UN's 59th session on the status of women opens in NY

The 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women celebrating 20 years of the Beijing Platform for Action has opened in New York. 

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in an opening statement commended global effort at recognising women's rights noting that 20years of Beijing cannot be a wasted effort as it has a direct social impact on sustainable development. 

It may seem yesterday but it is 20years ago in 1995 when the clarion call for women's voice to be heard and for women's involvement in all spheres of life was sounded in the Chinese capital, Beijing. 

Two decades down the line, they have gathered to deliberate on how far the platform for Action which had 12 critical areas has fared, that is, the implementation, challenges and the way forward. 

Some of the critical areas are; women and poverty, education and training of women, Women's health, Violence against women, Women in Power and decision making and the Girl Child.

Countries made five minutes presentation of their achievements of which Ghana's Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister, Nana Oye Lithur also made her presentation. 

She said Ghana is noted as the first country to have achieved MDG 1 target of halving the population living in extreme poverty ahead of the MDG summit.

The country is also on course to achieving MDG 2 and 3 targets on child malnutrition. 

She said the LEAP Project is government’s flagship social intervention towards poverty alleviation. 

The Gender Minister also mentioned the closed down of one of the witches camps at Bonyasi and the release of 55 inmates as one of the measures against the abuse of women.

On Women in decision making, she said for the first time in Ghana's history, there has been an increase in the number of appointments of women into key top public offices quoting 29 percent of Women ministers,23 percent deputies ,16percent as chief directors and 9 percent District, Municipal, Metropolitan and Chief Executives.

High level appointments include the Chief Justice, Director of Prisons, NCCE, CONTROLLER and GOVERNMENT STATISTICIAN.

On the way forward, Nana Oye called for the strengthening of institutional frameworks and increase in government resources to realize women and girls equality and empowerment.

GBC