Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Member of Parliament for the Korle Klottey constituency, has been elected a co-chair of the Global Network of Women Legislators in Defence, Security and Peace (WLID) at the just-ended Munich Security Conference held in Munich, Germany.
The WLID is a growing network of more than 50 legislators from over 25 countries on four continents.
It is an initiative to harness the experiences of women legislators who are active in policy debates related to defence, security and peace in order to exchange approaches and provide mentorship.
It is also to share information on legislative frameworks, identify supportive interventions, provide research support to further enhance the contribution of women to more inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous societies.
An official statement copied to GNA said Dr Agyeman Rawlings also participated in a panel discussion at the conference, where she complimented the resilience of the 4th Republic of Ghana.
She noted that “the several transitions of power from one elected party to another as well as the current hung parliament are testament to the public’s changing view on how democracy should play out.”
The statement said she also spoke about the need for clear legislation on campaign financing to prevent illicit money being used to bankroll political campaigns.
The MP mentioned that the democratic reversals in parts of the West African sub-region were a direct result of the failure of some governments to provide inclusivity, good governance and essential amenities to their citizens in a timely and equitable fashion.
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings indicated that: “The failure of governments to deliver on good governance offers the opportunity for anyone who offers a bit of what a community needs to win their trust.
“…In spite of whatever criteria we use to judge who those people are, if governments fail to actually deliver on good governance, what it keeps doing is further eroding the trust that people will have in the system we call democracy,” she added.
On the issue of the dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and fake news as a tool for derailing democratic processes, she pointed out that Ghana’s population of about 33 million had a very high mobile phone penetration which allowed for easy dissemination of news (fake or real) necessitating the need for the country to intensify cybersecurity efforts.
Speaking on the topic, “Autocratic Trade Trap: Has the West lost its moral compass?” Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings reiterated the need for companies in the advanced economies to do technology exchange by building the capacity of countries with less endowed technology to develop green and renewable technologies.
“The essence of a moral compass is to what extent such countries that are more developed have the conscience to say a certain percentage of what they are doing is not going to be about profits, it is going to be about equity, it is going to be about how we try to level the playing field.
“The reality is that Africa produces less than 10 per cent of the world’s global emissions and yet it is the most vulnerable.
High level personalities who attended the Munich Conference included President Akufo-Addo of Ghana; Vice-President Kamala Harris of the United States; Antony Blinken, United States Secretary of State, former United States Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton; and former UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
GNA
BM/CA
01 March 2024
Pictures attached
