The Special Representative of the Secretary
General and Head of United Nations Mission on Ebola Emergency Response
(UNMEER), Anthony Banbury accompanied by the Country Representative of UN Women
Dr. Mary Okumu last Friday, 3rd
October, 2014 assured the women of Sierra Leone of UN’s fullest support in the
fight against the Ebola virus disease.
Addressing a meeting with representatives of
women leaders from Government, Civil Society and the Women’s Forum at Radison
Blu hotel Aberdeen Freetown, Mr. Banbury said his mission was deployed to
support the Government in stopping the transmission of the Ebola virus in the
quickest possible time.
Recognising the recently adopted UN Security
Council Resolution 2177 which emphasized on the full participation of women at
all levels of the Ebola response, the SRSG noted that his inaugural meeting was
to engage key stakeholders including women leaders on accomplishing the
mission’s mandate.
Welcoming Mr. Banbury and the UNMEER team on
behalf of the women to Sierra Leone,
Chairperson and convener of the meeting the Gender Advisor to the President;
Madam Naasu Fofanah registered profound appreciations for the commitment
manifested by the mission to meet with representatives of women leaders during
his inaugural visit to the country.
“As a government women’s empowerment has
been a key priority in promoting gender equality,” she said.
Madam Fofanah said that the Agenda for
Prosperity has gender equality and women’s empowerment as a priority pillar as
well as mainstreaming across others.
“We were beginning to see continued progress
until this outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus disease,” adding that Ebola has the tendency to reverse
all the gains that have made as a nation and most especially as women, pointing
out that more women have died in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.
The Gender Advisor to the President said
that it is against the backdrop and the fact that more women have died during
this outbreak and that they believe it is an opportune time for Mr. Banbury to
deliberate on some of the key issues to ensure that the country and women in
particular do not retrogress on the gains made in promoting women’s empowerment
including women’s peace and security.
Dr.
Aisha Fofanah-Ibrahim in her talking point on behalf the women of Sierra Leone
registered appreciations for the availability of SRSG Banbury to meet and
listen to their concerns as women in the response to the Ebola virus disease, as
they have also been working with MARWOPNET, WRESL, the UN, and the Mano River
Union’s First Ladies initiative.
She expressed concern that provision be
adhered to with concrete effort to mainstream and integrate gender in the
design and implementation of all interventions, and registered their appreciations
for the deployment of a senior level from UN Women with the mission based in
Accra, Ghana and expressed hope that she is given the required space to
technically analyze and mainstream gender with deserve needs of men, women boys
and girls are clearly articulated and taken into consideration in the design
and implementation of initiatives.
Dr. Fofanah-Ibrahim called on UNMEER to
develop an effective methodology for disaggregating data in terms of gender,
age, location, and services received, holding centres for survivors, fatality,
the creation of treatment centres and mobile labs in all districts with
separate facilities for men and women.
She furthered that the mission for more
ambulances to reduce the rate of infection as the same ambulances that
transport the dead, the sick, the suspected and the cured, adding that women
are strong mobilizers thus recommend that their expertise should be tapped into
by increase involvement of women at all levels of sensitization campaign and
logistics.
She said that a way should be devised that
makes it possible for family members to say goodbye to their loved ones and to
be able to visit their graves during post Ebola period, noting the packages and
provided for quarantined homes are gender sensitive in that they meet the needs
of men and women, boys and girls, Dr. Fofanah-Ibrahim also called for a unit to
provide psychosocial counselling support to both the infected and affected
especially at treatment centres as well as outside locations.
In her contribution to the discussion, the
Chief Justice stated the need to engage the judiciary in the response strategy.
She said that although she was extremely busy, but she found it important to attend
the meeting with another senior female Judge to be in solidarity with the women
at this very important and timely meeting. She concluded by stressing the
urgent need to engage communities at chiefdom level including the local courts.
The Minority Leader in the House of
Parliament, Hon. Bernadette Lahai outlined the various legislations enacted by
Parliament to promote women’s rights and emphasised the full participation of
women in the Ebola response is congruent with our current laws.
Mr. Banbury in his remarks observed that 50%
of Ebola related deaths are being caused through burial practices and therefore
suggested that communities should work with health professionals to help
curtail deaths rate, adding that he is very much interested in pursuing all
suggestions put forward to him at the meeting.
The head of UNMEER encouraged women’s
representatives present at the meeting to engage female traditional leaders with
continuous sensitization on the danger of the virus. He requested that to
foster continuous dialogue as in line with the mandate of the mission, and recommended
the Gender Adviser to work with his office in order for a Women’s Advisory
Group be established to support the mission in integrating women’s perspectives
into the response. He further recommended that UNWomen to convene the board
meetings and act as secretary.
The meeting was attended by the Following
dignitaries: Hon. Chief Justice, Madam Umu Hawa Tejan-Jalloh, Hon. Justice Musu
Kamara, Hon. Minority Leader of Parliament, Dr. Bernadette Lahai, Madam Naasu
Fofanah –Gender Adviser to the President,Madam Maud Peacock – President Women’s
Forum, President 50/50 Group, Dr. Aisha Fofanah-Ibrahim, Executive Director
Campaign for Good Governance, Valnora Edwin, Dr. Memunatu Pratt Fourah Bay
College and Hon. Isata Kabia .
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