KAIPTC’s project with GAF to address barriers to women in peacekeeping operations progressing steadily

The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) is continually working with the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to change the narrative when it comes to deploying women to peacebuilding operations.

In September 2022, the KAIPTC with funding from Global Affairs Canada launched a project dubbed “Enhancing Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) capabilities to address barriers to Women in Peacekeeping”.

The background to this project started in 2017, when the Centre, through its Women, Peace and Security Institute (WPSI) collaborated with the Geneva Centre for Security Governance (DCAF) and Cornell University to implement a Barrier Assessment Research for the Ghana Armed Forces under the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations.

The final report from the research, dubbed ‘Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP)’ released in 2021 identified a number of areas that GAF needed to improve in its gender mainstreaming activities.

To address the gaps, and as part of the bilateral agreement between Canada and Ghana, the current project was initiated with KAIPTC as the lead implementer.

The 18-month project has been successful in the first six months and is progressing steadily by the day.

About project:
Under the project, KAIPTC is building the institutional capacity of the GAF to address the challenges that impede the deployment of women to UN peace operations.

This is being done primarily through gender sensitisation, policy development, curriculum development, and training.

The curriculum development started with engaging identified training institutions in the GAF to review their course offerings and develop a gender-training curriculum.

Training of Trainers (ToT) sessions are being held for course instructors, gender advisors and other identified groups at the various training schools and Units/Commands to equip them to deliver the new material optimally.

The ToT’s have been designed to ensure that GAF owns the new course packages in order to systemize and mainstream gender throughout the institution after the project cycle ends.

What has been done so far:
Among the many activities that have been undertaken since the project started, there have been successful tours of the seven Garrisons of the GAF in Sunyani, Kumasi, Tema, Ho and Takoradi, Tamale, Wa and Damongo by a joint team comprising KAIPTC staff and personnel from the Ghana and Canadian Armed Forces.

The tours happened between September 2022 – January 2023. The final tour will be held in Accra next week.

The tour of each Garrison was structured to last five working days and helped to sensitise both the leadership and personnel of the various Garrisons on the broader objectives of the project and the gender-mainstreaming initiatives of the GAF.

The structure for the sensitisation sessions was organised in the form of plenary and focused group discussions. The plenary sessions provided participants with information on the following: the background of the project; the findings of the MOWIP; the gender mainstreaming agenda of GAF; and a basic introduction to gender concepts and gender roles.

The focused group discussions centred on: Gender Perspectives and Military Effectiveness; Implementing the UNSCR 1325 and the Ghana National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security; Gendered Military Culture and Policies for Change; Gender Relations in the Armed Forces, Gender roles and stereotypes. Personnel are divided into three groups composed of Officers and Warrant Officers; Staff Sergeants to Corporals; and Private Soldiers (and their equivalents in the Airforce and Navy).

More being done through the KAIPTC project:

With support from KAIPTC, offices of appointed Gender Advisors and Gender Focal Points within the GAF are currently being furnished with office equipment to enable them to undertake their day-to-day functions/roles effectively.

The project will also develop four (4) packages of standardised gender training and an online course for Gender Advisors / Focal Points, with the goal to strengthen their capacities to fulfil their mandate within the GAF.

The project will also provide the GAF with a software for its operational database to monitor deployments, in pursuit of the goal of the project to address the barriers women encounter in peacekeeping, and ultimately increase their numbers in peacekeeping missions.

These efforts aim to enhance GAF’s capacity to address barriers faced by women seeking deployment to UN peace operations and advance gender equality within the Armed forces.