CPwD network reaffirms its priority of promoting disability inclusion in Parliaments as it releases its new three-year strategic plan

The Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) network has officially published the CPwD Strategic Plan 2021-2024, setting out its core priorities for the next three years. The network will encourage both Parliamentarians with disabilities, and Legislatures, to advance issues around disability inclusion and to advocate for greater representation of persons with disabilities in Parliaments across the Commonwealth.

The CPwD network was founded in 2018 to support elected representatives with disabilities in Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures. It also works to ensure that issues related to and raised by persons with disabilities (PWDs) are brought to the fore in parliamentary debate and mainstreamed across the legislative, oversight, and representative functions of Parliament. The network campaigns for equality for PWDs in all spheres.

The CPwD Chairperson, Hon. Dennitah Ghati MP (Kenya), said:

“I encourage all Parliamentarians across the CPwD’s membership, Branches and Regions of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to actively utilise and take ownership of this new Strategic Plan 2021-2024. Its success will be determined by our collective dedication to its implementation. I look forward to working with all Parliamentarians to successfully fulfil this Plan.”

With the intention of progressing the work accomplished in the network’s previous activities, overseen by the CPwD’s preceding Chairperson, Kevin Murphy (Nova Scotia), this Strategic Plan 2021-2024 further refines the Network’s focus by streamlining its outputs and priorities. Developed following a series of consultations with the nine Regional Champions of the Network, this new strategy will focus on addressing the following areas of concerns and key priorities:

• Leadership positions for Parliamentarians with disabilities
• Sensitising Parliaments to the needs and rights of persons with disabilities
• Methods for the implementation of the UN’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg, welcomed the launch of the CPwD Strategic Plan 2021-2024 and stated:

“Diversity is a huge strength of the Commonwealth which the CPA reflects in our important networks like CPwD. The new CPwD Strategic Plan outlines our commitment to mainstreaming disability issues in our work and supporting Parliaments to be more inclusive.”

Accessing the CPwD Strategic Plan 2021 - 2024

The CPwD Strategic Plan 2021 - 2024, and a plain-text, accessible PDF version of the Plan, are both available to download below. We have also published a plain-text web version of the Plan, designed for use with text-to-speech tools. To read the plain-text web version, click here.

If you have any difficulties accessing the Plan, please contact Clive Barker, Programmes Officer at clive.barker@cpahq.org.