Parliament to host dialogue of gender responsive and inclusive legislatures

NAIROBI, Kenya Sept 17 – The Parliament of Kenya, in partnership with the Canadian High Commission in Kenya and the Inclusive Legislatures for Gender Responsive Policies (ILGRP) Project, will host a two-day Regional Forum to advance gender-responsive lawmaking and budgeting, promote equitable governance and strengthen accountability.

The forum, scheduled for 23rd–24th September 2026, will bring together Members of Parliament, international delegates, senior administrators, Human Resource Directors, and Civil Society representatives from Kenya, Ghana and Togo.

The project, funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) and the Parliamentary Centre (PC), is the last regional forum of the ILGRP Project, marking the conclusion of the four-year initiative.

It will be held under the theme, “Sharing Achievements and Advancing Forward-Looking Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Parliaments,” and is expected to enhance legislative oversight, citizen engagement, development and refinement of policies, tools and manuals.

The Regional Dialogue will provide a platform for a multi-country knowledge exchange highlighting actionable insights, proven methodologies and lessons learnt by the aforementioned legislatures.

Participants are set to engage in interactive roundtables, share perspectives on strategic alignment, examine good practices, common challenges and critical success factors that can be implemented in different Parliamentary contexts and inform future initiatives.

The dialogue will also have question and answer sessions as well as networking sessions geared to facilitate engagement between donors and parliamentary representatives in rotating interactive World Café discussions on strategic alignment, donor coordination, Parliamentary autonomy and long-term sustainability.

On the 2nd day, the meeting will focus on how the participating Parliaments are using innovative tools, digitalisation, institutional reforms and evidence-based frameworks to amplify citizen voices and strengthen the relationship between Parliaments and the public.

The regional forum is expected to institutionalize best practices that promote greater inclusion, gender responsiveness, citizen participation and accountability in parliamentary governance.