VENUE': INTERNATIONAL PRESS CENTER. ACCRA DATE: 8TH

MARCH. 20{Q
CHAIRPERSON,
RESEARCH FELLOW, AMNESTY INTERNA TIONAL, GHANA,
THE PROGRAMME DIRECTOR IBIS, GHANA,
THE WOMEN COORDINA TOR, AMNESTY INTERNA TIONAL, GHANA.

MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA,
.
DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
ALL PROTOCOLS OBSERVED
I welcome all of you to this public forum to mark this year's INTERNATIONAL

WOMEN'S DAY organized by Amnesty International Ghana Section.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
The International Women's Day is a time set aside to assess challenges facing

women worldwide, celebrate their achievements, and look ahead into the exciting

opportunities that await women in the future. I am therefore very happy to be

associated with this year's celebration.
As the Ministry responsible for "Women and Children's Affairs", we give due

recognition and attention to the role women playas well as the issues that affect

women and children. This is clearly manifested in our mandate which is to

initiate/formulate policies and promote gender mainstreaming across all sectors

that will lead to the achievement of gender equality and empowerment of women,

survival, development and growth of children as well as the protection of the rights

of women and children.
We, at the Ministry for Women and Children's Affairs, are therefore very proud to

be associated with this public forum.
Chairperson, Distinguished Guests, ladies and Gentlemen,

It is worth noting that, this year's celebration coincides with the 15thanniversary

celebration of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) and the

54thSession of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

meeting. The Platform for Action was adopted by consensus by all Member States

of the United Nations. Its adoption together with other UN Statutes and

. Resolutionson gender equality such as UNSCR 1325, 1820, 1888 and 1889,

carry the strongest statements of political commitment by governments, to

advance the goals of equality, development and peace for all women and girls.

Chairperson, ladies and Gentlemen,
On this occasion of the INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY celebration, it will be

appropriate to use this platform to enumerate some achievements of the Ministry,

an~ therefore Government, and efforts made in enhancing the lives of women and

children in Ghana in collaboration with other key Sector Ministries.

Chairperson,
The Ministry of Women and Childrerrs Affairs (MOWAC) has since 2001

spearheaded a vigorous national drive to overcome the challenges of gender

inequality.
In the area of Health, it has been emphasized that the reproductive child health

component which entails, Family Planning, Safe motherhood, adolescent health

and development (in and out of school youth), reproductive tract cancers for

women and men, menopause and andropause, gender-based violence, working

with men as users of reproductive health services, child health programmes,

education on sexuality during the life cycle and care of the aged need to be

expanded.
With regard to education, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on achieving

gender parity in primary and secondary education through promoting girl child

education and our Gender Parity Index (GPI) has moved from under 0.90 in the

last 3 years to 0.96. This has been made possible to a large extent with the

continuation of the School Feeding Programme, the increment in the allocation

of the Capitation Grant and the introduction of the free school uniforms for all

school going children in Ghana. This has lightened the financial burden on women

in spending money preparing meals for their children to take to school; pay school

fees as well as sew school uniforms for them. There are however challenges in

the education of the girl-child in the areas of access to education and training,

their retention and achievements.
In collaboration with civil society organizations, including the Domestic Violence

C~alition, the Domestic Violence Act is being operationalised. The Domestic

Violence Act provides protection from domestic violence, particularly for women

and children who form the majority of the victims of domestic and gender- based

violence. As a step in implementing the Act, the Domestic Violence Secretariat

established to coordinate the implementation of the Domestic Violence Plan of

Action has been equipped with support from the Royal Netherlands Government.

The Board to oversee the implementation of the Plan of Action has also been

established and launched together with the Domestic Violence policy and plan of

action. For the effective functioning of the Domestic Violence Secretariat,

Government is to set up a fund that will support victims and survivors of Domestic

and gender-based violence. Support i~ also being provided by Development

Partners to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOWSU)

established within the Ghana Police Service, with regard to the protection of

women's rights, through the provision of social welfare services and legal aid

services.
The Ministry in its attempt to promote Good Governance has been working

towards achievement of proportional representation of women at the local level.

In the 2010 District Assembly elections, resources shall be secured and provided

for capacity building programmes to train and sustain the campaigns of

women in all the 10 regions of Ghana. We want to continue to encourage our

women to put themselves forward to be elected into public office as they are

excellent managers, from the way they manage homes with very little resources.

To ensure resources are provided within the national budget and in support of

financing gender equality and women's empowerment programmes, negotiations

are carried out between government and donors, through advocacy and lobbying,

to influence development c,?operation through the Multi-Donor Budget Support

(MOBS) and Consultative Group (CG) negotiations. As a result MOWAC in the

last few years has taken steps to translate government's commitment to gender

equality issues into Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) within the national

budgeting system leading to government policy direction to all Ministries to adopt

measures toward implementing GRB.
. Chairperson, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, celebrating 15 years of

implementation of the 13 critical areas of the Beijing Platform for Action requires

se~ious stock - taking. Ghana has assessed progress made within these fifteen

years in its Third Progress Report on the implementation of the Platform for

Action. The areas identified for further action, in the report, should be strictly

adhered tq, if we are to make further progress in the promotion of gender equality

and women's empowerment.
In connection with violence, it has been stressed that the Ghana Police Service

(DOWSU) and all concerned organizations should come together to offer support

and provide protection for our women and children. The provision of shelters for

victims of domestic violence, training to Law enforcement agencies, the

enhancement of women's access to justic~, improvement in the legal aid system

to cover more women and other vulnerable groups as well as training of more

clinical psychologists have all been highlighted as areas that require further action.

Focusing on women in decision - making, it has been elaborated that systematic

career development training for women in the civil and public sectors will ensure

that women have equal access to managerial, entrepreneurial, technical and

leadership training. This will translate into the creation of a critical mass of women

in decision making positions to serve as role models and to mentor young women.

In addition the implementation of Affirmative Action Policy in Ghana will ensure

. better participation of women in governance and decision making.

4
. It is important to emphasize at this point, that when these are adhered to, Ghana

would be placed in a better position to achieve the Millennium Development Goals

(MDG), especially goal 3; promotion of gender equality.

To conclude, Madam Chairperson, ladies and Gentlemen, let me share this

quote whjch I find very thought-provoking, and yet overlooked by many of you: 'a

man's work is from sun to sun, but a ,woman's work is never done'. I am

sure you will all agree with me that this quotation is indeed true as women work

and continue to strategize for the welfare of their husbands' children and extended

families; long after the sun has set.
On behalf of the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC) and on

behalf of all its partners in Ghana, I wish to send special felicitations to every

. woman in Ghana, we love you and appreciate you. Today should indeed be a

very special day for everybody: women, men, girls and boys for without a woman,

we would not have come into this world in the first place.

God Bless you all.
.
I THANK yOU.