A flag raising ceremony and a model United Nations (UN) session to commemorate the 69th anniversary of the UN day was held on Friday in Accra.

Mr Mahama Ayariga, the Minister of Youth and Sports, raised the Ghana flag and Mr Girmay Haile, UNAID country Coordinator, representing the UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana performed same on behalf of the UN.

The week-long celebration is under a global theme; “Global Citizenship and Youth,” and a local theme; “Youth Engagement for Effective Nation Building”.

Students from 200 junior high schools are the delegates representing various UN member countries in the UN model session organised by Life Link, with support from UN and the Ministry of Foreign affairs.

Mr Ayariga said in polarized and insecure political, social, economic and religious environment governments cannot meaningfully engage the youth in nation building.

“Our duty as a country is therefore to ensure a stable and peaceful world without which any meaningful development cannot take place,” he said.

“We must also encourage the spirit of dialogue in the resolution of all disputes at every level of our societies as peace and justice is mutually reinforcing processes.”

Mr Ayarigah said the cost of conflict rebuilding was too high and “we need to improve our early warning systems and employ all possible measures to prevent conflicts.”

He said it was to this end that the government of Ghana re-affirmed its commitment to the maintenance of peace and security in the country and in the sub-region as a whole and its peace keepers continued to demonstrate this commitment. Sharing the United Nation Secretary General’s message, Mr Haile said the message highlighted the challenges which the multiple ongoing crises were posing to people across the world.

He said armed conflict, persistent poverty, climate change and public health threats such as AIDS and Ebola transcended boundaries and posed serious risks to hard won development gains and international peace.

He said the millennium development goals had seen an unprecedented reduction of world poverty, United Nations humanitarian personnel had delivered live-saving aid and the UN peacekeeping forces had been successful in separating hostile parties.

Mr Haile said UN aimed to empower girls and young women by addressing the priority issues of maternal mortality and the gap between boys and girls in education.

There was a cultural performance and a drama entitled; educating the girl child to eradicate maternal mortality Students by Accra Girls Senior High School.