SPEECH BY H.E.

MARGARET KENYATTA, THE FIRST LADY

OF

THE

REPUBLIC

OF

KENYA,

AT

THE

PLAN

INTERNATIONAL ADOLESCENT GIRLS FORUM ON THE

POST-2015

DEVELOPMENT

AGENDA

AT

VILLA

ROSA

KEMPINSKI HOTEL ON 12TH AUGUST 2015 AT 2PM

Distinguished Guests,
Girl Advocates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon,
I am delighted to be here today to add my voice to the issue of
gender inequality and girls safety.

This event is timely and

significant.
2015

is

significant

year

for

girls

and

for

women

empowerment. The Millennium Development Goals come to a

close at the end of the year and the new Sustainable
Development Goals come into being setting and reframing
the development agenda for the next 15 years.
The design of the Sustainable Development Goals offers Kenya
and the international community an opportunity to unite around
an agenda, which is transformative.
Let

me

take

this

early

opportunity

to

commend

Plan

International for its role in amplifying the voices of children and

the youth, particularly girls who are the most vulnerable. I also

laud their effort in ensuring that children are part of the

development process, formulating their own priorities.
Todays generation of young people is the largest in history. An
estimated 1.3 of the 1.6 billion young people between the ages
of 12-24 reside in developing countries. Yet young people and
specifically

young

women

face

many

socio-cultural

and

economic barriers to fully realise their potential.

I am pleased by the tremendous efforts that have been made
to lobby for the inclusion and prioritisation of issues that affect
our adolescent girls.

It is not only constructive but forward

looking to recognise this youth bulge as a cause of young

people not fulfilling their potential.
It is admirable how far the girls here today have come. How
they have taken the initiative of bringing to life the issues that
they continue to grapple with, particularly in marginalised
regions that so often pull them back from realising their
dreams.
We live in a time where we can no longer ignore the voice of
our young people. They are influencing policies; they are
influencing

decision-making

processes

at

different

levels.

Ignoring the youth is like ignoring our future.

As it has been highlighted by the girls and other speakers
today, young girls and women face numerous challenges.

Gender inequality and lack of safety, both at home and in

school, clearly come across as impediments to the realisation of
girls rights, and in the long haul, the development of our
nation.
Advancing

the

rights,

participation

and

development

of

adolescent girls, particularly through education and access to

equal opportunity is therefore a smart move. When we reach
out to this segment of the youth, we secure a better future for
our nation.
Although several key gains have been made in the past few
years, the achievements are notably insignificant compared to
the

numerous

economic,

social

and

political

challenges

affecting youth, especially girls, in Kenya.

This should remind us of the pressing need for the country to
create more space for adolescent girls in order to realise Vision
2030 and the SDGs.
Now more than ever, we must accelerate our efforts to enhance
gender equality, access to affordable sexual and reproductive
health services and put in place robust measures to prevent
and respond to gender-based violence.
The success and lasting impact of the Post-2015 Development
Agenda hinges on strategic investments made. The realization
demands for concerted efforts by all stakeholders. It calls for

significant capacity building, technical assistance, knowledge

transfer, exchange of experiences and finances.
I am convinced that we can achieve greater equality, make our
nation more inclusive and eradicate poverty by investing in our
youth. I am therefore confident that world leaders will support
and endorse gender equality and adolescent girls and child
safety in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
I will on my part, support the issues that the girls have
presented to me and lobby for adolescent girls and youth both
in Kenya and internationally.
I thank you all for your continued and tireless efforts in serving
our people and for working towards the realization of a better
Kenya for all.
Thank you and God bless you.