Mrs Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, is leading a Ghanaian delegation to attend the Commonwealth Annual Consultation of National Women’s Machineries (NWM) as well as the Commonwealth Gender Plan of Action Monitoring Group (CGPMG).
The meetings will be held on the eve of the 55th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) from February 22 in New York, United States of America, and will assess the achievements and challenges towards the implementation of the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005-2015.
A release issued by the Ministry in Accra said it would also provide the opportunity for member countries and partners to plan jointly and share experiences on promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality across the commonwealth.
The priority theme for the CSW is, “Access and Participation of Women and Girls in Education, Training and Science including the Promotion of Women’s Equal Access to full Employment and Decent Work”.
CSW is a functional Commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women and is the principal global policy-making body.
Every year, representatives of member states gather to identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.
The Commission was established by ECOSOC resolution 11(II) of June 21, 1946 with the aim to prepare recommendations and report to the Council on promoting women’s rights in political, economic, civil, social and education fields.
It also makes recommendations to the Council on urgent problems requiring immediate attention in the field of women’s rights.