary rule. In 1979, state-led, “people’s power” structures at village, zonal and parish levels followed for five years. This eventually gave way to return to a national Westminster parliamentary arrangement which remains . Thus today, Parliament is led by Grenada’s Governor General and comprises a Lower House (The House), a Upper House (The Senate) with twenty nine representatives and senators, Standing Committees and a parliamentary staff of twenty, led by a Clerk. The Parliament administers fifteen (15) staffed Parliamentary or Constituency Offices across Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. A Women’s Caucus and a Conservation Caucus are key features.
Parliament has prioritised the development of youth as part of the democratic process, via outreach to schools and a volunteer National Youth Parliament. The Parliament is today 34% female, 17% under 40, and boasts gender equality in its leadership. It embodies the country’s regional and political diversity that captures some of the essence of representative government in this Caribbean small island developing state.
The country’s parliament remains committed to working with the Executive for passage of amendments, new laws and an annual budget.
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Grenada’s Speaker and President each holds office in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, (CPA), ParlAmericas and Paralatino; they and other parliamentarians help build regional and global parliamentary diplomacy on critical issues of the day.
Today, Grenada’s parliament remains an independent institution. Parliament celebrates all the achievements of our country’s democracy and commits to expanding the rights of people for a better life now and in the future.
As the well-quoted saying reminds us, “Parliaments are more than buildings — they are the voice of the people, the heart of democracy, and the guardians of justice.”
Happy World Parliament Day 2026 to all Parliamentarians and parliamentary staffers, past and present and to the people of Grenada who are the real crafters and beneficiaries of our democracy over which our Parliament presides.
Houses of Parliament of Grenada
Mt. Wheldale, St. George’s, Grenada
30 June 2026.
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