By Florence Afriyie Mensah
Kumasi, Nov. 26, GNA – Women, Youth, Peace and Security Department of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in collaboration with the Women Situation Room Project Consortium is training women and the youth in election observation.
This is to build capacities of participants in ensuring transparency, accountability and peace in the upcoming 2024 general election.
The training is the last in a series of initiatives aimed at empowering some 100 women and youth from the Ashanti, Volta, Northern and Greater Accra regions to be responsible election observers.
Participants will be trained on the code of conduct of election observation, reporting irregularities and urgent issues, and election observation as a conflict prevention mechanism.
Madam Horname Noagbesenu, the Acting Director, Women, Youth Peace and Security Department at the KAIPTC, at the opening of a three-day capacity building for participants in the Ashanti Region, mentioned the integral role women and the youth played in society.
The Centre, therefore, placed a lot of emphasis on women within the context of peace and security related issues, particularly in promoting and enhancing gender equality, inclusivity.
Madam Noagbesenu said the electoral processes were part of activities that helped to develop nations adding that the upcoming elections presented opportunities for women and the youth to sharpen their knowledge and be part of the decision-making processes.
Women and youth make up a greater part of the society and in some instances form more than half the population of different countries.
The Right Reverend Dr. Nuh Ben Abubekr, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the National Peace Council, said the region had nearly 20 hotspots, thus the necessity for beneficiaries of the training to try as much as possible to douse tempers of people seen arguing around the polling stations.
“You are being equipped to be effective election observers, most misunderstandings at the polling centres are created by political party observers, so you must teach them to know their rights and limitations to prevent chaos,” he said.
Ms Linda Fremah, a participant, said peace was paramount with or without elections and the youth must not take it for granted.
GNA