On 15^th February 2024, KEPSA Foundation Executive Director, Ms Gloria Ndekei, participated in the National Stakeholders Forum aimed at coordinating efforts for the upcoming 68^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 68), scheduled to take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, U.S.A from 11^th - 22^nd March 2024. The forum, spearheaded by Madam Ann Wang’ombe, Principal Secretary of the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action, brought together representatives from various sectors including other Ministries, Parliament, Judiciary, Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs), Donor Agencies, Private Sector, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and other stakeholders.

During her remarks, Ms Ndekei reflected on the implementation progress since CSW 67, themed "DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality and Education in the Digital Age for Achieving Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women and Girls," held in 2023. She emphasized the pivotal role of technology in shaping the trajectory of gender equality and empowerment for women and girls. However, she also highlighted ongoing gender disparities in technology access and utilization, which hinder full participation in the digital revolution. Ms. Ndekei particularly noted the recent surge in technology-related threats targeting women and children. She indicated the need to mitigate threats of further marginalization of women which would erode the gains of gender equality

Ms Ndekei emphasized that KEPSA Foundation recognized the pivotal role of technology in enhancing business operations to enhance survival and success, particularly for businesses owned and led by women and youth. She further highlighted that digital technologies offer significant advantages for women-led businesses, enabling them to expand their reach to a broader audience and cultivate enduring relationships with customers. This, in turn, fosters brand loyalty and facilitates market access. Ms Ndekei also pointed out that a robust digital presence is crucial for the longevity of SMEs, as half of them falter within their initial years of operation, often due to a lack of such digital presence.

Ms. Ndekei thus noted that the Foundation is propagating for increased women's participation in business through equal access to leadership positions, entrepreneurial opportunities, and economic and financial inclusion, which will move businesses to gender equality therefore addressing male and female access to equal opportunities.

The Foundation is championing various initiatives across four priority areas: Women Empowerment, Leadership, and Childcare; Climate Change and Sustainability; Governance; and Community Outreach, Partnerships, and Networks. Ms. Ndekei pointed out several key initiatives, including partnerships with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) to establish a fact-check unit and promote Digital Economic Transformation. Additionally, she highlighted the Better Business Practices for Children (BBPC) partnership with UNICEF, as well as collaborations such as Ajira Digital Project and Jiinue Growth Program in partnership with Mastercard Foundation. These initiatives signify KEPSA and its Foundation's commitment to driving positive change through strategic partnerships and programs aimed at fostering economic empowerment, innovation, and sustainable business practices to create a more equitable landscape where individuals of all genders have equal access to opportunities and resources.

Principal Secretary Madam  Ann Wang’ombe while representing the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Gender, Culture, The Arts and Heritage Hon. Aisha Jumwa provided an overview of Kenya’s participation at the CSW 68 under the Priority theme ‘Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective’  and Review theme ‘Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls’.

PS Madam Wang’ombe further highlighted the CSW 68 key messages and strategies derived from the Africa pre-commission Ministerial consultative meeting held on 14^th November 2023 at UN ECA, Addis Ababa Ethiopia with a view to build consensus on strategies and actions for ensuring that African women and girls are not left behind by development policies, processes and institutions aiming to eradicate poverty, reform the financial system and strengthen development institutions.

The forum further reviewed the highlights of the Country Position  Paper and the four government-led side-events that have been structured around Building the Gender Digital Divide to address time poverty, Leveraging health investments for better maternal outcomes and poverty reduction, promoting women’s empowerment through exploring the intersection of Unpaid Care Work and Land Rights for Gender Justice, and Accelerating achievements of Generation Equality forum (GEF)  On Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Kenya.

The CSW sessions further aim at amplifying voices and fostering strong partnerships, to advocate for the integration of gender considerations into policymaking processes, corporate governance frameworks, and business practices. This holistic approach will contribute to women having equal access to leadership positions, entrepreneurial opportunities, and economic resources.