(SLENA, 29th October, 2021). His Excellency Ambassador Alhaji Fanday Turay, the Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the United Nations has called for the inclusion of women globally into decision-making process on women peace and security and humanitarian programming, noting that as a member of the Women Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action Compact (WPS-HA) Board, Sierra Leone has prioritized achieving positive transformative results for women and girls be it in peace time or during war.
It could be recalled that on Tuesday 14th September 2021, members of the Executive Board of UN- Women unanimously endorsed H.E Alhaji Fanday Turay as President of the Executive Board of UN -Women.
While addressing a Virtual Side Event on Wednesday 27th October, 2021 on the issue of translating commitments on WPS-HA agenda into concrete achievements, Ambassador Turay stated that Sierra Leone will continue to advocate for and adopt specific measures to increase women’s meaningful participation in peace processes by protecting their rights and pursue measures that guarantee women’s inclusion in all decision-making processes including that of the WPS-HA Compact.
It was a well-attended event with over 245 participants from among member states of the UN, the UN System, Civil Society and the Private Sector. Among the high-level participants were Hon. Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Madam Manty Tarawalli, the newly elected Executive Director of UN Women, Madam Sima Sami Bahous, the AU Permanent Observer to the UN, Fatima Kyari Mohammed and other high-level speakers from Namibia, Norway, Mexico, the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders and Young Women’s Leaders for Peace.
Speaking on the purpose of the Event, the Ambassador further noted that the meeting was intended to highlight the relevance of the WPS-HA Compact and to also seek support from across all regions of the world for its full and effective implementation. For Compact Members and Signatories, like Sierra Leone, Ambassador Turay pointed out that the Event was a unique opportunity for them to showcase best practices in implementing, within the next five years, the actions they have selected from among the five thematic priority areas on the WPS-HA Framework.
Concluding, the Ambassador said that from what was contained in the agenda, he was optimistic that the discussions will provide participants with the right kind of information needed to give in-depth knowledge on the WPS-HA Compact and how it will contribute towards achieving the implementation of the normative positions adopted on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Programming.