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CPA Network

Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP)

The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) is the network of women Members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Parliaments and Legislatures. The CWP network provides a means of building the capacity of women elected to Parliament to be more effective in their roles, improving the awareness and ability of all Parliamentarians, male and female, and encouraging them to include a gender perspective in all aspects of their role - legislation, oversight and representation and helping Parliaments to become gender-sensitive institutions.

CWP Mission

To promote the representation of women in CPA Branches and women's full and equal participation in all political and parliamentary leadership at all levels.
CWP represents over 3,000 women parliamentarians, in over 180 Commonwealth national and sub-national Parliaments, across all 9 Regions of the CPA.

CWP Governance and Structure

Learn more about the CWP and who we are
History of CWP

Recognising the need of increasing women’s representation in political institutions, the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) was founded by women delegates at the 1989 plenary CPA conference so women at future conferences could discuss ways to increase female representation in Parliament and work towards the mainstreaming of gender considerations in all CPA activities and programmes.

In 2004, the group was formally recognised in the CPA Constitution and its elected Chairperson became part of the CPA Executive Committee.

Structure

CWP International Steering Committee
A CWP Steering Committee of 11 Women Members (9 Regional Representatives  representing the CPA Regions, the CWP Chairperson and the CWP President) plan its activities. The CWP  President serves for a term of one year.  Each Regional Representative and the CWP Chairperson  serves for a term of three years. Every year, three members (one third of the Committee) rotates off the Steering Committee and is replaced by three new Members ensuring that there is always a continuity in the the Steering Committee's work.

The current list of CWP Steering Committee Members can be found here

As well as the Steering Committee, the CWP Business Meeting held annually deals with the business of the CWP and takes place before the CPA Annual Conference. It was previously only open to women delegates, observers and clerks, but since the 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Cameroon, male delegates, observers and clerks were permitted to attend as well. This was supported widely by the CWP as it was agreed that for women to gain ground politically, men had to support them through this process. The most recent CWP Business Meeting was held in August 2022.

CWP Regions

In addition to the CWP international activities, there are regional groups of the CWP with their own steering committees and programmes of activities. For further information on CWP activities within CPA Regions, please refer to the following links:

CWP Chairperson

 

Hon. Dr Zainab Gimba MP, Member of the Federal Parliament of Nigeria
Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network (2022 - 2025)

The CWP Chairperson was elected for a three-year term at the CWP Business Meeting at the CWP seventh triennial conference that took place in Halifax, Canada as part of the wider 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in August 2022.

 


Biography

Hon. Zainab Gimba is currently the Chairperson of the CWP Africa Region. She started her public service career as a Lecturer, in the Department of Public Administration, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria in 2002. Before entering Parliament, she had from 2011-2018 served as Commissioner in charge of Poverty Alleviation and Youth Empowerment, Universal Basic Education Board and Water Resources in Borno, Nigeria. Her public service was rewarded when her people elected her in 2019 to the Nigeria House of Representatives.

She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree and Master of Public Administration from the University of Maiduguri and a PhD in Public Administration and Policy Analysis from the University of Abuja. Hon. Gimba has received many awards and recognitions from professional and Trade Union bodies for her service in community development and empowerment of vulnerable women.

 


Previous Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Chairpersons include:
  • Hon. Shandana Gulzar Khan MNA, Member of Parliament, Pakistan (2019-2022)
  • Hon. Dr Dato' Noraini Ahmad MP, Member of the Parliament of Malaysia (2016-2019)
  • Rt Hon. Rebecca Kadaga MP, Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda (2013-2016)
  • Hon. Alix Boyd Knights MHA, Speaker Emerita of the House of Assembly of Dominica (2010-2013)
  • Ms Kashmala Tariq MNA, Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan (2007-2010)
  • Hon. Lindiwe Maseko MP, former Speaker of the Provincial Legislature of Gauteng (2004-2007)

CWP Programmes

Learn more about the CWP projects, activities and events

CWP Regional Strengthening Funds - Apply Now

The CWP Regional Strengthening Fund is an annual grant made available to each of the CPA’s nine Regions to advance the CWP’s mission to ‘promote the representation of women in CPA Branches and women's full and equal participation in political and parliamentary leadership at all levels.'

Each CPA Region can bid for £10,000 to provide assistance in their efforts to undertake projects and events which align with the CWP's mission. 

How to apply:
Full details of the Fund and application forms have been distributed to all CPA Regional Secretaries. For more information and to apply, please contact your Regional Secretary.

Find contact details for CPA Regional Secretaries

Gender Sensitive Parliaments in the 21st century

The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network is an active advocate for women's representation in Parliament, seeking to ensure Parliaments are gender-sensitive institutions.

The CWP network has produced two complementary publications to help Parliaments through the gender-sensitisation process:

  • CWP Gender Sensitising Parliaments Guidelines: Standards and a Checklist for Parliamentary Change
  • CWP Gender-Sensitising Parliaments: A Seven-Step Field Guide
CWP Gender Sensitising Parliaments

CWP Workshop: Champions for Gender Equality

In December 2022, Commonwealth Parliamentarians from 12 different jurisdictions came together in Canberra, Australia for a CWP Workshop on 'Champions for Gender Equality'.

Hosted by the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory, the workshop equipped male and female Members of Parliament with skills and resources to take action on gender equality to strengthen their roles as gender champions in their respective Parliaments.

Read about the CWP Workshop

International Women's Day

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day, first celebrated in 1911, marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.

About International Women's Day 2023

Triennial CWP Conference

Held every three years, the Conference, delivered on the margins of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference is one of the largest gatherings of women parliamentarians from the Commonwealth. 

The most recent CWP Conference was held in August 2022 in Halifax, Canada under the theme of ‘#BreaktheBias: Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow’.

Revisit the 2022 CWP Conference

CWP Resources

Browse CPA and Commonwealth publications

Blog | How to start a women's parliamentary caucus in 5 stages

Five key steps to follow to establish a successful women’s parliamentary caucus.
Read the blog

Q & A | Grenada Women's Parliamentary Caucus

Glynis Roberts, Vice-President of the Grenada Women's Parliamentary Caucus, offers an insight the history, vision, and activities of the Caucus.
Read the blog

The CPA and the Belize Women's Parliamentary Caucus

Hon. Tracy Ann Panton reflects on the CPA's Women Parliamentarians' Roundtable and with the National Assembly of Belize
Read the blog

Download our resources

CWP Network Information Leaflet

The leaflet provides information on how the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network is organised and the activities and programmes it provides for Members.

CWP Gender-Sensitising Parliaments: A Seven-Step Field Guide

This Field Guide complements the 'CWP Gender Sensitising Parliaments Guidelines', providing a blueprint for Parliaments interested in undertaking a gender sensitive review and making their institution more inclusive and representative.

CWP Gender Sensitising Parliaments Guidelines: Standards and a Checklist for Parliamentary Change

These guidelines have been created to help Commonwealth Parliaments to become gender sensitive institutions, providing legislatures with an outline of gender sensitising standards that they can look to achieve. 

CWP Anti-Harassment Policy Guidelines: A Toolkit for Commonwealth Parliaments

The CWP Anti-Harassment Policy Guidelines support Parliaments across the Commonwealth in the effort to both address and remove all traces of harassment across parliamentary workplaces.

Policy learning, parliamentary diplomacy and gender equality: a CWP research project

This dissertation, written by CWP Co-ordinator Bénite Dibateza, studies the extent to which policy learning as a parliamentary diplomacy activity to achieve gender equality is important for women parliamentarians engaged in the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians network.

2022 CWP Workshop: Gender Equality Statement

A statement written by Commonwealth women and male Parliamentarians on 7 December 2022 at the CWP 'Champions for Gender Equality’ workshop held in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

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CWP News

Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Chairperson speaks about gender equality in Parliaments
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Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Chairperson speaks about gender equality in Parliaments

Hon. Zainab Gimba attended the 13th Commonwealth Women's Affairs Ministers Meeting in Nassau, The Bahamas, from 21 to 23 August 2023.

Women political leaders aim for gender equality in the Caribbean Region
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Women political leaders aim for gender equality in the Caribbean Region

Importance of women’s engagement in parliamentary leadership underscored at CWP Regional Seminar in Jamaica

Promoting women's political participation in Botswana
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Promoting women's political participation in Botswana

Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Chairperson visits the Parliament of Botswana to discuss women’s political participation ahead of forthcoming elections

Parliamentary strengthening in CPA Asia Region with PIPS
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Parliamentary strengthening in CPA Asia Region with PIPS

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association partners with Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services to promote parliamentary strengthening

Gender equality through parliamentary engagement: UN Women partnership
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Gender equality through parliamentary engagement: UN Women partnership

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association partners with UN Women to promote gender equality through parliamentary engagement

Everything you need to know from CWP on International Women's Day 2023
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Everything you need to know from CWP on International Women's Day 2023

Register for our new online course, watch a message from the CWP Chair and find out how Parliaments are marking #IWD2023

Meet the CPA Headquarters team

Contact us if you'd like to know more about the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP)
James Pinnell
Deputy Head of Programmes - Multilateral Engagement
CPA Headquarters Secretariat james.pinnell@cpahq.org
Bénite Dibateza
Programmes Manager - CWP Coordinator
CPA Headquarters Secretariat benite.dibateza@cpahq.org

 

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