Post 2015 Processes – Opportunity for Kenyan Women?
By Felogene Anumo
The High Level Panel recently presented to the UN Secretary General a report with recommendations of what they envisage for the Post 2015 framework.
The next stage of handing over the process to the UN Open Working Group and Member States leading up to the September Special Session on the MDGs requires vigilance and active engagement. Civil society organizations need to galvanize people to sign on and own this framework to ensure that the text does not get watered down. Women especially stand a lot to gain including especially with the inclusion of a stand-alone gender goal as well as disaggregated indicators in other goals. Eliminating violence against women and ending child marriage are included as indicators and the panel has gone beyond previous commitments to recommend universal access to contraception and sexual and reproductive health rights.
Kenya is a Co-chair to the Intergovernmental UN Open Working Group tasked with the formulation of the global sustainable development goals (SDGs). This presents an excellent opportunity for Kenya CSOs to lobby and advocate for a progressive agenda. The SDGs will be an integral part of the post 2015 UN development agenda that will be applicable to all member states.
In as far as the Kenyan women movement, there has not been a consolidated voice around the post 2015 development framework. As such it is important to:
1. Deliberate on progress towards meeting the MDGs, including critical issues facing Kenyan women that the MDGs inadequately addressed or failed to address
2. Consolidate feedback from the Kenyan women’s effective engagement in the sub-national consultation on the post-2015 framework organized by the Ministry of Planning
3. Develop consensus on key recommendations for women’s rights in relation to Kenya’s development that should be mainstreamed into the national position prior to the September Special Session on the MDGs
Other issues that should be addressed will include creating awareness, involvement and ownership of the process among the general populace and addressing the issue of domestication development agendas through grassroots and community engagement at this early stage.
Felogene Anumo is a consultant with FEMNET in the Advocacy Department.
Connect with her – fganumo@gmail.com or @felogene
