Conference Proceeding No. 09 of 2019 on A Gendered Approach to Unlocking the Potential for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Gender equality is part of a wider struggle for overall equality for all. The struggle for gender equality can be traced to the first United Nations (UN) Women Conference held in Mexico in 1975 solely focused on women issues. Later, the Nairobi conference held ten years later in 1985 aimed at assessing the progress made in implementing the goals set by the Mexico conference. The foundation for women empowerment is rooted in the Beijing Platform for Action. Drawn from the Beijing Conference held in 1995, the platform aimed at stressing the importance of the achievement of gender equality and opportunities for women. Later, gender mainstreaming was established as a major strategy for promoting gender equality and achievement of gender parity. Organizations such as the UN Women play important and leading roles in coordinating gender mainstreaming. The Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030) have also incorporated issues related to gender equality and women affirmative action initiatives. At the national level, issues of equality, gender and empowerment are addressed by the Constitution under Article 27.