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.”