COMING UP!>>Ep.34: Towards a more Equitable Gender Participation in Peace & Security with UNSCR1325

34th Edition:

Towards a more Equitable Gender Participation in Peace & Security with UNSCR1325

This year, the AU is paying particular attention to women by celebrating their empowerment under the theme “Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063”.

October 2015 will be exactly fifteen years since the landmark resolution UNSCR1325 was adopted.

UNSCR 1325 is considered a “landmark resolution” because it was the first time in the history of the United Nations that member-states decided to link the maintenance of peace and security to the situation of women and girls.

UNSCR 1325 is based on three key pillars — which are participation in peace processes, mainstreaming a gender perspective into all conflict prevention activities and strategies, and the protection of women in war and peace

Truth be told, the adoption of the UNSCR 1325 and its follow up resolutions 1888, 1890 and 1960 on women, peace and security calls on governments, states and international organizations to promote the participation of women in negotiations, governance and leadership positions in security sector institutions.

We want to use the 34^th edition of the Show to kick-start conversations around 1325 in a month that is particularly important for the celebration of women (it will not have escaped your attention that 8 March is International Women’s Day).  Located in the larger global context of 20 years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action -- a historic roadmap signed by 189 governments 20 years ago that sets the agenda for realizing women’s rights – one begins to understand why we need to start the ball rolling on filling the deficits on gender as quickly as we can.

One critical and obvious way for this show is through advocacy of 1325. Last week, I spoke to the issue of a newly-established network in which Radio XYZ/Africa in Focus show sits on the steering committee. It is important to have communicators at the centre of this all-important discussion, as Mrs.Appiah-Pinkrah suggested last week, to make the reach of one’s messaging wider. Enter AIF, and other media to help do that.

It is for this reason we are having a conversation today with the implementers (Ministry of Defence/Ministry of Gender & Social Protection); facilitators (WPSI/KAIPTC); and a rep of the National Peace Council.

This is our first step in helping demystify 1325.

Join us if you can at 1pm on 3 March, 2015.

Guiding questions

• Why is a Communications network on UNSCR1325 necessary?
• Have the National Peace Council been able to bridge the gender-gap/divide in their composition?
• How will some of the implementers of 1325 (Ministries of Gender/Defence) help the media communicate the importance of 1325?
• What, if any activities, are the Network, and WPSI of KAIPTC doing to sensitise Ghanaians around 1325?

Guests in the studio:

Ø  Mrs.Catherine Appiah-Pinkrah, Director, Ministry of Defence

Ø  Mz.Margaret Alexander-Reheboth, Head of Women, Peace & Security Institute (WPSI), KAIPTC

On the line:

·         Mz. Malonin Asibi , Programme Officer, Ministry of Gender, Social Protection @14h10

·         George Amoh, Director in charge of Conflict Resolution and Management, National Peace Council, Ghana @14h30

·         Kobby Blay, #EbolaWatch, @13h30