The Prime Cabinet Secretary H. E Dr. Hon Musalia W Mudavadi and the President’s Advisor on Women Rights Hon. Harriette Chiggai yesterday addressed the 24th Anniversary Summit of the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women Peace and Security (WPS) in a Nairobi hotel.
The two-day Summit is themed “Fostering Peace and Inclusivity in East and Southern Africa: Effective Strategies for Advancing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.”
It brings together over 200 participants including Government officials; representatives from regional organizations; Development Partners; Civil Society and Youth representatives; WPS-HA members and signatories; UN entities and research/academic institutions in East and Southern Africa region.
Kenya has made significant milestones in increasing women’s participation in the peace and security agenda.
In his keynote address, H.E Dr. Mudavadi said women in Africa have traditionally been peace builders, conflict mediators and advocates for peace. He challenged National and County Governments, Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to allocate budgetary provisions for women initiatives.
In her speech Hon. Chiggai Harriette noted that it is time to accelerate the realization of gender equality, women’s empowerment and participation in order to enrich the outcomes of conflict resolutions.
She said this can be achieved through deliberately increasing the number of women in decision-making tables across board, plus enhanced community-based peace building initiatives to further advance the WPS agenda of creating a more inclusive and equitable society for all.
Others who spoke include the PS for Gender and Affirmative Action Ms Anne Wang’ombe, the UN Women Kenya Country Representative Ms Anna Mutavati, the JICA Kenya Office Country Representative Makoto Shinkawa, among other high-level dignitaries.