On the 3rd to 7th November 2025, regional experts, civil society representatives (CSOs), and policymakers from across the East African Community (EAC) convened at PrideInn Azure Hotel, Nairobi Kenya for a high-level meeting to validate and finalize critical policy documents in the social sectors. These frameworks are designed to advance social inclusion and equitable development and youth empowerment across the eight Partner States.
The week-long technical session represents the final validation phase for updated frameworks on gender equality, youth empowerment, child rights, social protection, and community development. It also included the review of the Regional Strategy for Promoting Women in Business for Socio-Economic Development. Following earlier technical consultations in Entebbe, Uganda, the validated documents will now be submitted to the 7th Meeting of the Sectoral Council on the Social Sector later this year.
Dr. Dorcas Omughulu, Ag. Director of Social Services at the EAC Secretariat commended the participants’ commitment to inclusive development.
“This meeting is a follow-up to consider and validate documents reviewed during the technical committee meeting held in Entebbe in September,” she said. “On behalf of the East African Community Secretariat, I thank all of you for making time out of your busy schedules to attend this important session.”
She expressed gratitude to the Government and people of Kenya for hosting the event and extended appreciation to the EAC-GIZ, the EAC’s long-term development partner, for its sustained financial and technical support in promoting social sector initiatives.
Stephen Kibindio, an advocacy officer from Youth for Sustainable World (YSW), a non-governmental organization that empowers adolescents and youth to access sexual and reproductive health and to promote gender equality, emphasized that the EAC Youth Policy (2013) was long overdue.
“With the region’s rapidly growing youth population, it is imperative that we, as a community, take a strategic and forward-looking approach not only to ensure that young people are economically empowered, but also meaningfully engaged across all social sectors and governance spaces,” he said.
He added that, “As YSW, we are calling upon EAC and partner states to set guidelines and policy direction that promote the establishment of youth-friendly corners, promote the provision of youth-friendly services, and ensure access to age appropriate information to all youth and strategic programs to reduce SRHR outcomes like teenage pregnancies, GBV, and new HIV infections” he said.
Joyce Kevin Kimaro, Economic Advisor, CSO Network, EAC-GIZ Programme commended the East African Community for creating inclusive platforms such as this forum, which actively seek to collect and incorporate youth voices into the formulation of critical policies.
These efforts are foundational to shaping a future where young people are recognized as key stakeholders in development, leadership, and accountability on regional policy frameworks. She explained that the review of these policy frameworks is essential because many existing policies have reached the end of their implementation timelines.
“It is therefore, important for the EAC Secretariat and Partner States to ensure these policy frameworks are updated to reflect new and emerging issues such as climate change, digitalization, and mental health that were not covered in the earlier policies but now have major implications for youth and children’s wellbeing are incorporated in the policy frameworks.”
Additionally,She said that it is important is to align these frameworks with global and continental agendas, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the African Union Agenda 2063, and the national priorities of EAC Partner States, ensuring coherent and impactful implementation.
As EAC-GIZ, our task is not only to facilitate the development of good policies but to ensure they are realistic, inclusive, and actionable, as the future of our region depends on how well these translate commitments into tangible impact for women, youth, and children across East Africa.
Kimaro emphasized the necessity of joint responsibility for the implementation of these policy frameworks, calling on all stakeholders, governments, civil society, the private sector, and development partners to play their part.
Ms. Mary Maisory, the Deputy Director of Regional Integration at the Ministry of East African Community, Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), and Regional Integration, Republic of Kenya, conveyed special appreciation to the EAC Secretariat for the technical support and convening the validation meeting and the EAC-GIZ Programme for the support they continue to provide to the EAC Secretariat.
She informed the meeting that the Community’s strength lies in its diversity and its people. With the youth constituting 66percent the EAC population, and women forming the majority of the workforce and community caregivers, no integration process can succeed without their meaningful participation. She emphasized that through these efforts, the region aimed to ensure that their priorities employment, education, innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership are firmly embedded in these frameworks. She reaffirmed the region’s collective commitment to gender-responsive, youth-driven, and socially inclusive policies that leave no one behind.
She commended civil society organizations, youth networks, and women’s groups that had contributed to the preparatory and consultative processes leading up to the validation process. Their insights and recommendations embody the real experiences and aspirations of the communities the delegates represent. She urged the technical experts and policymakers present to listen attentively, engage constructively, and reflect inclusively on the voices and proposals presented.
She emphasized that the dialogue symbolizes collective will to make regional integration more responsive, more participatory, and more human-centered and wished the meeting fruitful deliberations, constructive engagements, and ultimately, the endorsement of a shared vision for an inclusive East African Community.
Participants acknowledged that while previous EAC policies were domesticated nationally, implementation has often been slow due to limited resources. The current review aims to develop realistic five-year implementation plans (2025–2030) that can be effectively monitored and evaluated.
The validated frameworks will be among the first to integrate input from all eight EAC Partner States and harmonize with the upcoming EAC’s 7th Development Strategy. To improve accessibility and local ownership, the Secretariat plans to translate the final policies into Kiswahili, French, and local languages, alongside producing simplified versions for communities.
