Address contemporary needs – Akufo-Addo to UN

President Nana Akufo-Addo has charged members of the United Nations to devise strategies that will help fight modern challenges.

Addressing the 73rd UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, 26 September 2018, Mr Akufo-Addo emphasised that: “It is a different world we currently live in, and we should accept that this organisation must change to suit contemporary needs”.

According to him, world leaders continue to be faced with the stark reality that resolutions, norms and any number of votes in the Security Council and General Assembly mean nothing without the political will to enforce them.

He highlighted that: "It is equally important that the United Nations is reformed to be able to preside over this changed and changing world to which we all aspire. The powerful nations must be willing to adapt to the changes to make our world a better place. After all, we all inhabit the same planet, and we all owe the same duty of care to ensure its survival".

He said the African Common Position on UN Reform, as expressed in the Ezulwini Consensus, remains the most comprehensive proposal for reform of the United Nations, particularly of the Security Council.

"It is time the global community endorsed it to create a modern United Nations fit for purpose in our time," he stressed.