KAIPTC launches Code of Practice for Women in Maritime Security
The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has launched a Code of Practice for Women in the Maritime Security (CPWMS) domain to help protect them in the maritime and security space.
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The CPWMS was designed as a product of the project on “Integrated Responses to Threats in Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Domain in West and Central Africa”, implemented by the KAIPTC for the coastal countries to promote the welfare of women and advancement of women in the framework of the
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1325 in 2000.
The pioneering document, which was launched last Tuesday at the KAIPTC in Accra in collaboration with the government of Denmark, “comes highly recommended as a guide for the promotion of the rights, empowerment and welfare of women to leaders of maritime security agencies in both public and private sectors and tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the advancement of women in the maritime security domain.
The Code of Practice covers issues such as “Gender Equality and Empowerment, Equal Participation, Human Rights and Dignity, Diversity and Inclusion, Conflict Sensitivity, Local Ownership and Sustainability and Cultural Sensitivity”, among others.
Correcting Imbalances
The Commandant of the KAIPTC, Major General Richard Addo-Gyane, noted that the code of practice was necessitated by the imbalances faced by men and women in policy implementation in the discharge of their duties which is full of multifaceted challenges “encompassing piracy, illicit fishing and ecological deterioration”.
He said in correcting the imbalances, the KAIPTC designed the Code of Practice to distil a set of guiding principles for promoting women in the maritime domain, and eliminate institutional procedures and practices that stifle or impair the advancement of women in that domain.
Role of GAF
For his part, the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu, described the Maritime Code of Practice as a “commitment to change, and a beacon guiding us towards a future where women are empowered to also stand at the helm, to navigate through storms, and to lead with strength and wisdom”.
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He noted that the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) had put in place measures to increase female recruits to 25 per cent by 2028 from the current 15 per cent. This, he said, would ensure the military reflected the society and eventually reached a ratio that reflected the country’s nearly even ratio.
Commitment
In his address, the Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Tom Norring, expressed the Danish government’s commitment to integrating women's perspectives into maritime security policies and ensuring gender-responsive policies become standard across the Gulf of Guinea.
Mr Norring further stated that Denmark was collaborating with the UNODC to establish a regional network of maritime professionals, both governmental and non-governmental, with a focus on advancing the women, peace and security agenda.
He stressed the need to continue the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1325 in maritime security, and ensure that women were actively involved in decision-making processes and included at all levels of maritime security and governance.
He added that, by doing so, “we will not only uphold women's rights but also enhance the overall security and stability of the Gulf of Guinea”.