2015 November 25

I was delighted to be part of the UK Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) Women’s Forum in Malta which took place from the 22- 24 November 2015. This was a historic event as it was the first time there had ever been a women’s forum. The theme of the Forum was: ‘Woman Ahead: Be All That You Can Be’. The Forum focused on the importance of Women’s economic, social and political empowerment and the need to strengthen women’s participation and leadership in all areas: education, health, employment, technology, political and economic decision making and the judiciary. The Forum identified the opportunities and the barriers that women face in the twenty-first century. There are 1 billion women and girls throughout the 53 countries of the commonwealth.