MINISTER’S PARTICIPATION AT THE 69TH COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN NEW YORK

The Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, led a high-level delegation to the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The delegation, which included the Chief Director of the Ministry, Dr. Afisah Zakariah, and representatives from civil society organizations, actively engaged in discussions on accelerating gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The CSW, an annual gathering under the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), serves as the leading global platform for evaluating progress, identifying challenges, and shaping policies to advance women’s rights. This year’s session focused on reviewing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, assessing progress made, and identifying key strategies to bridge remaining gaps. This write-up highlights the key events and discussions that shaped Ghana’s engagement at the 69th CSW.

DAY ONE (1)

OPENING SESSION – GHANA’S COMMITMENT TO GENDER EQUALITY

On Monday, March 10, 2025, Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey and Dr. Afisah Zakariah participated in the opening of the CSW Session and General discussion at the General Assembly Hall.

BILATERAL MEETING WITH MINISTER FOR GENDER AND CHILDREN’S AFFAIRS OF SIERRA LEONE

Later that day, the Minister met with Sierra Leone’s Minister of Gender, Hon. Dr. Isata Mahoi. The discussion focused on strengthening collaboration on gender-related policies, empowering women for leadership roles, and supporting female parliamentarians.

Both Ministers pledged to initiate a network of Gender Ministers within ECOWAS to advance Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) through shared best practices.

DAY TWO (2)

MINISTERIAL ROUND TABLE ON NATIONAL MECHANISMS ON GENDER EQUALITY

On Tuesday, March 11, the Minister participated in the Ministerial Round Table 1 on the topic: “National Mechanisms for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls: Recommitting, resourcing and accelerating implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, also with a view to the achievement of the SDGs”.

Delivering a statement at the meeting, the Minister reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to gender equality and the fight against gender-based violence through targeted policies, legal reforms, and social protection programmes.

She highlighted key interventions spearheaded by the Ministry, including school sensitization programmes, child marriage prevention strategies, and domestic violence support services. She also emphasized the economic empowerment of women through initiatives such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programmes and the School Feeding Programme.

ECOWAS-UN WOMEN HIGH-LEVEL MEETING

Later in the day, the Minister co-chaired an ECOWAS-UN Women high-level interactive session on the 30-year implementation of the Beijing Declaration in West Africa. Presenting Ghana’s report, she emphasized the urgency of addressing gender disparities, particularly as over 290,000 Ghanaian women face extreme poverty.

She acknowledged that while progress has been made, persistent gaps require renewed action. She also highlighted Ghana’s strides in women’s leadership under the administration of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, including the historic appointment of Ghana’s first female Vice President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang.

The Minister also reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to global advocacy through participation in initiatives such as the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

BILATERAL MEETING WITH MINISTER OF GENDER EQUALITY AND WORKING LIFE OF SWEDEN

The Minister and her Team also met with a Swedish delegation to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation on gender equality, women’s empowerment, and social protection initiatives. The Swedish delegation led by the Minister of Gender Equality and Working Life reaffirmed their support for gender-focused partnerships, emphasizing the need for collaboration to promote women’s leadership and economic inclusion.

DAY THREE (3)

GHANA ENGAGES IN GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS

On Wednesday, March 12, the Minister and her Tean participated in a UNFPA Equity 2030 Alliance Side Event on the topic “Equitable by Design in Financing: Investing in Women to shape the Future”.  

In her remarks as co-chair of the session, Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey emphasized that gender equality is a fundamental human right and essential for national development. She underscored Ghana’s commitment to gender equality, which is enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, and highlighted strategies for women’s economic empowerment, particularly through private sector participation and digital transformation.

She also announced the introduction of the Women’s Development Bank in Ghana under the administration of H.E John Dramani Mahama to empower women to engage in e-commerce and build sustainable livelihoods. However, she cautioned that targeted policies are necessary to bridge disparities in technology access.

MINISTERIAL ROUNDTABLE AND REGIONAL DIALOGUE

On the same day, the Minister participated in the continuation of the ministerial roundtable on national mechanisms for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, where she read a Statement on behalf of the Republic of Ghana.

In her statement, she highlighted Ghana’s progress in integrating gender equality into national policies. She stressed that gender-based violence remains a major concern, prompting government interventions such as a 10-year plan to end child marriage, the Domestic Violence Victim Support Fund, and rehabilitated shelters.

She also noted legal reforms such as the passage of the Affirmative Action Act and the Human Trafficking Act as crucial to protecting women’s rights.

DAY 4

WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT THROUGH SUPPORT FOR ARTISANS

On Thursday, March 13, Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey met with representatives from Ten by Three, a certified nonprofit organization that sells products made by artisans in developing countries to empower them to sustainably exit poverty, with current operations in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Discussions centered on enhancing the economic empowerment of women and girls in Ghana through collaboration between the Government of Ghana and the Organization to create sustainable livelihood programmes. The Minister agreed to work with the Organization to see how the programme can be expanded to cover more women in Ghana.

VISIT TO GHANA’S PERMANENT MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS

Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey later the same day paid a visit to Ghana’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, where she engaged with the Mission’s leadership and staff. She expressed appreciation for their role in advocating Ghana’s interests on the global stage and reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to working closely with international partners.

Ghana’s active participation at CSW69 reaffirms the country’s unwavering commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Ministry continues to drive national and global efforts to create an inclusive society for all.