The National Peace Council as part of its mandate to facilitate and develop mechanisms for conflict management, resolution and building sustainable peace that is gender responsive and inclusive, has established a Gender Unit that will coordinate all work around gender equality and social inclusion. The main goal is to enhance gender mainstreaming and social inclusion in its functions, policies and programmes.

Background

Conflict and natural disasters impact not only the safety and  security of  every  human  being,  but  they  also  hamper  and  thwart the  realization  of  national and international developmental  goals  and  the  exercise  of  fundamental  human  rights   worldwide,   and have,   unfortunately,   increased dramatically over   the   past   decade .

While women and girls are disproportionately affected during crises, they are not simply victims without recourse of action. However, gender inequalities continue to undermine the ability of women and girls and other excluded groups to exercise the full responsibility of their participation in conflict prevention, management and resolution; and to become active partners in emergency response, rehabilitation and development. The other groups who are also often affected negatively by conflict are the Youth and Persons with Disabilities. Over the years the NPC has tried to enhance gender and social inclusion in its operation, though on adhoc basis.

The NPC has therefore created a Gender Unit that will take full responsibility of ensuring gender is mainstreamed across all sectors of its work.

The creation of the Gender Unit has been informed by United Nation Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the African Charter on Democracy Election and Governance, the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. Equally, the Unit is created in fulfilment of the gender provisions in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and other Protocols which seek to promote gender equality and social inclusion as fundamental to advancing development, peace and sustaining democracy gains.

To build positive and sustainable peace however, there is the need to involve diverse groups who are and will be affected by conflict and during the peacebuilding process.

According to the NPC’s strategic plan, the representation of women, youth and persons with disability are currently muted in Act 818, however the strategic principle to be adopted by the council is Gender Unit- in Conflict Management and Peacebuilding.

Goal

The Gender Unit in Conflict Management and Peacebuilding will promote Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in prevention, management and resolution of conflict in Ghana.

Objectives

The Unit seeks to:

• Promote gender equality and social equality.
• Mainstream gender in the activities, programmes, policies of the National Peace Council
• Strengthen capacity of staff and actors of peace on gender and social inclusion
• Promote a standard that fit into International and Regional policies in the prevention, management and resolution of conflict.
• Support survivors of conflict

Functions

The functions of the unit are as follows:

• Serve as a unit that promotes gender equality within the set-up of the National Peace Council.
• Coordinate capacity-building programmes at the National Peace Council and strengthen knowledge of the staff on gender and social inclusion to enable the delivery of their mandate
• Monitoring and evaluating policies and practices of the National Peace Council to ensure that gender equality and social inclusion is reflective
• Coordinate all gender equality and social inclusion activities.
• Develop and implement gender equality and social inclusion policy.
• Liaise with other state and non-state institutions that work around gender
• Commissioning research and making recommendations to the NPC on gender equality and social inclusion

Mode of Operation

• Capacity building
• Policy development and implementation
• Research (Gender issues)
• Campaigns and advocacy
• Partnership with like-minded gender and social inclusion organization