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Include women in national affairs – Ms Addo
Sally Lilian Addo
The Global President of International Youth Network – United Nations Security Council 2250 Resolution (IYNUNSCR), Sally Lilian Addo has called for the inclusion of women in national affairs to foster gender equality.
She said this at the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), organised by the United Nations Women at the United States of America.
Participants at the CSW 68, included governments, civil society organizations, experts and activists from across the world who deliberated on actions and investments that could end women’s poverty and spearhead gender equality.
It is the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, held under the theme “accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.”
She observed that, the world was at a crucial crossroad for gender equality, where globally 10.3 per cent of women live in extreme poverty.
Ms Addo said findings of UN Women, a United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women had indicated that, accelerated progress requires investment.
Also, she said data from 48 developing economies shows that an additional $360 billion is needed per year to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment across key global goals, including to end poverty and hunger.
According to the president of IYNUNSCR, solutions to end women’s poverty were widely recognised, hence, investing in policies and programmes that address gender inequalities and boosting women’s agency and leadership would make it fast to achieve.
“Such investments yield enormous dividends: Over 100 million women and girls could be lifted out of poverty if governments prioritised education and family planning, fair and equal wages, and expanded social benefits”, she said.
She mentioned that closing gender gaps in employment could boost Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita by 20 per cent across all regions.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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Traders, ‘Okada’ riders take over Circle pavement
• Korle-Bu CEO with staff of Nivaansh MediQas
Activities of traders and drug addicts are contributing to make the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange (Circle) area very uncomfortable and unsafe for commuters.
Day in and out, pedestrians are ‘ejected’ from the pavement created for their safety as traders preferred to sell their wares on that space.
That hinders the free movement of the pedestrians.
The small space left for the pedestrians are also shared with ‘Okada’ riders.
As if these woes are not enough for a commuter on a single day, they also have to navigate carefully to avoid clashes with drug addicts and the mentally challenged.
These people have turned the pavements into their places of abode, covering every inch of space with their wares.
Our photographer, Lizzy Okai, captures some of the unfriendly scenes the authorities must try and deal with to restore sanity to the area.
By Lizzy Okai
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NDC outlines demands before committing to Peace Pact
The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has set forth specific conditions that the party insists must be met before considering signing the Peace Pact advocated by the National Peace Council in anticipation of the December 7 elections.
Mr. Nketia expressed scepticism about the effectiveness of past Peace Pacts, highlighting that they had not achieved their intended outcomes, particularly referencing the 2020 elections, during which eight NDC members were allegedly killed by national security operatives without accountability.
During an August 20 meeting with the National Peace Council at the NDC headquarters, Mr. Nketia detailed the certain conditions for the NDC’s participation in the Peace Pact.
The NDC is demanding that the recommendations from the investigation into the violence during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election be fully implemented.
They also want those responsible for election-related violence in the last election to be prosecuted, stressing the importance of justice and prevention.
The party is calling for accountability regarding irregularities in the printing of ballot papers and insists that visible measures be taken to prevent such issues from happening again.
They are also pushing for a thorough investigation into the missing IT equipment from the Electoral Commission’s (EC) warehouse, expressing concerns about the integrity of the EC’s systems and the potential bias of its staff.
Furthermore, the NDC is urging the President to publicly commit to respecting the results of the 2024 elections. Lastly, the party insists that the Peace Pact should be signed by key figures, including the Inspector General of Police, the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General, and the National Security Coordinator, before they will consider signing it themselves.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
