Accra, Jan 24, GNA- Busumuru Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary General on Saturday lauded the significant role Ghana has played in UN Peacekeeping and Support Operations, a duty for which he said 98 personnel had paid the ultimate price.
He said the story of Ghanaian peacekeeping had gone on to yield remarkable examples "of what I believe is, in any peacekeeper, the most successful combination of qualities; loyalty matched by initiative; courage coupled with humility".
Busumuru Annan said this in a speech read for him at the joint inauguration of the Kofi Annan International Peace Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra.
The Centre is to develop a regional centre of excellence where education, training and research concerning peace operations are to be delivered to the highest academic and professional standards. Busumuru Annan said Ghanaian generals have led military contingents in UN Operations, serving with exceptional bravery, skill and professionalism.
"Ghanaian men and women have not only made a vital contribution to peacekeeping as such; they can also inspire others to participate", adding, " today such leadership is more important than ever". He noted that over the past few years UN peacekeeping had undergone dramatic surge with six major peacekeeping operations underway in Africa alone.
He said the UN was increasingly discharging wide-ranging, complex and often unprecedented tasks, noting that whatever the challenges the UN would be called upon to do even more in the future, not the least in Africa.
Busumuru Annan expressed his gratitude to the government and armed forces of Ghana for their foresight in establishing the KAIPTC. He said the centre provided an important forum for sharing expertise that Ghana had gathered in the course of more than four decades, while drawing on the vast experience of the US.
He said he was honoured and moved to have the centre named after him indicating that at a time of growing demands on the UN's role, the international community needed to demonstrate sustained and practical commitment to the cause of peacekeeping.
The KAIPTC whilst initially serving as Regional Centre of Excellence, would develop into a world-class education, training and research facility, embracing all aspects of peace operations.
In this respect, training and study would cover an increasingly wide range of subjects and participants would embrace the full spectrum of military, security sector, diplomatic and non-governmental agencies likely to be involved in peace operations.
The concept of the KAIPTC was first proposed in 1997 to reflect Ghana's growing commitment to UN Peacekeeping and Peace Support Missions through out the world.
The KAIPTC was built with a massive funding of 1.8 million Euros from the Federal Republic of Germany, with other donor support from Canada, Italy, France, Netherlands, the UK and USA. Jan 24 2004,
