Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchway has called on governments around the world to support women affected by the ramifications of COVID19. Hon. Botchway spoke last month in Israel`s MASHAV International Women Leaders E-Conference representing women leaders across the globe.
Speaking on the topic “Building Resilience through Cooperation and Partnerships,” Hon. Botchway re-emphasized the global impact of COVID 19 especially in developing countries. She said “various governments have had unintended negative consequences of the pandemic, especially in developing countries. In most cases, women are the most affected, some have lost their means of income, particularly self-employed artisanal workers. It is therefore important for governments to continue to build the resilience of their people, institutions and systems to withstand the challenges of COVID 19.”
According to her, issues of gender and children has been critical to the government of Ghana’s fight against COVID 19, informing government’s policy direction on identifying various vulnerable groups for support. Under this, she highlighted government interventions to support various vulnerable groups in these COVID times.
In her presentation, Hon. Botchway also highlighted some of the initiatives of the Economic Community of West African States to support member states. She believes “the COVID 19 pandemic has presented an opportunity to all governments to recognize the need to collaborate with various state actors and international partners to put in place the right strategies to protect the poor and the vulnerable.”
The International Women Leaders Conference was hosted by MASHAV - Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation. This year's special e-conference analyzed the socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and provided a platform for leading women from all over the world to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on women and girls. Participants include heads of state, senior policy-makers, Ministers and MPs, leading figures from all walks of life including the socio-economic sphere, the media, business and the private sector, as well as high-ranking representatives from the academia, international NGO’s and UN organisations, specialized agencies and programmes.