Accra, Oct. 28, GNA - Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Minister of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWAC), on Thursday called on stakeholders in gender mainstreaming to exhibit extra commitment in ensuring the total promotion of women's rights and their security. She said the contribution of women is critical for effective and sustainable national development and could therefore not be under estimated.

The Minister made the call when she opened a day's national consultative meeting on the preparation of Ghana's combined sixth and seventh periodic report on the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in Accra.

The meeting provided a distinctive opportunity for Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Civil Society Organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations and other stakeholders to review action taken on CEDAW's concluding comments on Ghana's combined third, fourth and fifth periodic report as well as progress made to give effect to the provisions of the Convention during the reporting period.

Participants used the period to highlight the harmonised guidelines on reporting under the international human rights treaties. Mrs Azumah-Mensah explained that Ghana had greatly advanced in addressing issues relating to the reduction of gender inequalities and inequities and the evidence was the legislations, developed policies, plan of actions, strategies and programmes aimed at empowering women to reverse their socio-economic and political exclusion. Ghana signed CEDAW in 1986 and ratified it in 1989. Countries that have become party to the treaty are obliged to summit to the United Nations Secretary-General regular national reports indicating the measures they have adopted to give effect to the provisions of the Convention.

The reports are expected to indicate factors, gaps, challenges and difficulties in implementation, and these should be in line with specific reporting guidelines.

The United Nations CEDAW meeting commended Ghana for taking concrete legal, policy and administrative measures to implement various articles of CEDAW. It also raised issues regarding the need for Ghana to ensure the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. Mrs Azumah-Mensah, therefore, urged stakeholders to commit themselves to every part of the compilation process to ensure the completion of the report before the deadline of February 2011. Mr Gershon K. Kumor, a Director of the MOWAC, commended Ghana for the achievements made in promoting the human rights of women and eliminating all forms of discrimination. He reiterated the need for the stakeholders to contribute their ideas and suggestions to enable Ghana to prepare a report that would clearly and frankly reflect the good standing of the country in relation to the implementation of the Convention. 28 Oct. 10