Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Launches Strategic Plan 2020-2022

The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network has officially published the CWP Strategic Plan 2020-2022 which sets out its core priority to encourage women Parliamentarians and Commonwealth Parliaments to advance issues around gender equality and to advocate for greater representation of women in Parliaments across the Commonwealth.

With over 3,000 women Parliamentarians represented in 180 national, sub-national, provincial and territorial Parliaments of the Commonwealth across the nine Regions of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), the CWP 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.

The CWP Chairperson, Hon. Shandana Gulzar Khan, MNA (Pakistan) said:

“I encourage all women Parliamentarians across the CWP’s membership, Branches and Regions of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to actively utilise and take ownership of this new Strategic Plan 2020-2022. Its success will be determined by our collective dedication to its implementation. I look forward to working with every member of the CWP to successfully fulfil this Plan.”

With the intention of progressing the work accomplished in the implementation of the network’s previous Strategic Plan 2017-2019 initiated by the CWP’s preceding Chairperson, Hon. Dr Dato Noraini Ahmad MP (Malaysia), this Strategic Plan 2020-2022 further refines the network’s focus by streamlining its outputs and priorities. Developed following a series of consultations with members of the CWP International Steering Committee, as well as other women Parliamentarians and Parliaments from across the Commonwealth, this new strategy will focus on addressing the following areas of concerns and key priorities: Women and leadership; Elimination of gender-based violence (GBV) in all its forms and harmful practices; Economic empowerment of women and; Equal access to national resources.

The CPA Secretary-General, Mr Stephen Twigg welcomed the launch of the CWP Strategic Plan 2020-2022 and stated:

“Women play a central role in advancing parliamentary democracy across the Commonwealth. Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality is of critical importance to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. I am confident that the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians network will play an increasingly important role in connecting, developing and supporting women Parliamentarians across the Commonwealth.”

The strategic plan is available to download below.