NAIROBI, 27 May 2021 - 17 Members of Parliament including 2 members of the senate were present at the National Dialogue, held virtually. Before her presentation on ICPD and UHC, the representative of the secretariat of the African Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development, Ms Caroline Kwamboka, played a video on the life of the girl child effected by child marriage and HIV. The floor was then opened to MPs to comment and asks question on the video and presentation, the responses were deliberated around the question, what do MPs need to make ICPD promise and UHC a reality for their people.
All MPs present pledged their support to these issues and became champions and renewed their promises to #ICPD25 and UHC. The needs identified included:
- Support in ensuring the correct messaging is trickled down to the clinics and leaders on the county level
- Support in domesticating existing policies already passed and approved by the executive
- Ideas on speeding and clearing up issues which are creating bottle necks in bureaucracy, budgeting etc
- Ensuring disabled girls and women are part of ALL Gender Equality conversations
- Provide capacity building opportunities on regional and international policy updates and trends
Also discussed were successes in Ending Child Marriage and Female Gentile Mutilation, their responsibilities were moved from the ministry of culture to education and health respectively, this provided the correct platform for the change needed. MPs further raised the need to highlight the difference between UHC and PHC, these seem to be interchanged in government and effects planning and budgeting appropriately for each. The meeting concluded with the chair identifying the need for another longer meeting to help MPs iron out tangible actions on the above.