Every year, on March 8, the world celebrates International Women’s Day. It offers an opportunity to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their communities and countries, in their fight for their rights within the political, cultural and social spheres. This year’s theme is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.”

But this year, we need to do much more than just celebrate women and girls; we need to break the biases. This action is critical, as demonstrated with the COVID-19 Pandemic in the past two years. Its impacts have been devastating on the livelihoods of women and access to education for both boys and girls. During lockdown, we saw a shocking rise in violence against women and girls, plus a surge in teenage pregnancies.

Unintended pregnancies lead to school dropouts yet if girls do not get 12 years of quality education, this does not only affect their employment opportunities, it also makes them more susceptible to early childhood marriage and domestic violence.

Women and girls around the world are leading the charge on climate change mitigation, adaptation and response to build a more sustainable future for all. The elections in Kenya this year present an opportunity for a rising tide of women to take political seats. In the 2017 general elections, an encouraging precedent was set as the proportion of women in our parliament increased from 24 per cent to 29 per cent when compared to the previous elections.

Women’s voices are loud enough to set the agenda and influence. Educating girls and empowering women is a moral imperative for us all. This will have a direct positive impact on the world’s economy, security and health. It will also help us achieve Sustainable Development Goal number 5 “Gender Equality”.

Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, discrimination and stereotypes. A world that’s inclusive, diverse and equitable. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality and collectively we can all #BreakTheBias. Will you help break the bias?