Ms Ruby Sandhu-Rojon, UN Resident Coordinator on Friday called on Ghanaians to work towards the attainment of peace, necessary for a successful election in 2012.
“I would also urge Ghanaians to pay particular attention to gender equality, women empowerment and equal political representation in decision-making”.
Addressing the opening session of a seminar on “Women Participation in Peace Building” towards Election 2012, Ms Sandhu-Rojon noted that democratic practices were very crucial for peace and security of any country and attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The seminar was organised by the United Nations in partnership with the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), African Women’s Active Non-Violence Initiative for Social Change (AWNICh), West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP) and Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre.
“As a UN system, we are aware that our humanitarian and development interventions can only succeed on the basis of a democratic and peaceful society,” she added.
Ms Sandhu-Rojon said the UN in collaboration with Norway, Netherlands and other UN organisations was working on the establishment of a Peace and Security Institute for women in Africa to be located at the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Centre in Accra and would be operational in 2012.
Ms Sandhu-Rojon who is also UNDP Resident Representative, urged the National Peace Council to work closely with civil societies to increase women participation in formal peace processes and also train women in conflict management and peace building.
Hajia Hawawu Boya Gariba, Deputy Minister of MOWAC, expressed dissatisfaction about the low representation of women in governance and their removal from decision-making at the socio-political and economic levels.
“In decision making, women still hold less than 20 per cent of elected parliamentary and legislature seats globally. Today less than 20 of women are Head of States and Government around the world”.
She lauded countries such as Rwanda, Tanzania and South Africa for giving constitutional quotas for women participation and representation in legislatures and political party position holdings.
Hajia Gariba noted that though women played important and critical roles in campaigning and mobilising support for their parties, they rarely occupied high level decision-making in such structures.
She expressed concern about the reduction in the number of women Parliamentarians from 10 per cent in 2004 to 8.3 per cent in 2008.
Hajia Gariba said the Ministry had developed a three-year Ghana National Action Plan aimed at increasing women participation in conflict prevention and peace building, prevention of violence against women including sexual and conflict related violence.
“The GHANAP which would be implemented from 2012-2015 would focus on protection and promotion of human rights of women and girls in conflict resolutions.”
Madam Euphemia Akos Dzathor, African Regional Coordinator of AWANICh, urged government to pay particular attention to the education of women’s groups, the media and faith based institutions on issues pertaining to peace so that they could serve as proper agents of mass education.
“Peace clubs should also be established in schools while the National Commission for Civic Education is adequately resourced to carry out its role of educating the public effectively and efficiently,” she added.