GHANAP 2 technical working group undergoes training
A Director at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), Vera Karikari Bediako, has stressed the need for stronger partnerships across all sectors to achieve a gender-balanced peace and security in the country.
That, she said, would lay the foundation for a more equal and equitable society.
Ms Bediako, who was addressing the opening of a three-day workshop on Tuesday for a technical working group on the United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1325 at the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) at Teshie in Accra, said, “To create lasting peace, there is the need to amplify the voices of women and ensure their true participation in leadership positions at all levels.”
She said it was evident that when women played a role in peace negotiations, the quality and durability of peace improved significantly.
“As we work together with the principles of equality, non-discrimination, unfair distribution of development benefits, we should remain committed to achieving the peace and security we desire,” she emphasised, and said as a country committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “we have the obligation to make meaningful progress towards gender equality.”
The training is by courtesy of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in collaboration with KAIPTC and funded by the Swiss government.
Background
The UN Security Council Resolution 1325 provides a political framework with operational mandates that holds implications for governments, policymakers, decision makers, programme implementers and funding partners.
It calls for special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence and other forms of sexual abuse in situations of armed conflict and urges respect for the rights of women and girls in conflicts.
It also promotes increased participation of women through the inclusion of gender perspectives in conflict resolution, peace-seeking and peace-building.
In that regard, capacities of members of the technical working group were built on the African Union (AU) Continental Report framework to enable Ghana to effectively meet its reporting obligations to the AU.
Commendation
The Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Department at the KAIPTC, Sylvia Horname Abra Nutsukpui, expressed appreciation to KAIPTC, the Ministry and the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA), an NGO, for the tireless efforts in championing the women, peace and security agenda.
She said the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 mounted transformative movements in the global pursuit of gender equity within the realms of peace and security.
Mrs Nutsukpui said Ghana had since demonstrated laudable leadership and commitment to the developments and implementation of the NAP while it served critical instruments towards advancing the inclusion, protection and empowerment of women in all areas of peace building and national security.
She said the task was, therefore, not just to reflect but to re-envision to grasp a third NAP that is evidence-based, context-specific and resilient in addressing current and emerging threats.
“The next phase of this national agenda must be built upon the foundation we have built, while responding to the evolving security landscape with unique commitment and strategic foresight,” she stressed, adding: “The workshop, therefore, represents a critical challenge in the collective journey of the country.”
For her part, a gender advocate, Joana Opare, who was the resource person, was hopeful that the team would come out with a plan that is Ghana-specific so that in the next report on how the country implemented its plan of action, it would have made progress.
Mrs Opare expressed serious concern about the conflict in Bawku in the Upper East Region and said she was touched and worried about the gender issues and their implications for girls, men and women in Bawku.
