Nairobi to host a National Conference on Gender

Nairobi is set to host a National Conference on Gender on 7 November 2008. The one-day Conference will be held at the Nairobi Safari Club.

The Conference will address women’s representation in decision making processes including representation at the grassroots/local, regional and national levels, their participation in the electoral processes and proportional representation in the commissions or task forces set up from time to time to look into various issues affecting the Kenyan populace, women included. The Conference will also further discussions on other equally important issues touching on girls and women in the Kenyan society.

The theme of the Conference is towards enhancement of affirmative action in Kenya. The sub-themes of the Conference are: 

• Women’s participation in affirmative action
• Community involvement
• Gender friendly services

 The objectives of the Conference are: 

• To take stock of the state of affirmative action in Kenya
• To forge partnership and alliances towards the realization of Affirmative Action
• To share information and experiences and consolidate efforts

Several slogans have been developed to capture the theme of the Conference. One of the slogans for this Conference is away with rhetoric, time for action.

The Conference is being organized by African Network for the Prevention against Child and Neglect (ANPPCAN) in collaboration with the National Council for Women in Kenya, Heinrich Boll Foundation, Norwegian Embassy, the Association of Media Women in Kenya, and the Ministry of Gender. The Conference is supported by the Fredskorpset, Norway. Fredskorpset (FK) is a Norwegian government body under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that facilitates exchange of personnel between the North and South and also South to South, leading to mutual exchange of skills and knowledge.

FK has Gender and Empowerment of Women as one of its priority programme areas in its strategy.