Pre-Deployment Initiatives for Gender Sensitive Deployments in Ghana

This project supports pre-deployment training for Ghana Armed Forces especially women to enhance their skills and knowledge in communication peacekeeping command structures and gender and conflict dynamics for participation in peacekeeping missions. A huge barrier to women’s participation in UN peace operations is the lack of capacity and will among the UN and troop/police contributors. Ghana is a key troop and police contributing country to the UN and has manifested its willingness to increase the number of women in uniform in accordance with the UN Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy. This project is collaborating with the Ghana Armed Forces to conduct a 14-day intensive course for military officers mostly women to help prepare them for deployments to UN peacekeeping operations.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) building of institutional capacity for pre-deployment trainings; (2) increased opportunities for women and men willing to participate in UN peacekeeping missions; and (3) systemic barriers to women’s participation in peacekeeping operations are challenged.