Courtesy call
The South Sudan Minister for Gender, Child and Social Welfare Aya Warille today paid a courtesy call on the President’s Advisor on Women Rights Harriette Chiggai to benchmark on gender parity and inclusivity in Government.
The Minister who was accompanied by officials from her Ministry and the UNDP expressed interest in women financial and political empowerment, saying South Sudan was keen on supporting women to ascend to leadership positions on expiry of the Transitional Government’s term in December 2024.
She noted that currently, Affirmative Action overall stood at 35 percent, with women representation in Parliament making up only 32 percent of the membership. She expressed hope that this would change with enactment of the Gender Equality Fund Bill, currently before their Parliament.
The Bill is expected to unlock funding for women aspiring for political seats and enable the undertaking of massive voter education aimed at convincing the electorate to increase the number of women voted into Parliament.
Warille said they opted to benchmark with Kenya, which has made noticeable strides on Women Rights. Chiggai commended the Minister for visiting the country saying Kenya is keen on sharing experiences and knowledge with other like-minded countries as the East African region grows to actualize Women’s Rights.
The Advisor noted that Kenya’s Women Rights agenda was spearheaded from the top by President William Ruto, and cuts across all Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
She said the deliberate political, legislative and economic measures put in place targeting women empowerment over the last one year had reaped huge benefits with more women today occupying seats in Counties, Cabinet, Parliament and the Judiciary.
The Office of the Women Rights Advisor is in the Executive Office of the President and regularly submits advisories to the President that touch on different sectors within the country to influence policy change.
The South Sudan delegation is in Kenya to learn more about the Affirmative Action Fund, operations of the Office of the Women’s Rights Advisor, and challenges or opportunities faced by women in political leadership.