Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians begin groundwork today

Members of the steering committee of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians meet today October 3, 2014.

Groundwork for the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, CWP, Business Meeting and Session slated for October 8, 2014 on the side-lines of the 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, CPA, Conference will be laid in Yaounde this October 3, 2014.

Participants at today’s meeting will include female delegates from the nine Regions of the Commonwealth namely: Africa; Asia; Australia; British Islands and Mediterranean; Canada; Caribbean; Americas and Atlantic; India Pacific; and the South East Asia. They will carve out substantial paper-work that will be validated during the October 8, CWP Business Meeting and Session. They are expected to change the fate of women in the CPA for the year running.

Prominent among recommendations will be the increase of female representation in parliament and work towards the mainstreaming of gender considerations in all CPA activities and programmes, for if there is anything women parliamentarians clamour for in the CPA, it is for a fair share of responsibilities.

Thus, setting the stage for a solid base to facilitate the development of women remains primary within the circles of women delegates attending the October 2 to 10 Yaounde confab. Meanwhile, focus remains the promotion of women’s political representation and effective participation in Parliament, uplifting women in parliamentary activity, reserve seats for women and the role of women in the post millennium development era.

Date of Birth The CWP emerged from the CPA in 1989 from women delegates in a plenary in Barbados in the Caribbean Region of the Commonwealth. It was born out of the desire to have women delegates in annual CPA Conferences discuss ways to increase female representation in Parliament.

The group was formally recognised in the CPA Constitution in 2004 and its elected Chairperson added to the CPA Executive Committee. A steering Committee of 10 members plan its activities. The current Chairperson is Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, Speaker of the parliament of Uganda. She was elected on September 5, 2013 at the CPA Annual Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.