VSO-Ghana advocates for new UN Women's agency

Bolgatanga, April 15, GNA - The Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) Ghana, is embarking on a 'Help Women Help the World' campaign, to urge the United Nations (UN), to create a new women's agency with to be given adequate resources and support to help women harness their potentials, to enable them to contribute meaningfully to development. The VSO observed that a number of smaller and poorly funded bodies, the biggest being the United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM) were not enough to deal with women's issues.

Ms. Jennifer Angus, VSO officer in charge of the programme, said the UN was failing women because of the fragmented smaller and poorly funded and badly coordinated bodies dealing with women issues. The VSO officer said this in a statement issued to the media in Bolgatanga after she had shown a documentary, 'Until The Violence Stops', which covers the history of the International V-Day Movement, a group seeking to end violence against women and girls, as part of the campaign.

Public and civil servants, journalists and women group representatives watched the documentary.

Ms. Angus said "With more resources at its disposal, a new UN agency for women would be able to channel support more effectively to combat the many challenges which they face, including those relating to violence and discrimination".

She said if women were able to harness their potentials they would be able to earn income, grow more food for their families, access healthcare, take part in decisions that affects their lives and these would have significant impact on development.

Ms. Angus said that the V-Day raises funds and creates awareness through productions of playwright, Eve Ensler's award winning play, 'The Vagina Monologues' and other artistic works.

She said VSO volunteers and supporters all over the world would endeavour to influence UN representatives to vote for reforms that would consolidate and galvanize UN agencies working for women.