NAIROBI, KENYA – Legislators from women’s parliamentary caucuses in Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, and Uganda today formally established a regional coalition to be known as the Women’s Parliamentary Association (WPA) in the East Africa-based Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region. Established in Nairobi, Kenya, with the adoption and execution of the Nairobi Declaration, the WPA aims to be a united voice of women parliamentarians in the IGAD region, by promoting the economic, cultural, political and social development of women as a means of ensuring sustainable peace and security in the IGAD region.  

Prior to formally establishing the regional caucus, the women parliamentarians, with technical assistance from the National Democratic Institute (NDI), established their values, vision, and mission, along with rules of procedure that will guide WPA in its work.  Following  the adoption of the rules and the declaration, the women MPs elected a caucus executive.

Taking place on the eve of the Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development, as established by the African Union (AU), the formal creation of WPA is historic.  The WPA demonstrates leadership among African women parliamentarians by providing a concrete example of how African women can make a difference with a commitment to women’s rights and ensuring a gender perspective in all aspects of public policy and legislation, including the peace process.  Women’s representation in parliament in Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, and Uganda ranges from 14 percent to 35 percent. WPA will work towards increasing the number of women in parliament as well as enhancing their political engagement.

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NDI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization that has supported democratic institutions and practices in every region of the world for the last 30 years.  NDI and its national partners have worked to establish and strengthen political and civic organizations, safeguard elections, and promote citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. More information is available at www.ndi.org