CPA constitution now allows for more women participation

In a historic moment today, during the General Assembly of the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC) in Halifax, Canada, the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP) tabled an amendment to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s (CPA) constitution to provide for increased participation by women parliamentarians.

The amendment served at the CPA, Africa Region conference in June this year where it received unanimous support by all Commonwealth African Parliaments.

Speaker of the WCPP, Hon Masizole Mnqasela, introduced the amendment during the General Assembly earlier today where it received overwhelming support from across Commonwealth Parliamentary jurisdictions around the world.

The result of the amendment will be that all parliaments (branches), but most importantly sub-national branches (Provincial Parliaments), will now be allowed to be represented by two voting delegates at future CPA conferences, on the provision that one of the delegates must be a woman. This will allow sub-national branches, where the Speaker and main delegate is a man, to have a voting delegate in the deliberations of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) meetings that precede the main conferences, as well as a vote at the main conference of the CPA. There’s no better way to represent the women of any parliament and jurisdiction.

Having a strong voice for women has never been so urgent in this challenging and ever-changing world.

Speaker Masizole Mnqasela says “By passing this amendment the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and its Member-States are saying they are not just talking about the rights of women and women participation in decision making and democracy, but we mean business and we, as a collective, recognise that this must be a body of all genders and all people”.