The Network of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas brings together the women members of the parliamentary assemblies of the unitary, federal and federated states, regional parliaments, and interparliamentary organizations of the Americas . Its members engage in concerted action on matters relating to the status of women with a view to furthering an assumption of responsibility for matters of particular concern to women within the continent’s legislative bodies. As part of the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas (COPA) since 1999, the Network has been actively developing expertise on various women’s issues on which parliamentarians have the power to take action.

The objectives of the Network are:

• to encourage the representation and action of women in the Parliaments of the Americas, to foster the sharing of experience among them, and to promote solidarity among women in general;
  
  
• to ensure that both men and women parliamentarians take into consideration the rights and demands of women, from the viewpoint of the respect of human rights and a better distribution of wealth;
  
  
• to support the participation of women in the Parliaments of the Americas and to create communication mechanisms for the activities of women parliamentarians.

The Network holds an Annual Meeting, preferably in conjunction with the General Assembly of the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas (COPA). Although it works in close connection with the COPA, the Network remains autonomous for the organization of events, separate from those held by the COPA.