CAA is a family of independent Member Institutes who share a commitment to certain core values and principles. Its special strength lies not only in this shared commitment, but also in the diversity of its members with their shared history, language, traditions and commitment to the improvement of the built environment.

Encompassing, as we do, a third of the world’s population, the CAA is perhaps uniquely placed to contribute to this vision, and to submit recommendations on behalf of our members. This is a prime opportunity for us to exercise, on the collective advocacy role for which the Commonwealth is so well equipped, and that it is so well placed to deliver.

CAA plays an important supportive role in the process of architectural education and Designing for Sustainability. As one of the officially recognized pan-Commonwealth Professional Associations, CAA has come of age as a force for accreditation, validation of schools, architectural competitions, sustainable development, and for meeting the needs of smaller members.

Our task now, as the commonwealth architectural leaders, is to chart a practical vision to meet the adversities and the challenges of the coming decades within the orbit of the Commonwealth. Though we are proud of our heritage and what we have achieved together, as we look to the future, we need constantly to renew our organization and re-calibrate the CAA to contemporary needs and the aspirations of our members.

In tacking these demands, I believe we need to focus on three core values and strategies; Institutional Excellence, Visibility & Member Outreach which will help CAA Members and institutions to harness the potential of technologies for expanding access to education and training, and Capacity Improvement that will enable the architects to achieve a sustainable growth and thereby win unwavering confidence from all stakeholders.

Let us build these strategies in to the DNA of this organization. There is huge potential and we have a great deal to accomplish. We are all in this great enterprise together; Let us play to our strengths, and seize the opportunities open to us to add value in critical areas of professional endeavour.

Rukshan Widyalankara

CAA President, 23 August 2013