Determined to encourage the participation of women and incorporate gender perspectives in all peace and security activities in the maritime domain, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has launched a Code of Practice on Women’s Peace and Security in the Maritime Space.
The code makes provision for 15 subject matters designed to guide and inform actions toward the advancement and welfare of women in West and Central Africa’s maritime domain.
Speaking at the launch in Lagos recently, Emma Birikorang, acting director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at KAIPTC, said that women in the maritime industry deserve career protection, preservation of the welfare, and promotion of their interests.
She said the centre worked with national actors that would drive implementation to produce a set of principles that would guide decision-making in the maritime domain toward promoting the welfare of women in the sector.
According to her, the Code of Practice for Women in Maritime Security was a product of an inter-regional maritime security project supported by the government of Denmark for coastal West and Central African States.
Birikorang lauded the Government of Denmark for supporting the project on: ‘Integrated Responses to Threats to Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Domain in West and Central Africa’ for 2022-2026.
Pointing out that the launch would be in seven African countries – Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroun, Congo-Brazzaville, Cote d’Ivoire, and Liberia, she called on countries to take ownership of the code.
Birikorang said the KAIPTC programme extended the principles of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 into the maritime security domain.
Patience Agyare-Kwabi, director at KAIPTC, urged countries to take action by adopting the code into policies that would make it abiding to its citizens.
Also speaking, Odunayo Ani, president of the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA), said the launch of the code signified a commitment to gender equality, as well as improved protection for women working in the maritime industry.
“The Maritime Code of Practice being unveiled is more than a document; it is a commitment to change, a beacon guiding us towards a future where women are empowered to stand at the helm, to navigate through storms, and to lead with strength and wisdom.
“Let this Code be a compass that directs our actions, a map that leads us to uncharted waters where equality and diversity thrive. Let it be a declaration that in the realm of maritime security, women are not just participants; they are pioneers and leaders,” she said.
On her part, Rollens Macfoy, president of the African Women in Maritime (WIMA) Nigerian Chapter, said the newly launched document is one that organisations within the maritime sector are expected to own and implement.
“We need to internalise this code. There are also aspects around conflict sensitivity, issues on prevention and mitigation of gender-based violence, as well as increasing the representation of women. So, it is up to us to take these documents to our various organisations. It is a good document that we can put in our standard operating procedures (SOPs) that will support the advancement of women in the maritime domain,” she said.
