Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians

Participants at the CWP BIMR Conference in 2018

CWP is the network of women members of CPA parliaments. It aims to:

• Build the capacity of women elected to parliament to be more effective in their roles
• Improve the awareness and ability of parliamentarians, male and female, to include a gender perspective in all aspects of their role, including legislation, oversight and representation
• Help parliaments to become gender-sensitive institutions

CWP is governed by a Steering Committee made up of representatives from each CPA region. The International Steering Committee is chaired by Hon. Shandana Gulzar Khan MNA, Member of Parliament from Pakistan.

CWP works on a regional basis, with each of the nine regions of the CPA coordinating programmes, conferences and meetings among its legislatures. CPA UK coordinates the British Islands and Mediterranean Region (BIMR).

CWP BIMR

CWP BIMR's focus is on working with women across the region to increase global representation of women in parliaments and politics and connecting women through the Commonwealth network.

CWP BIMR is represented on the international CWP Steering Committee by Hon. Samantha Sacramento MP, Member of Parliament from Gibraltar..

The objectives of CWP BIMR are to:

• Build the capacity of women elected to parliament to be more effective in their roles
• Improve 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
• Help parliaments to become gender-sensitive institutions
• Encourage more women into politics and connect with the work of the Commonwealth
• Focus on themes of communication, advocacy and engagement
• Link with other groups and associations such as UN Women, UNDP and CSW
• Expand the work and understanding of CWP

CWP BIMR's annual conference for 2020 was hosted by CPA Falkland Islands from 16-21 February 2020. The theme of the conference was Combatting Stereotypes in Small Communities. The Conference report outlines more information about the programme. 

Our Recent Activities

BIMR CWP Regional Conference

The 4th British Islands and Mediterranean Region Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians’ Conference took place in Westminster from 26-28 April 2018. 25 delegates attended from all branches in the region.

The theme of the Conference was Women in Parliament: past, present and future, celebrating the centenary of the Representation of the People’s Act - reflecting on what progress has been made since, and what more needs to be done. Delegates heard from the UK Women and Equalities Committee about parliamentary scrutiny of the Government Equalities Office and took part in interactive sessions on social media, gender sensitive parliaments and building platforms for social change.

The Conference Report can be found here.