Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) mark International Women’s Day 2025

Since 1911, International Women’s Day has been observed globally, celebrating the achievements of women while calling for greater gender equality. This year’s UN international theme, For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment, underscores the need for urgent action to ensure gender parity worldwide.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network are proud to mark this occasion by highlighting key initiatives and progress in advancing women’s political representation and leadership. 

To celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025, the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Chairperson, Hon. Dr. Zainab Gimba, delivers a message highlighting the importance of gender equality, women’s political participation and the role of Parliamentarians in breaking down barriers for women across the Commonwealth.

Watch her video message below or on our YouTube channel.

Read about some of our recent activities:

Women’s Representation in Commonwealth Parliaments

Australia, Rwanda and New Zealand lead the way

Women’s representation in Commonwealth Parliaments has seen significant progress. 

• Australia’s Federal Parliament leads across CPA Regions with 44.1% female representation across both its Houses.  
• Canada’s Parliament follows closely with 43.8% female representation. 
• Tasmania has reached 42.86% women’s representation in 2024 – making it one of the highest amongst sub-national Legislatures.  
• Rwanda still leads in women’s representation amongst national Parliaments, continuing to set benchmarks, whilst New Zealand and South Africa follow closely. 

Inclusive Leadership in Politics 

At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa in 2024, Commonwealth Parliamentarians reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening advocacy for LGBT+ inclusion, gender equality and disability rights.

They emphasised the implementation of intersectional policy approaches to address multiple layers of marginalisation. Efforts were also focused on removing barriers to political participation for under-represented groups. Find out more here. 

Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria 

The CWP Workshop on Gender-Based Violence (GBV), held in Nigeria, promoted legislative reforms aimed at strengthening GBV laws within Commonwealth Parliaments. The workshop encouraged MP-led community initiatives to combat gender-based violence.

Discussions addressed the issue of violence in politics, including tackling harassment and online abuse targeting women leaders. The workshop also strengthened global partnerships with UN Women, UNICEF and other human rights organisations. Find out more here. 

Gender-Sensitive Legislation - Scotland publish new guide

The Scottish Parliament recently published a Gender-Sensitising Parliaments Guide, introducing a six-step framework for improving gender sensitivity in Parliaments. This guide builds on findings from The Scottish Parliament’s 2022 Gender Sensitive Audit and supports global Legislatures in removing structural and cultural barriers to women’s participation. Find out more here.

Establishing the UK Women’s Caucus 

Women MPs in the UK Parliament have established a parliamentary caucus, inspired by similar initiatives in the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Parliament and the Scottish Parliament. This initiative, supported by Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Network Coordinator Bénite Dibateza, aims to enhance women’s representation and influence policy changes. Read more here.

Launch of CWP Research Publication 

The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians network will be launching a new research document ‘Promoting Women’s Participation in Politics and Parliament: Information and Resources’. This publication will provide valuable data and insights to strengthen women’s political engagement across the Commonwealth. Look out for the launch of this publication. 

CWP Canada Publication on Mentoring and Twinning 

The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Canadian Region has published a new guide to help Parliaments establish twinning and mentoring programmes that connect women MPs with young women interested in politics. The programme allows young women to experience parliamentary life, develop political interest and engage with women Parliamentarians.

Developed with funding from the 2024 CWP Regional Strengthening Funds, the guide shares best practices and lessons learned from previous initiatives. To download the CWP Canada Region Twinning Programmes Guide, please click here. 

CWP Participation in Nordic-British Discussion on Women in Democracy 

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) showcased the efforts of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) in promoting gender equality at a Nordic-British forum focused on democracy and inter-parliamentary cooperation. The event took place at the UK Parliament and panellists included UK MPs, Dawn Butler and Mims Davies (Chair of the APPG Women in Parliament), Helen Pankhurst, convener of Centenary Action and Kristina Háfoss, Secretary-General of the Nordic Council.

In addition, CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg, and CWP Coordinator, Bénite Dibateza, met with Kristina Háfoss, Secretary-General of the Nordic Council, to explore potential collaborations on gender equality, parliamentary development, and global democratic initiatives. 

Looking Ahead: CWP Workshop in The Bahamas

The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) network will host a workshop in The Bahamas from 28 April to 2 May 2025. The event will be hosted in Nassau by the Parliament of The Bahamas and will focus on the theme, ‘Parliamentarians as Drivers of Women’s Economic Empowerment’.

This workshop will provide participants with essential skills in maintaining a gender lens in financial oversight, combatting discriminatory laws that perpetuate women’s economic disempowerment and communicating women's economic empowerment through media engagement. Find out more about this event. 

As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) remain committed to advocating for gender equality, empowering women leaders and fostering inclusive governance structures worldwide. 

-ENDS-

The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) was founded in 1989 to increase the number of female elected representatives in 180 Parliaments and Legislatures across the Commonwealth and to ensure that women’s issues are brought to the fore in parliamentary debate and legislation. The network campaigns for gender equality in all spheres. For media enquiries, please contact communications@cpahq.org.