Apolitical has published its list of 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy, a prestigious international list that honours and celebrates people working on gender policy who are making the world more equitable. They made their selection by considering people in areas that include policymaking, public service, research, philanthropy, advocacy and activism. Drawn from more than 1,100 nominations, 2018 Tutu Fellow Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg was selected in the Economic Justice and Rights category.
Apolitical is an organisation that seeks to empower public servants through education, skills training, networking and 21st century digital tools. Wanjiru is joined in the category in which she was honoured by 13 other women.
These include Jemina Njuki, the director for Africa at the International Food Policy Research Institute, who oversees programs on gender equality in food systems; Leonora Risse, the co-founder and national chair of Women in Economics Network in Australia; Meenu Vadera, the founder and executive director of Azad Foundation in India which helps resource-poor women empower themselves and access livelihoods with dignity; and Charlotte Karam, the founding director of the Center of Inclusive Business and Leadership for Women in Lebanon, which is supporting work on inclusive human resources systems in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Apolitical list breaks out the 100 people into six themes, or categories, they say are critical for achieving gender equality. The six themes underpin the Generation Equality Forum convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France in partnership with civil society, and are:
- Gender-Based Violence (GBV)
- Economic Justice and Rights
- Bodily Autonomy and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
- Feminist Action for Climate Justice
- Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality
- Feminist Movements and Leadership
Wanjiru is the founder of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) and this accolade is not the first occasion in which she has received recognition for her work. She has been honored as a White House Champion of Change by the Obama Administration; named one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African magazine; recognized as a Ford Foundation Champion of Democracy; awarded the United Nations Intercultural Innovation Award, and named one of Kenya’s Top 40 Women Under Age 40.
You can read more about the people on the list at Apolitical's website.
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