Ghana will work to promote the collective interest of all member states of the UN with a place on the non-permanent seat of the Security Council, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said.

He has, therefore, called on all member states to support the country’s bid to replace Niger on the seat.

“We are appreciative of the endorsement of our candidature by both the ECOWAS and the African Union and I wish to assure all member states that we will work to promote our collective interest, as spelt out in the UN Charter,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo, who was addressing a virtual campaign launch of the country’s fourth bid for the non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council 2022-2023 yesterday, said: “Our quest for the seat is to declare our preparedness to partner members to bring our experience to bear.”

The meeting was on the theme: “Enhancing global peace and security for sustainable and inclusive development”.

Virtual meeting

The virtual meeting was under the auspices of Ghana’s Permanent Mission to the UN, led by Ghana’s Ambassador to the UN, Mr Harold Agyeman.

It brought together other ambassadors and foreign representatives, such as Messrs Mohammed Edrees of Egypt, Martin Kimani of Kenya, Taye Atske Selassie Made of Ethiopia, Duncan Larki of Uganda, Omar Kadiri of Morocco and Michael Kanu of Sierra Leone.

They all traced their countries’ historical relations with Ghana since independence and also highlighted Ghana’s immense contribution in security and peace-building, anti-terrorism and issues of climate change.

President Akufo-Addo said Ghana prided itself as a country that had advocated good neighbourliness, pursuance of peaceful settlement of disputes, respect for the rule of law and human rights of all persons, regardless of race, colour, gender or religion.

Those principles, he said, which were enshrined in the Constitution of Ghana, also resonated well with the UN Charter, as well as the work of the UN Security Council.

Rationale

The President said Ghana’s quest for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council was to declare its preparedness to partner with the rest of the council’s members to further bring “our experience and competence to bear on the work of the Security Council by contributing to the sustenance of global peace and security”.

He said Ghana’s pedigree in peace-keeping and professionalism had led to it being ranked as the 10th contributor of peacekeepers to the council.

President Akufo-Addo added that the country’s continued leadership in regional security and interventions in West Africa had resulted in the resolution of many political impasses in countries such as Togo, Cote d’Ivoire and in recent times, Mali.

“Currently, under my leadership, Ghana spearheaded a regional effort towards the peaceful conduct of elections in Benin on April 11, 2021. And as Chairman of ECOWAS, Ghana will relentlessly continue to collaborate and cooperate with member states to enhance partnerships with the AU and the UN to help maintain peace and stability in the Sahel,” he said.

“Our service to the UN General Assembly, notably during the 19th Session under the Presidency of our compatriot, Alex Quaison-Sackey, the first African to have served in that capacity, and the appointment of the illustrious son of Ghana, Kofi Annan, as the seventh UN Secretary-General, all testify to Ghana’s unwavering commitment and contribution to global governance and multilateralism,” the President added.

He also put the spotlight on the role of female Ghanaians in peace-keeping, saying: “Ghana has moved a step farther by increasing the deployment of uniformed female personnel in peace operations, in line with Security Council Resolution 1,325 on Women, Peace and Security and its subsequent resolutions.

“My government’s decision to steadily increase the deployment of female personnel is based on our conviction that women possess unique leadership qualities and skills and are also more suited to peace-building, conflict resolution, as well as nurturing a culture of peace.”

Appreciation

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, expressed appreciation to ECOWAS members for their support and endorsement, which she said encouraged Ghana to contest for the position for the good of all.

She also called on member states to support Ghana during the elections on June 11, this year, pointing out that “our previous bids to serve on the Security Council received broad support from you and we are thankful for the excellent cooperation and friendship we continue to enjoy with all member states”.