Regional News of Friday, 22 May 2015

Source: GNA

Focus on the needs of women and young-NGO tells policymakers

Building Bridges, a United Nation (UN) backed non- governmental organization (ngo) has urged policy makers to put into perspective policies that basically focused on the priorities of young people and women in society.

According to the NGO, the sustainable development goals of the UN, meant to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) could only be achieved when the views and aspirations of the average persons were fairly represented in formulating policies that affected them.

Speaking at a press conference in Cape Coast, Mr. Jilt Van Schayik, co-founder of Building Bridges said it was the aim of the organization to gather information from average persons with various cultural backgrounds from over 21 countries across the world and present it to the UN.

This, he believed, would help the UN to make informed policies that factored the needs of the average persons in the rural areas, such that the ultimate aim of the MDGs could be achieved.

In this regard, officials from Building Bridges in the Netherlands are currently in the country for the Building Bridges Project which is on the theme: “Sustainable Development Goals, Own it.”

Mr. Van Schayik stated that there would be consultative meetings with traditional leaders, politicians, youth groups and women, as well as media practitioners, where the information gathered would be posted on the UN website for everyone to access them.

Madam Sarah Fosu, Ghanaian Ambassador for the Building Bridges Project, said the organization had been able to organize sensitization programmes for many women in the country which had built their confidence levels, and were now well accepted in their respective societies.

She urged all, especially the youth, to support the building bridges project and make it a success to improve upon the living conditions of Ghanaians.