National Peace Council Outdoors Gender Policy

The National Peace Council (NPC) has launched its Gender Policy, a document designed to mainstream gender and create a gender equitable environment in all its peace building operations.

The policy, which was developed with support from the UNDP and the Canadian High Commission, aims at bridging the Gender gap and promote inclusivity and gender mainstreaming in peacebuilding within the Council and its peace work in the country.

Launching the Policy, NPC Governing Board Member, Madam Susan Aryeetey, on behalf of the Governing Board Chair, Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, noted that the development and adoption of the gender policy reflected the management commitment to strengthening inclusive peacebuilding efforts in our country.

She stated that as a national institution with the mandate to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts, the effectiveness of the Council work depends largely on inclusivity and the need to recognize and address the different experiences, needs and the contributions of both women and men in peace and security.

Madam Aryeetey tasked the staff to read and integrate the policy into the work of the Council, adding that “there’s a lot more that we need to do to ensure that we are really walking the gender talk.” “As staff of the NPC, you are the drivers of this vision. Your work in mediation, dialogue, facilitation, administration, research and community engagement shapes how inclusive our peace efforts truly are,” she added.

The Executive Secretary of the Council, Dr. George Amoh, stated that the adoption of the Council’s Gender Policy marks a significant milestone towards promoting inclusive peacebuilding in Ghana.

Dr. Amoh further described the training as a strategic step towards ensuring that every member of staff understands the principle, the objectives and practical implications of the gender policy.

The Policy also, provides a comprehensive framework for promoting equity and integrating gender into all NPC programming and operations.

A Deputy Director of the Conflict Resolution and Management at the NPC, Mr. Frank Wilson Bodza, who walk through the six key objectives of the Policy and explained what the document contains.

The two-day training under the theme: “Gender Mainstreaming towards effective and inclusive peacebuilding for Sustainable Development” brought together over 60 participants across the country as first beneficiaries of the document.

The training is geared towards building staff capacity on gender, promoting gender responsive planning and budgeting, enhance gender equality in programmes, and ensure a gender-friendly workplace that strengthen partnerships for gender equality.