Strengthening Women’s Resilience and Leadership as a Path to Peace

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Mr. President,
At the outset, permit me to convey Ghana’s appreciation to Gabon for her leadership and for prioritizing the discussion on the contribution of women to peace, especially at a time when women and girls continue to face disproportionate threats in situations of armed conflict. Ghana is equally grateful to the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed; the Executive Director of UN Women; Ms. Sima Sami Bahous; the AU Special Envoy, Madame Bineta Diop and the Editor-in-Chief of Zan times, Ms. Zara Nader for the perspectives they have brought to the open debate through their insightful briefings. We thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report and for consistently highlighting the important role of women in securing peace. We recall his call for Member States to step up efforts in implementing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, and more specifically in protecting women human rights activists.

Mr. President,
Despite the fact that the world is experiencing a reversal of generational gains in women’s rights as a result of conflicts, Ghana stands by the conviction that the WPS agenda, through Security Council Resolution 1325, remains a strong framework which guides our collaborative efforts to build more peaceful and sustainable societies. Indisputably, in situations of armed conflict, women are not only victims but they could be actors of change as they are critical in the fight for peace. It is, therefore, necessary to pay attention to their unique roles and viewpoints in order to build safer communities, more resilient societies and shape local solutions for lasting peace. My delegation, therefore, welcomes the focus of this high-level open debate on “strengthening the resilience and leadership of women as a path to peace in regions plagued by armed groups”. Ghana believes that the discussions around the theme would help us to work towards a common goal of increasing women participation in all facets of society. At this point, permit me to share with the Council some initiatives being undertaken by Ghana under the WPS agenda.

Mr. President,
As has been highlighted in recent debates of the Council, Ghana adopted its second National Action Plan (2020-2025) two years ago, following the need to address certain implementation gaps identified in the initial Plan. The Government has localized the second National Action Plan by translating it into the various local languages, to create awareness and ensure that the citizenry understand and promote the WPS agenda. In spite of the implementation barriers, Ghana is committed to exercising leadership on operationalizing the global WPS agenda. It is against this backdrop that the Women, Peace and Security Institute of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre and other relevant stakeholders continue to train gender activists on peace and security issues, as well as train women as conflict mediators. Women are also being sensitized at the grassroots level on their roles in ensuring peaceful, resilient and democratic societies.

To enhance our efforts in the operationalization of our second National Action Plan, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, last month, trained a number of Ghanaian WPS focal persons, together with other Regional WPS focal persons, to better monitor and report on the implementation of the WPS Agenda in Africa, using the Continental Results Framework (CRF), which was adopted by the Africa Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) in 2018. In the advancement of gender equality especially in Ghana’s Security Agencies, the Ghana Police Service (GPS) has developed a gender policy to mainstream gender in its operations and administration. Our National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), which has women comprising 52 percent women of the total staff strength, has established a gender office. The Government has ensured an increase in the number of women on the Governing Board of the National Peace Council from 1 to 3 and on the Regional Peace Council from an average of 1 woman to a maximum of 4. Ghana strongly believes that women bring unique perspectives to addressing issues and should, therefore, be adequately represented in decision-making processes.

The President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as a HeForShe Male Champion and the AU Gender Champion, has committed himself to working towards the achievement of gender equality and the advancement of women’s economic empowerment in the country. Cognizance of this important role, Ghana would be co-chairing the Africa Group WPS Focal Points Group initiative in New York. The Group is expected to provide a platform for the Africa Group to discuss the WPS agenda in collaboration with stakeholders and partners, with the aim of sharing experiences and best practices of WPS in action on the African Continent. As a top 10 troop contributing country, Ghana currently has deployed 2,769 uniformed personnel, among which 15.6% are women. The statistics make Ghana the top contributor of uniformed women in military contingents to UN peacekeeping Missions. We are proud of our female leadership contribution to MINURSO where the Acting Deputy Force Commander is a female Ghanaian officer.

Mr. President,
The Government of Ghana intends to undertake the following initiatives to advance the WPS agenda and build the resilience of women: The Government plans to intensify public education on laws and policies on human rights, gender issues, SDG 5, Resolution 1325, the National Framework on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, among other policies, to reduce the incidence of violations of women’s rights; The Government also intends to train traditional leaders, especially queen mothers, in the Northern parts of the country where conflict vulnerabilities exist, in conflict prevention; and increase awareness creation on conflict resolution and peace building among various women groups, to ensure peaceful and resilient communities.

Mr. President,
In focusing on how UN entities and Member States can strengthen the leadership and resilience of women in peace processes in regions plagued by armed groups, it is important to acknowledge that women make up almost half of the world’s population. It is, therefore, right that they are full participants in the discussions that shape our present reality as well as our future hopes, including in matters relating to international peace and security. To build their resilience and leadership, Ghana encourages Member States as well as UN entities to ensure the meaningful and full participation of women in peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding processes and negotiations, as their participation can largely make a difference in resolving conflicts. Ghana also calls on Member States, the United Nations and international policy makers to build the capacity of women to take up leadership roles in peace and security efforts. As we are all aware, the increased presence of armed groups creates fear, anxiety and panic, which undermines the quality of lives of people, especially women and children, and negatively affects their psychological health. It is absolutely necessary for Member States to commit to efforts aimed at providing counseling services, mental and psychosocial support; alongside creating opportunities and the enabling environment for women to live their full lives in peace. In the regional context, my delegation wishes to highlight the importance of national and regional networks of women in building a pool of women leaders. In this regard, we wish to commend the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), which is helpingcountries in Africa to elevate women to positions of leadership on the Continent.

Mr. President,
In conclusion, my delegation would like to reaffirm the Government of Ghana’s Commitment to the implementation of the WPS agenda and looks forward to working constructively with members of the Council to ensure that it remains at the forefront of our discussions, as we work to achieve our collective goal of peace and security. It is our fervent hope that we would take pragmatic steps that would translate the WPS agenda from rhetoric to concrete actions ultimately leading to sustainable peace.

I thank you.