By Iddi Yire
Accra, March 23, GNA – The Network of Women Mediators in Ghana (WoMNet-GH) has been launched in Accra.
The Network is an affiliate of the Women Mediators Across the Commonwealth and the Global Alliance of Women Mediators Network, seeks to seeks to increase the participation of women mediators in all spaces of mediation.
It is also a subsidiary of the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA), a regional civil society organisation.
The Global Affairs Canada sponsored the launch of WOMNET-GH, in partnership with FOSDA, Peace Legacy Africa, the National Peace Council, Women, Youth Peace and Security Institute (WYPSI) of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre (KAIPTC), the UN Women and African Women Leaders Network (AWLN).
Madam Diana Asonaba Dapaah, a Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, who was the special guest of honour noted that comments and contributions on the Affirmative Action Bill had been incorporated into the original Bill and then resubmitted to Parliament.
She underscored that one of the marks they could leave behind was to endure the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill.
She said countries, which look up to Ghana as a forerunner had passed the Affirmative Action Bill, hence there was the need for Ghana to do the same.
She reiterated that the Office of Attorney-General was ever ready and very supportive for the passage of the Bill; saying, “we are going to be your pressure check to ensure that we don’t lose steam.”
She lauded FOSDA’s contributions to the promotion of peace and security in Ghana and in the West Africa subregion.
Mrs Theodora Williams-Anti, a Member of WoMNet-GH and Executive Director of FOSDA, said the journey towards the establishment of the Women Mediators Network started in October 2022, when FOSDA and Peace Legacy Africa with funding support from the Canadian Funds for Local Initiative organised a training on Conflict Mediation for women in the peace and security space in Ghana.
She noted that at the time, their only objective was to contribute as a CSO to the implementation of the Ghana National Plan on the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, also known as Ghana National Action Plan (GHANAP 2).
The Resolution reaffirms the significant role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security.
Mrs Williams-Anti expressed the hope that if GHANAP 2 was well implemented, the women, peace and security agenda would be advanced.
“We reached out to the Peace Council and worked with the women council members across 10 regions at the time since the Councils in the six new regions had not been established,” she said.
She said the Network also worked with experienced women experts and activists in the peace and security space and queen mothers.
Mrs Williams-Anti said in recognition of the need to stay together, to amplify the voices and expertise of women in the peace and security space we have decided to stay as a group and to launch this network; stating that “once again our friends the Canadians, this time through Global affairs have come to our aid.”
Mrs Janet Adama Mohamed, an international mediator, who formally launched the WoMNet-GH hailed Mrs Williams-Anti’s contributions towards peacebuilding in Ghana and the West Africa subregion.
Hajia Hamdatu Ibrahim Hussain, a former Chairperson of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and a Member of the Working Group on Women, Youth, Peace, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel (WGWYPS-WAS), said attitude towards the investing in women empowerment was also evident in the current status of the Affirmative Action Bill.
“Effort to pass the affirmative action Bill has proven futile over the last 10 years. It is the one giant step towards ‘Inspiring Inclusion’, and we wish to call on the Government to Pass the Affirmative Action Bill this year to ensure inclusion,” she said.
Madam Patience Agyare-Ashie, Director of the Women, Youth Peace and Security Insititute (WYPSI) of the Kofi Annan Intenational Peacekeeping Centre (KAIPTC) said ensuring equal access to justice for women, including accountability for perpetrators of gender-based violence and addressing barriers to justice faced by women in conflict-affected areas were among efforts at sustainable peace building.
She said integrating gender perspectives into broader peacebuilding efforts to build more sustainable and inclusive peace processes and outcomes is part of the roles expected from WOMNET-GH, which WYPSI so much shares and supports.
GNA