A coalition of Kenyan female Members of Parliament is urging partners to boost support for women leading the country’s conservation and natural resource agenda.
The call was made during a Parliamentary Policy Dialogue on gender-responsive biodiversity, organized by the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA Kenya) and backed by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Kenya).
Hon. Leah Sankaire (Kajiado), Chairperson of the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA), emphasized that women leaders are uniquely positioned to drive conservation action, as environmental degradation disproportionately impacts women and their communities. “Women parliamentarians are key agents of change. We are better positioned to champion environmental resilience alongside women at the grassroots ,all we need is stronger support,” Hon. Sankaire stated.
She highlighted that women and children bear the brunt of climate change, relying on land, water, forests, and other natural resources for their daily livelihoods. Sankaire pointed out that women play vital roles in water management, land restoration, safeguarding traditional knowledge, and sustaining community-led conservation.
The KEWOPA chairperson called for the integration of gender perspectives throughout environmental policy development,from land use planning and climate adaptation to conservation strategies and the protection of community resource rights.
She also stressed the importance of ministries and agencies tracking gender-equity commitments to ensure women-led communities are not left behind.
The dialogue aimed to strengthen the capacity of MPs to mainstream gender in legislation, oversight, and budgeting, aligning Kenya’s efforts with Target 23 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The event underscored the need for continued collaboration between government, legislators, and development partners to achieve gender-responsive conservation and sustainable natural resource management.
