General News of Thursday, 25 January 2018
Source: classfmonline.com
2018-01-25
Research Fellow at Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD), Dr Amanda Coffie
Dr Amanda Coffie, a Research Fellow at the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD), has suggested that Ghana should aspire towards getting a seat at the UN Security Council.
“I think that it is about time and under this current government, we probably can once again shoot for a seat at the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member. If Nana Akufo-Addo is able to achieve that, it will be one of his success cases,” she said on Class 91.3FM’s World Affairs programme.
Dr Coffie added that generally, Ghana should also work towards increasing its representation on multilateral organisations in order to contribute to international affairs.
“Maybe we can look at our increased representation on various multilateral organisations. We were able to get ambassador Quartey to become the AU Deputy Chairperson. Unfortunately, we missed an opportunity to have a Ghanaian on the ICC. There are other organisations that we can push for. Increasingly, Ghana diplomats are showing that they are very good. If you recall, The AU position on Trump’s racial slur was read by a Ghanaian Ambassador Martha Pobee, it shows how Ghanaian diplomats are performing very well.”
Dr Coffie believes that Ghana’s foray into the international arena through major representations will help to shape global affairs while representing national and continental interests.
“If you want to shape global politics you want to make sure you are strategically positioned within these multilateral organisations. Our Foreign Affairs ministry should be seeking out these areas that usually need such nominations. Ghana should always be ready to put up nominations for these positions and we should support our nominees because once you nominate someone it is Ghana that the person is going to represent and put our name on the map,” she noted.
The UN Security Council is one of the six major organs established by the UN Charter. The council has the general role of maintaining peace and security globally.
Nana Akufo-Addo was the Minister for Foreign Affairs the last time Ghana joined the UN Security Council in 2005. Ghana was also on the Security Council from 1962-1963 and from1986-1987 as a non-permanent member. The Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations.