Ghana plays host to the 2023 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference on the 5th – 6th of December. With peacekeeping operations serving as a cornerstone of the UN’s efforts to maintain global peace, this year’s ministerial conference will among others focus on women in peacekeeping, reinforcing the commitment to making peacekeeping missions more inclusive and effective.
As part of this year’s conference, KAIPTC’s Women, Youth, Peace and Security Institute (WYPSI) will partner with the Department of Peace Operations’ Strategic Communications Section and the United Nations in Ghana, through the UN Information Centre in Accra, to hold a panel discussion on the significant role of women in peacekeeping and the importance of gender-responsive leadership.
Since 2019, WYPSI has supported the Ghana Armed Forces as an implementing partner of the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations. A barrier assessment for the GAF in 2019-2020 contributed to the development the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) report on Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP). WPSI is currently supporting GAF to implement various projects to enhance gender mainstreaming in the GAF. This includes:
- Sensitization tours across the seven garrisons of GAF to educate personnel on the findings of the MOWIP and gender mainstreaming within GAF
- Organizing Military Observers and United Nations Staff Officer Courses targeting female military officers to increase the number of trained female personnel to serve in MILOB and Staff Officer Positions
- Development of e-learning course on Gender Advising to provide training for GAF personnel posted as Gender focal points and gender advisors
- Development of Gender Policy for GAF
- Development of training packages on gender mainstreaming for GAF training schools
- Sensitization campaign for second cycle and tertiary institutions on opportunities in GAF for women in combat and combat support roles – ongoing
In addition, WYPSI has undertaken sensitization tours in senior high schools in collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces under the project: “Increasing Women Recruitment into the Ghana Armed Forces for increased participation in UN Peace Operations”.
So far, 15000 students from the Central and Eastern Regions have been sensitised on issues of gender mainstreaming, the role of the Ghana Armed Forces and opportunities for women to develop careers in the combat and combat support units of the Ghana Armed Forces. The school engagement was made possible with the support of the Elsie Initiative Fund and the Ghana Education Service.
