This archive report was first published on 17 August 2019.
On August 17, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta addressed the inaugural African Women Leaders Network Inter-Generational Retreat on Leadership in Africa, where he emphasized the importance of unity among African women leaders in promoting the empowerment of women and girls.
He noted that when countries prioritize the development of women and girls, their societies and economies thrive, and called on policymakers to cultivate governance systems that strengthen and consolidate efforts to empower young people through meaningful youth participation and equal partnership in driving their respective national development agenda.
President Kenyatta also urged women leaders to develop mechanisms that equip young men and women with appropriate skills, resources, and opportunities, and encouraged them to apply their experience to influence the political processes in their continent to be more amenable to the participation of women in politics.
He pointed out that his administration has put in place a robust policy and legal framework to promote, enforce, and monitor equality and non-discrimination, and expressed his commitment to ensuring that women assume leadership positions not only in Kenya but in Africa as well.
President Kenyatta's remarks came against the backdrop of major gender equality initiatives, including the Nairobi Summit on the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) that Kenya will host from November 12 to 15, 2019, and the 25th anniversary of the 4th World Conference on Women and the adoption of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in September 2020.
