Ghana calls for a proactive UN

Accra, Oct. 24, GNA - Ghana on Tuesday held a colourful flag raising ceremony to mark the 61st anniversary of the United Nations Organization and called for a proactive and dynamic body that could alleviate the negative effects of globalisation and transform it into a positive force.

The celebration, under the theme; "Implementing Global Partnership for Development" brought together Government officials, the diplomatic corps, students and officials of the UN systems in Ghana with the National Fire Service Band providing music.

It also marked the 10th and last year of Ghana's Secretary General of the UN, Busumuru Kofi Annan, who hands over in December to Mr Ban Ki-Moon of South Korea.

Sixty-one years ago, in the aftermath of the Second World War, the comity of nations was founded to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war by providing guidance and supervision in the quest for global peace and to safeguard the rights and liberties of the human race.

Mr Akwasi Osei-Adjei, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and NEPAD, said the world now was highly interdependent with far reaching changes and challenges with globalisation affecting every one in all spheres.

He said no country or people could claim to be islands onto themselves irrespective of their economic or military power adding that there was the need now, more than ever, for a dynamic UN to tackle the challenges that threatened the world.

Mr Osei-Adjei said although current global challenges seemed to have eroded confidence in the UN as a viable institution for effective multilateralism, Ghana believed that the world body was still relevant in responding to these challenges.

"To this end Ghana fully supports the ongoing reform process to adapt the UN to contemporary challenges," he said. He added that notable initiatives included the creation of the Central Emergency Response Fund, the Ethics Office, the Human Rights Council and the Peace Building Commission.

Mr Osei-Adjei said Ghana reaffirmed her commitment to support the pursuit of the cardinal goals of the UN to promote global peace and security since peace, security and human rights were interdependent and mutually reinforcing.

He said as at last month Ghana was the sixth largest provider of peacekeeping troops to the UN.

"In as much as we recognize that it is the responsibility of States to define and pursue their own development agenda, much cannot be achieved without the adherence to commitments made in the 2005 Millennium Summit by members of the international community." He congratulated Busumuru Annan for his stewardship and the entire UN Staff for successfully averting a Third World War and making the world considerably safer.

Mr Daouda Toure, UN Resident Coordinator, said in the early 1990s the UN came under intense criticism for perceived or actual overlapping of activities due to the multiplicity of its programmes and funds, which dealt with various aspects of development.

He said some of these concerns were addressed by the UN Secretary General's reform among other things through the formation of the UN Development Group allowing for the creation of synergies to achieve greater impact.

Mr Toure said a major aspect of the reform was to put national priorities at the centre of interventions and that the UN Coordinating team in Ghana had supported national priorities through the Growth and Poverty-Reduction Strategy (GPRS)while ensuring that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were fully integrated as articulated by Mr Annan.

He commended the Government and people of Ghana for according great importance to the UN adding that the reforms initiated in 1997 were a "quite revolution" and provided new impetus to peace and sustainable development.

A message from Busumuru Annan read by Mr. Toure said over the past 10 years, the UN had made some strides in the struggle for development, security and human rights.

"Aid and debt relief have increased, making the world economy somewhat fairer; at last the world is scaling up its response to HIV/AIDS; there are fewer wars between States than there used to be and more governments being elected by and accountable to the people whom they govern."

He said much remained to be done since the gap between the rich and poor continued to grow with very few countries on track to reach all eight of the MDGs by 2015 while many people faced atrocities, repression and brutal conflicts among other things.

He urged World Leaders to work with his successor and make the UN ever stronger and more effective.

Miss Myra Togobo, President of Ghana UN Students Association (GUNSA), called on the Government to pay more attention to youth empowerment issues.

She said the inability to provide quality and affordable education, the problem of youth unemployment and brain drain, indiscipline and drug use among the youth were issues that needed immediate attention. 24 Oct. 06