Miriam Mannak

The Global MDG3 Champion Torch is a Danish initiative launched in 2007 to strengthen the commitment of governments and donor organisations to promote gender equality and women empowerment – third in the list of Millennium Development Goals.

As the sole male speaker at a debate on women’s rights and development, Ghana’s Minister of Finance has been left to carry the gender torch… in more ways than one. Kwado Baah-Wiredu was handed over a ‘MDG3 Torch’ by the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Ulla Tørnæs after the debate at the High Level Forum on Tuesday.

“I am honored to receive the MDG3 Torch,” Baah-Wiredu declared.

“I hereby commit myself to convince fellow African ministers of finance to use gender-responsive budgeting to ensure that adequate allocation of resources is made towards the promotion of women’s rights.

“Gender equality needs to become a reality at all cost.”

The Global MDG3 Champion Torch is a Danish initiative launched in 2007 to strengthen the commitment of governments and donor organisations to promote gender equality and women empowerment – third in the list of Millennium Development Goals.

Other MDGs, which 189 United Nations member-states have agreed to deliver by 2015, include halving extreme poverty, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and ensuring environmental sustainability.

“Recipients of the Champion Torch are asked to do something extra to promote and protect women’s rights and to make the third MDG a key component of their development agendas,” explained Tørnæs.

Previous recipients include UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot, Niger’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Aïchatou Mindaudou and the Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Inés Alberdi.
Apart from Baah-Wiredu Ghana’s Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Hajia Alima Mahama, was also given a torch on Tuesday.

“Let this torch bring light and hope to women living in poverty,” Mahama said.
“I commit myself to working even closer with government institutions and civil society organisations, to ensure that gender equality becomes an integral part of the Ghanaian government’s policies.”

Despite the ratification of the Nations Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1986, gender inequality in Ghana persists.
According to UNIFEM, Ghanaian women lack equal access to education and employment opportunities, and many women are victims of gender-based violence.

“When it comes to poverty, women are the statistics,” Mahama added. “We need to support them with more resources, so that they can mobilise themselves and participate in decision related to development.”