By Iddi
Yire, GNA
Accra, Oct. 24, GNA –The United Nations (UN)
has hailed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for agreeing to continue to
Co-Chair the Secretary-General’s Group of Eminent Advocates for the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) for another two-year term.
Dr Christine Evans-Klock, the United Nations
Resident Coordinator in Ghana, said this position helps drive Ghana’s
leadership across Africa and the world.
“It also makes Ghana’s efforts more visible,
as it continues to be accountable to citizens for the tangible difference the
SDGs make in their lives,” Dr Evans-Klock said on Wednesday at a flag-raising
ceremony on the occasion of the 73rd UN Day at the forecourt of the Statehouse
in Accra.
“On behalf of the UN, I would like once again
to express appreciation for Ghana’s continued contributions to UN Peacekeeping
Operations. The men and women in uniform from military, police, prisons and
immigration services are making a difference in UN peacekeeping operations in
many troubled places throughout the world.”
The celebration was held under the theme:
“Making the UN Relevant to All People: Global Leadership and Sharing
Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies”.
The function was attended by ministers of
state, Members of Parliament (MPs), members of the diplomatic community,
Service Chiefs, traditional rulers, students and the public.
Dr Evans-Klock and Madam Shirley Ayorkor
Botchway, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, jointly
inspected the guard of honour mounted by the military and also hoisted their
respective flags.
Dr Evans-Klock commended the Kofi Annan
Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC) for helping to prepare uniformed
personnel from Ghana and the West Africa sub-region for UN Peace Missions.
“Last month, we gave thanks for the life of
service and impact of former UN Secretary-General, and son of Ghana, Mr Kofi
Annan, and we mourned his passing in a beautiful and meaningful State funeral,”
she said.
She recalled that Mr António Guterres, UN
Secretary-General in his tribute on that occasion, quoted these words from the
late Mr Kofi Annan:
“You know what to do: Take care of each other.
Take care of our planet. Recognize the humanity in all people. And support the
United Nations — the place where we can all come together to solve problems
and build a better future for all.”
Dr Evans-Klock said: “As UN staff, we take
courage and inspiration from Mr Annan’s example, from his standards for human
rights and peace, and from his insistence on respecting the dignity of all
persons”.
She said the UN partners in the Ghana with
civil society, and with the private sector for sustainable economic, social and
environmental development, peace and democracy, and human rights.
She said in June this year, Government and the
UN in Ghana jointly signed the UN Sustainable Development Partnership (UNSDP),
a five-year framework to guide the UN’s support to national development efforts
through 2022.
She said the partnership framework aligns with
the Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies,
2017-2024 (CPESDP), which sets out a vision for agricultural modernisation,
industrial diversification, and youth employment.
Dr Evans-Klock said this vision for national
development incorporates Ghana’s global development commitments, including the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and
the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
She said the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development was an ambitious, global and unified agenda for social, economic
and environmental development, translated into concrete and measurable results
through its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to
global peacekeeping.
“Ghana will continue to play significant roles
in peacekeeping within the constraints of its resources, in line with her firm
belief in the noble ideals of the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping,” she said.
“I will like to use this opportunity to
reaffirm the commitment of the Government of Ghana to the ideas and principles
of the UN and to reiterate that, we would continue to discharge our
international obligation in promoting peace and security throughout the world.”
GNA