The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has launched a Gender Policy and Strategy to help ensure that its workers or beneficiaries of the Centre?s programmes and activities are not disadvantaged.
A statement issued by KAIPTC and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday, said the gender perspectives would henceforth be an official component of all activities at the KAIPTC.
Ms. Margaret Alexander Rehoboth, Head of the Women, Peace and Security Institute, noted that ?the KAIPTC Gender Policy is a demonstration of the Centre?s commitment to achieving equity for all?.
The Policy, she observed, was aimed at ensuring that men and women who worked for, or benefited from the Centre?s operations were not left out or disadvantaged in any way because of their gender.
The KAIPTC Gender Policy is thus formulated to provide the key principles that will help ensure that all aspects of the Centre?s operations respond adequately and equally to the needs of men and women.
The statement said the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) supported the finalisation of the Policy and that the Project Manager of the GIZ Support Project to KAIPTC, Nana Odoi who was present at the launch, commended the Centre for replicating standards in institutions such as the ECOWAS Commission, the African Union and the United Nations and said she was hopeful the KAIPTC?s policy would serve a good purpose.
The statement said Major General Akwa, Commandant of the KAIPTC, pointed out during the launch that, the concept of integrating the gender perspective into the core business of the Centre was nothing new, as evidenced in the training courses, research and education programmes.
He noted that as an equal opportunities employer, the Centre could boast of a fairly balanced representation of both men and women in its workforce.
”What has been lacking is an official policy that clearly states the Centre?s commitment to gender equity at all levels of operation in order to ensure that men and women are equally advantaged? thus the need for the Policy? the statement quoted him as saying.
This approach, he noted, ?helped to ensure that the diverse expertise and perspectives on the institutional mainstreaming of gender are brought to bear on the policy? and should help to foster a sense of collective ownership and responsibility for effectively implanting the policy.
The statement said the Commandant in his remarks also acknowledged the Centre?s core partners ? the governments of Sweden, Norway and Denmark who contributed to funding the policy.
The statement said the Centre, as part of the launch, also introduced the KAIPTC Gender Policy Forum to serve as a platform for enhancing the centre-wide discussion on how to make the KAIPTC gender sensitive.
GNA
