Portia Simpson-Miller became the first woman Prime Minister of which Commonwealth country?
"marriage. Neither one of the two major political parties in Jamaica has expressed any official support for rights for its homosexual citizens. However, at a televised debate in late December 2011 between opposition leader (and former prime minister) Portia Simpson-Miller of the People's National Party (PNP) and then-Prime Minister Andrew Holness, she said she would consider appointing anyone she felt was most qualified for her cabinet regardless of sexual orientation and added that she wanted to see conscience votes allowed by the major parties on LGBT rights issues in parliament. Although Simpson-Miller was criticised by some social conservatives for her"
"Portia Simpson-Miller. The Honorable Kamla Persad-Bissessar was the female Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from May 26th 2010 to September 9th 2015. This is significant because these two islands have the largest GDPs in the English speaking Caribbean region. Born May 15, 1919 Dame Eugenia Charles rose up to be the first female Prime Minister in the Caribbean and the first female Head of State in the Americas to be elected in her own right. Born on the island of Dominica, she went on to study economics in Canada and the London School of Economics. She then moved back"
"prime minister on 30 March 2006, becoming the first female head of government of the nation and the third in the Anglophone Caribbean, following Eugenia Charles of Dominica and Janet Jagan of Guyana. In organising the cabinet following her swearing-in, she assumed the portfolio of defence minister. On 3 September 2007, Simpson-Miller's party narrowly lost the general election, retaining 27 seats against the rival Jamaican Labour Party's 33 seats. This margin was revised to 32–28 after recounts and an election petition decision concerning the eligibility of a government MP who had dual citizenship. The loss can in part be attributed"
"Commonwealth realm A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in which Queen Elizabeth II is the reigning constitutional monarch and head of state. Each realm is independent from the other realms. As of 2018, there are 16 Commonwealth realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom. All 16 Commonwealth realms are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, an intergovernmental organisation of 53 member states. Elizabeth II is Head of the Commonwealth. In 1952,"
"the first female prime minister in the world. 1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference The 1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference was the eleventh Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in the United Kingdom in March 1961, and was hosted by that country's Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan. While Commonwealth conferences were normally held biennially, this conference was held after an interval of only a year as the May 1960 conference due to disagreement over South Africa and whether the country should be removed from the Commonwealth due to its policy of racial segregation with"
"newly elected Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal committed herself to using the first two years of her tenure to promote decriminalization of homosexuality in Commonwealth countries that continue to forbid same-sex relationships. Cameron also pledged to increase cooperation among members to deal with ""poisonous ideologies"" and violent extremism. The leaders also chose a new venue for the next summit, originally scheduled for 2017, as Vanuatu, which was originally selected as host, has rescinded its offer to host due to the long-term effects of devastation to the island nation's infrastructure caused by Cyclone Pam in March 2015. The"
"the 2009 CHOGM, representatives from Trinidad and Tobago, including the Prime Ministers, have attended Commonwealth meetings, including 2011 Commonwealth Day celebrations where Persad-Bissessar, the first woman to chair the Commonwealth, gave the keynote address. Sri Lanka was also slated to host the much anticipated Commonwealth Economic Forum in 2011, however, it was held in Perth, Australia due to accusations of war atrocities committed during the Sri Lankan Civil War. As Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard succeeded Persad-Bissessar as the second female Chair at the 2011 CHOGM. Julia Gillard was in-turn succeeded by Kevin Rudd after resigning as Prime Minister"
"Commonwealth on independence from the United Kingdom in 1964. Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth, was Queen of Malawi, represented by the Governor-General of Malawi, until the country became a Commonwealth republic in 1966, when the then Prime Minister of Malawi, Hastings Banda, declared himself the first President of Malawi. Foreign relations of Malawi Malawi's former President Bakili Muluzi continued the pro-Western foreign policy established by former President Hastings Banda. It maintains excellent diplomatic relations with principal Western countries. Malawi's close relations with South Africa throughout the apartheid era strained its relations with other African nations. Following the collapse"
"1969 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference The 1969 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference was the seventeenth Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in the United Kingdom in January 1969, and was hosted by that country's Prime Minister, Harold Wilson. Five newly independent member countries participated for the first time: Botswana, Barbados, Lesotho, Mauritius and Swaziland. On the issue of the rogue colony of Rhodesia, Britain re-committed itself to the policy of No independence before majority rule (NIBMAR) which it had adopted at the last Prime Ministers' conference in September 1966. Also discussed was the"
"18 to 20 April 2018 the UK's prime minister, Theresa May, became the Chairperson-in-Office and will continue to hold the title until the next CHOGM, scheduled to take place in Rwanda in 2020. The Commonwealth Secretariat, established in 1965, is the main intergovernmental agency of the Commonwealth, facilitating consultation and co-operation among member governments and countries. It is responsible to member governments collectively. The Commonwealth of Nations is represented in the United Nations General Assembly by the secretariat as an observer. The secretariat organises Commonwealth summits, meetings of ministers, consultative meetings and technical discussions; it assists policy development and provides"
"the WPL Summits. WPL Summits offer an opportunity for participants to take part in political dialogue that reflect perspectives in many policy areas of today’s female decision-makers. On the occasion of 120-year anniversary of the first time women were allowed to vote (in New Zealand), the inaugural Summit took place in Brussels at the European Parliament where around 400 Members of Parliament attended representing 100 countries. Keynote speakers included Portia Simpson-Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica (2012-2016), Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland (2009-2013). The 2014 WPL Summer Summit took place at the Parliament"
"states are Commonwealth realms, with the Head of the Commonwealth as their head of state. Five others are monarchies with their own individual monarchs (Brunei, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malaysia, Tonga) and the rest are republics. Republic of Ireland (from 1949 according to the Commonwealth; 1936 according to Irish government), Zimbabwe (2003), and Maldives (2016) are former members of the Commonwealth. South Africa, Pakistan and The Gambia left and later rejoined the Commonwealth. All dates below are provided by the Commonwealth of Nations Secretariat members list, and population figures are as of 1 January 2018. A. Unless otherwise noted, independence was gained"
"Commonwealth realms Canada and Australia, continued as a self-governing colony under the Colonial Office, until independence came with the signing of the Barbados Independence Order by Queen Elizabeth II. In the same year, Elizabeth's cousin, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, opened the second session of the first parliament of the newly established country, before the Queen herself, along with her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, toured Barbados, opening Barclays Park, in Saint Andrew, amongst other events. Elizabeth returned for her Silver Jubilee in 1977, after addressing the new session of parliament, she departed on the Concorde, which was the"
"Patricia Scotland Patricia Janet Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal (born 19 August 1955) is a British politician and barrister who served in ministerial positions within the UK Government, most notably as the Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland. At the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting she was elected the 6th Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations and took office on 1 April 2016. She is the first woman to hold the post. She is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Dominica. Scotland was born in Dominica, the 10th child of 12"
"Commonwealth realms and Head of the Commonwealth. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, introduced her as ""an anchor for our age"". During her visit to New York, which followed a tour of Canada, she officially opened a memorial garden for British victims of the September 11 attacks. The Queen's visit to Australia in October 2011 – her sixteenth visit since 1954 – was called her ""farewell tour"" in the press because of her age. By invitation of the Irish President, Mary McAleese, the Queen made the first state visit to the Republic of Ireland by a British monarch in May"
"devised in the London Declaration as a result of discussions at the 1949 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference. Since 1953, it has formed a part of the monarch's title in each Commonwealth realm. The Head of the Commonwealth, currently Queen Elizabeth II, is recognised by the members of the Commonwealth of Nations as the ""symbol of their free association"" and serves as a leader, alongside the Commonwealth Secretary-General and Commonwealth Chair-in-Office. The Head of the Commonwealth does not, though, have any role in the governance of any Commonwealth state; Elizabeth's positions as monarch of each of the 16 Commonwealth realms are"
"1964 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference The 1964 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference was the thirteenth Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in the United Kingdom in July 1964, and was hosted by that country's Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas-Home. With the collapse of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, the Commonwealth decided to exclude the white minority rule regime of Southern Rhodesia from the conference for the first time as it was not an independent state. The conference communique rejected any prospective Unilateral Declaration of Independence by the colony and called for all"
"nominated for Commonwealth Secretary-General by her native country of Dominica and defeated Antiguan diplomat Sir Ronald Sanders and former deputy secretary-general for political affairs Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba of Botswana to become the 6th Commonwealth Secretary-General and the first woman to hold the post. She took office on 1 April 2016. Commonwealth Secretary-General The Commonwealth Secretary-General is the head of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the central body which has served the Commonwealth of Nations since its establishment in 1965, and responsible for representing the Commonwealth publicly. The Commonwealth Secretary-General should not be confused with the Head of the Commonwealth, who is currently Elizabeth"
"Commonwealth of Nations for a decade. Ten years later, after constitutional talks and an election, Sitiveni Rabuka, who instigated the two military coups, presented a tabua, a tooth of a sperm whale, to Queen Elizabeth during the Commonwealth Heads of Government conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. This gesture from Rabuka, by now the Prime Minister of Fiji, is a traditional sign of profound respect and was given as an apology for having broken his oath of allegiance to her as an officer of the Military of Fiji. The agreed Constitution of 1997 provided for a President as Head of State of"
"Degree in Public Administration, and also Certificates in Public Relations and Advanced Management from the Union Institute and University of Cincinnati, Ohio. She also completed the Executive Programme for Leaders in Development at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Prime Minister Simpson Miller was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the Union Institute and an honorary doctorate in public service from the Northern Caribbean University. Simpson-Miller is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an international network of current and former female presidents and prime ministers. Simpson-Miller, in 2013, was elected Vice-President"
"Bruce Golding, promised that his government would ""amend the Constitution to replace the Queen with a Jamaican president who symbolises the unity of the nation"", but the JLP's term in government came to an end at the 2011 general election without any formal steps towards a republic having been taken. Portia Simpson-Miller, the PNP leader and new prime minister, also publicly affirmed her government's commitment to republicanism, stating a preference for an elected president. However, the PNP lost power at the 2016 general election without bringing about constitutional change. Andrew Holness, Simpson-Miller's successor as prime minister, also affirmed a commitment"
"Brisbane, Queensland; Melbourne, Victoria; and Perth. In attendance at the ceremony were the Queen, Prime Minister Julia Gillard incoming Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and outgoing Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, the Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma and many heads of government or heads of state from the 53 Commonwealth states. British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived late for the summit as he was attending an EU summit on financial bailouts. Guy Sebastian headlined the Official Opening in Perth, performing ""Agents of Change,"" a song written by him especially for the event. David Cameron announced his"
"Jennifer M. Smith Dame Jennifer Meredith Smith, DBE, JP, DHumL, MP (born 1947) was the Premier of Bermuda from 1998 until 2003, the first premier who was not a member of the United Bermuda Party. Affectionately referred to as ""Dame Jennifer"", she has marked her place in Bermuda's history as the first woman to lead a political party to an election victory, the first Progressive Labour Party Shadow Minister of Education, the first and so far only leader of the PLP to lead the party to win two consecutive general elections, the first female Speaker of the House of Assembly"
"September 1966 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference The September 1966 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference was the sixteenth Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in the United Kingdom and was hosted by that country's Prime Minister, Harold Wilson. The conference was dominated by the rebellion of the British colony of Rhodesia which was under the white minority rule regime of Ian Smith. Facing the possible collapse of the Commonwealth, with African states threatening to leave the association if action wasn't taken against Rhodesia, Britain agreed to a policy of No independence before majority rule"
"promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism, and world peace, which are promoted through multilateral projects and meetings, such as the Commonwealth Games, held once every four years. The symbol of this free association is Queen Elizabeth II, who serves as the Head of the Commonwealth. This position, however, does not imbue her with any political or executive power over any Commonwealth member states; the position is purely symbolic, and it is the Commonwealth Secretary-General who is the chief executive of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth was first officially formed in"
"Biafra crisis in Nigeria and discrimination against South Asian communities living in Africa and Black and Asian immigrants living in the UK. 1969 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference The 1969 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference was the seventeenth Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in the United Kingdom in January 1969, and was hosted by that country's Prime Minister, Harold Wilson. Five newly independent member countries participated for the first time: Botswana, Barbados, Lesotho, Mauritius and Swaziland. On the issue of the rogue colony of Rhodesia, Britain re-committed itself to the policy of No"
"1965 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference The 1965 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference was the fourteenth Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in the United Kingdom in June 1965, and was hosted by that country's Prime Minister, Harold Wilson. The Conference approved Prime Minister Wilson's proposal for a Commonwealth peace mission to Vietnam; Wilson subsequently shelved the initiative. The body also approved the creation of the Commonwealth Secretariat proposed at the previous summit and appoints Canadian Arnold Smith as the first Commonwealth Secretary-General. The meeting also discussed the crisis in Rhodesia, relations with South"
"the Commonwealth that recognise the Queen as their monarch. When the monarch dies, the successor to the crown does not automatically become Head of the Commonwealth. However, at their meeting in April 2018, Commonwealth leaders agreed that Prince Charles should succeed his mother as head. The position is symbolic, representing the free association of independent members, the majority of which (31) are republics, and five have monarchs of different royal houses (Brunei, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malaysia, and Tonga). The main decision-making forum of the organisation is the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), where Commonwealth heads of government, including (amongst"
"policy advice, and facilitates multilateral communication among the member governments. It also provides technical assistance to help governments in the social and economic development of their countries and in support of the Commonwealth's fundamental political values. The secretariat is headed by the Commonwealth Secretary-General who is elected by Commonwealth heads of government for no more than two four-year terms. The secretary-general and two deputy secretaries-general direct the divisions of the Secretariat. The present secretary-general is Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, from Dominica, who took office on 1 April 2016, succeeding Kamalesh Sharma of India (2008–2016). The first secretary-general was"
"and the second woman to serve as Premier. Smith is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an international network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development. Smith was born in 1947 in Bermuda, the daughter of a bartender. She was raised as a member of the African Methodist Episcopal church. She exhibited an interest in art from an early age, and later enrolled at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, from which she"
"Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1971 The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1971 was the first Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations (formerly named the British Commonwealth). It was held in Singapore, between 14 January 1971 and 22 January 1971, and was hosted by that country's Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. British prime minister Edward Heath advised Queen Elizabeth II not to attend the conference due to a row within the Commonwealth over Britain selling arms to South Africa. It would be the only CHOGM the Queen would miss until 2013. Ugandan president Milton Obote"
"the Commonwealth in 1949, and India became a republic within the Commonwealth the following year. George adopted the new title of Head of the Commonwealth. He was beset by smoking-related health problems in the later years of his reign. He was succeeded by his elder daughter, Elizabeth II. George was born at York Cottage, on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, during the reign of his great-grandmother Queen Victoria. His father was Prince George, Duke of York (later King George V), the second and eldest-surviving son of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra). His"
"and formalised by the United Kingdom through the Statute of Westminster in 1931. The current Commonwealth of Nations was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which modernised the community, and established the member states as ""free and equal"". The symbol of this free association is Queen Elizabeth II, who is the Head of the Commonwealth. The Queen is head of state of 16 member states, known as the Commonwealth realms, while 32 other members are republics and five others have different monarchs. Member states have no legal obligations to one another. Instead, they are united by English language,"