Photos: left: Pacifica Ongecha from GROOTS Kenya (photocredit: Kiambu County Assembly); right: part of audience
A small side event during the Policy Dialogue Community of Practice (CoP) meeting 24-27 February and in view of International Women’s Day the CoP organised a panel discussion facilitated by CARE Uganda representative Lillian Ssengooba, Program Manager Gender Justice. On the panel, Theresia Bujiko, project coordinator from MHOLA Tanzania, Proscovia Nanfuka, project coordinator from Caritas Mityana Uganda, GROOTS Kenya champion and Member of Kiambu County Assembly Pacifica Ongecha, Director of Jesuit Hakimani Centre (Kenya) James Kayanda and Ulrike Bey form horizont3000 and representing the Austrian WIDE Network talked about of enabling and hindering factors for women in leadership within their communities or countries.
They also shed light on what they perceived as main achievements for women in leadership 30 years after the groundbreaking Beijing Women Conference in 1995 which “marked a significant turning point for the global agenda for gender equality” (UN Women).
Pacifica Ongecha has seen many grassroots women coming out advocating for their needs, articulate their desire for their own development agenda for their community and more and more grassroots women also occupying leadership positions. In Theresia Bujiko’s community, more women can enjoy the access to land. Overall, there is much more awareness and acceptance for the need for gender equality also in intentional cooperation, with for example Austrian Development Cooperation fostering programmes with a clear gender equality focus.
Still, there are many obstacles which hinder women to take leadership positions such as social and cultural norms within patriarchal structures of society, ever existing burden of care responsibilities, or gender-based violence.
In times of a global backlash against womens’ and girls’ rights and freedom, we must not lose hope, support each other and build networks for strong actions towards gender equality.
