President Rawlings leaves for UN world social summit

Accra, June 25, GNA - President Jerry John Rawlings left Accra on Sunday for Geneva, Switzerland, at the head of a four-member delegation to attend the special session of the UN General Assembly on the World Social Summit slated for June 26-30.

First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, Minister of Foreign Affairs Victor Gbeho, Minister of Employment and Social Welfare Mohammed Mumuni and Dr. Charlotte Abakah, Chairperson of the NCWD, accompanied the president.

Briefing journalists at the Kotoka International Airport, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Laryea said amidst the heightened concern over social issues such as poverty, employment, and workers' rights in the age of globalisation, the summit would aim at advancing the global social development agenda set up at the 1995 World Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.

He said countries are expected to suggest and agree upon new initiatives that will enhance efforts to create jobs, reduce poverty and address a wide array of social concerns as well as identify additional innovative and concrete proposals for the millennium.

Mr Gbeho said the five-day conference would be attended by a number of heads of state and would be addressed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

He said since the Copenhagen summit, there have been several disturbing events, including financial crisis and internal conflicts, that have reversed some of the progress made towards achieving the goals of the summit.

The leaders will, therefore, dilate on how to resolve these issues. All countries have agreed that this special session should not be an occasion to renegotiate the outcome of the Copenhagen summit but rather to remove the roadblocks that have prevented the full implementation of the summit's commitments.

President Rawlings was seen off at the airport by Vice-President John Evans Atta Mills, ministers of state, Chief of Defence Staff Lt. Gen. Ben Akafia, Inspector General of Police Peter Nanfuri and the Swiss ambassador to Ghana, Dr Peter Schweizer