Efforts to strengthen women’s leadership and inclusion in refugee governance took centre stage in Garissa County following the arrival of an Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) delegation led by IGAD Gender Manager Amina Farah. The delegation paid a courtesy call to the County Commissioner’s office ahead of a regional capacity-building workshop focused on advancing women’s participation in governance, humanitarian response and recovery processes within refugee settings.
The engagement brought together stakeholders working in governance, humanitarian response and gender equality to strengthen understanding of refugee protection frameworks and the barriers limiting women’s meaningful participation in leadership and decision-making spaces. The Garissa engagement aimed to strengthen institutional and community approaches that promote inclusive participation and leadership for women within refugee governance systems.
Discussions during the engagement highlighted the importance of ensuring women are not only beneficiaries of humanitarian interventions but also active participants in governance and recovery processes. The engagement also examined refugee protection frameworks and regional obligations relating to displaced populations. Kenya is a signatory to several international and regional instruments on refugee protection, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1969 OAU Convention governing refugee protection in Africa. The IGAD-led engagement reflects broader regional efforts to strengthen gender inclusion and women’s participation across governance and humanitarian systems in the Horn of Africa.
