By Eunice Hilda A. Mensah

Accra, June 11, GNA – Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has urged stakeholders to amplify women’s voices in peace negotiations to promote gender balance and sustainable national development.

She said gender balance in peace and security efforts was vital for an equitable Ghana, emphasising the need for cross-sector collaboration to achieve lasting peace.

Dr Lartey made the call in a speech read on her behalf at the opening of a three-day in-country training workshop in Accra, focusing on the continental results framework for monitoring and reporting on the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda.

Participants included peace and security experts, personnel from security services, government ministries, and civil society organisations, such as the Foundation for Security and Development (FOSDA) and the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP).

She described the workshop as timely, expressing optimism that data collection would be enhanced to align Ghana’s reporting with the ECOWAS Simplified Results Framework.

Dr Lartey commended the ECOWAS Commission and GIZ for their efforts in organising the workshop and encouraged them to strengthen implementation and reporting to make Ghana a reference point for the Women, Peace, and Security agenda in the sub-region.

Speaking on behalf of Dr Sintiki T. Ugbe, Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs at ECOWAS, Mr. Olatunde Olayemi, from the Division of Human Security and Civil Society, reiterated the importance of peace and security for regional welfare and development.

He emphasised that women and girls are critical stakeholders in peacebuilding, governance, and stability, noting that they are affected by insecurity and conflict as much as men and often disproportionately by gender-based violence.

“Leaving out women and girls is not only unacceptable, it is unwise and unrealistic. Ensuring the full-fledged contributions of women is sine qua non,” he stated.

Dr. Ugbe said that the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, formalised through UNSC Resolution 1325, incorporates four key pillars: participation, prevention, protection, and relief and recovery.

“This modern iteration requires focused work on agenda setting through National Action Plans at Member State level, implementation through a results-based management lens, and effective monitoring and reporting,” he advised.

Mr. Davide Messina, a representative of the EU Delegation to Ghana, noted that empowering women in peace and security contributes to a more stable and secure future for the region.

He underscored the active role of women in conflict prevention and resolution, adding that building their capacity strengthens regional security and stability in West Africa.

“The European Union believes in African-led solutions as the best answer to the current security challenges facing West Africa. Beyond our support to the regional security architecture, the European Union also engages in strong bilateral partnerships,” he stated.

Messina revealed that Ghana currently hosts over 30 EU security-related initiatives, spanning conflict prevention, border management, counterterrorism, transnational organised crime, women empowerment, and military equipment support worth 50 million EUR.

GNA

Edited by Kenneth Sackey