The first informal meeting of women Parliamentarians was held in 1989 at the 35th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference held in Barbados, initiated by Senator Norma Cox Astwood (Bermuda). For the first year, and for the part of the second year, Senator Cox Astwood acted as Co-ordinator for the women’s caucus.

In 1996, the group of women Parliamentarians within the CPA came into formal recognition as the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) under a series of appointed CWP Chairpersons between 1996 and 2004 when the first CWP Chairperson was elected.

In 1997 during the 43rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Mauritius, the word ‘gender’ was for the first time included in the preamble of the Constitution of the CPA. In 1998, during the 44th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference organised in New Zealand, the name Commonwealth Group was changed into the current name, Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) as an organ of the Association. Following the amendment of the Constitution of the CPA in 2004, the first Chairperson of CWP was formally elected at the 50th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Canada for a three year period (2004-2007).

To read the reflections of former Senator Norma Cox Astwood (Bermuda) in The Parliamentarian click here.

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.

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 Africa
• CWP Asia
• CWP Australia
• CWP British Isles and Mediterranean (BIM)
• CWP Canada
• CWP Caribbean, Americans and Atlantic (CAA)
• CWP India
• CWP Pacific
• CWP South-East Asia

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)