Statement By His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, President Of The Republic Of Ghana At The 62nd Session Of The United Nations General Assembly (Sept. 25, 2007)

Thank you, Mr President

Let me first congratulate you on your election as President of the 62nd Session of the General Assembly. This august Assembly is certainly the richer for the wealth of diplomatic experience you bring to the job.

Mr President, on 6th March this year, Ghana celebrated the 50th Anniversary of her Independence as a sovereign nation. Ghanaians were overwhelmed by the incredible level of goodwill from well-wishers around the world. Let me use this occasion to convey Ghana's heartfelt thanks and appreciation to you, distinguished members of this Assembly and indeed the rest of the world, for the singular solidarity displayed to her through the occasion. May all the peoples of the world become one and at peace with each other. Thank you.

Mr President, in line with her Independence ideal of Freedom and Justice and a Jubilee Spirit of Renewal, Ghana has rededicated herself to the respect for human rights, democracy, good governance and sound economy, to enable her people to develop their full potential for sustained national development.

Again, recalling her role in Africa's liberation struggle against colonialism and apartheid, Ghana has once more committed herself to work in harmony and union with sister African nations and also in partnership with the global community, as far as it is feasible to end years of impunity, exploitation and bad governance which undermined economic growth and development of the continent.

Henceforth, all energies should be directed at empowering the continent through accountable and transparent governance, economic growth and sustained development to enable it tackle the myriads of problems that afflict it, to facilitate the launching of itself into mainstream globalisation.

Mr President, in July this year, Ghana had the honour of hosting the 9th Ordinary Session of the Summit of the African Union in Accra. The sole agenda of the Summit was to Stage a Grand Debate in search of a "Continental Union Government" to accelerate the growth and development of Africa and its peoples in a sustained manner. After very frank and fruitful deliberations, the Summit resolved firmly to launch certain necessary steps towards achieving this laudable objective.

To pave the way, the Summit continues to place high priority on resolution and prevention of conflicts within and among member nations.

The AU Peace and Security Council is tasked to develop robust and dependable security architecture on the continent, including the setting up of an African Standby Force as soon as possible.

These initiatives which are supported by the international community have already helped to reduce significantly, the high incidence of armed conflicts which, for the past four decades, have been common on the continent.

Mr President, in line with our concerted effort to restore peace and stability in Africa, the prevailing crises in the Darfur region of Sudan and Somalia as well as the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict must be resolved. Similarly, measures to consolidate peace in countries that are emerging from conflicts such as Burundi, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra- Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo must be substantially supported by this organisation and the international community, to avoid a relapse into conflict.

To this end, we commend the efforts of the UN Peace-building Commission whose first annual report highlights the challenges associated with post-conflict reconstruction and development of countries such as Sierra Leone and Burundi. As a member and the vice-chair, Ghana will work diligently with other members to achieve the goals of the Commission.

We welcome the Security Council resolution authorising the deployment of a hybrid operation in Darfur with the consent of the government of the Sudan, and call for its speedy implementation within the agreed time frame.

And here, we acknowledge the joint tireless efforts of the African Union and the Security Council which finally got the Government of Sudan and the Darfur warring factions to resume dialogue.

So also do we recognise the special initiative being taken by Secretary-General Ban and the Libyan leader, Brother Muamar Al Gadaffi, to get the remaining warring factions to join the dialogue to achieve fulsome and rounded negotiations.

Meanwhile, Mr President, the on-going peace initiative in Somalia is proving extremely challenging and well beyond the capacity of the AU alone. We are therefore calling for the concerted and timely support of the UN.

In this respect, we urge the Organisation to consider the African Union's request for financial, logistical and technical support towards the full and effective deployment of the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

This will be within the letter and spirit of the UN Security Council resolution 1772, adopted in August, 2007. It will enable member-states such as Ghana, which have pledged to contribute troops, to do so.

A contingency plan for the possible deployment of a UN force to replace AMISOM by next February must be developed.

Mr President, decidedly, Africa is making progress. With improvement in macro-management of many African economies, average GDP growth has increased steadily from 5.2% in 2005 to 5.7% in 2006, to the current 6% which is expected to be sustained or even exceeded in coming years. Africa is, therefore, more than ready for good business and this is evidenced by the increasing interest by both local and foreign investors.

In the meantime, the African Union's Agency, NEPAD, is seriously engaged in studying viable projects that should prove strategic to opening up the entire continent and its economy for accelerated development. Energy, communications and infrastructural development rank highly in this.

The innovation of the African Peer Review Mechanism is also based in the NEPAD agency. The Mechanism is already proving helpful in deepening the respect for human rights and democracy, as well as transparency and accountability.

Indeed, as more countries subscribe voluntarily to it, its real value as a creative and ingenious mechanism for addressing many of the root causes of conflicts is becoming evident.

The General Assembly's decision to endorse the NEPAD as the framework for co-operation with the African Union is therefore timely and appreciated.

Mr President, there has been general improvement in the relationship between Africa and the various developed parts of the world and regional blocs. This is reflected in various initiatives including the Millennium Challenge Account and the AGOA with the USA, the ACP Agreements with the European Union, the TICAD with Japan, the Forum for China and Africa Co-operation, the indo-Africa Forum for co-operation and the Africa-Brazil Forum among many others. Despite this trend however, there is still a serious gap in the Official Development Assistance that must be bridged quickly to enable struggling African Nations attain the Millennium Development Goals. The developed partners are, therefore, urged to fulfill their pledges. On the World Trade talks, we urge them to commit seriously to the "Aid for Trade" appeal as a critical principle in the Doha Round.

Similarly, on the proposed Economic Partnership Agreements, the European Union should agree to relax the time lines for conclusion. They should accept to review the terms on barriers and procurement on the basis of the genuine fear that the economies of many ACP nations might not be able to withstand the shocks of implementation in the short-to-medium-term without such a review.

Mr President, yesterday, there was a vibrant debate in this Assembly on the critical issue of climate change.

A consensus among contributors was the phenomenon's disastrous impact on the globe, especially on poor countries which are least equipped financially and technologically to adapt to it in a sustained manner.

Since it is generally accepted as a threat to the universe, it is our considered view that the UN is vested with the authority to fashion a full-fledged agency equipped with the necessary scientific and technological resources to study the problem and forecast where and when the problem is going to occur so that through the Organisation such a place is prepared to adapt to the impact. Leaving the problem to the individual nation cannot be the way forward. There should be shared responsibility, even if varied solutions are sought.

Mr President, the Secretary-General's proposal to establish an Office for Disarmament Affairs within the Secretariat to be part of the decision-making process is timely.

This is because of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and the menace of terrorism around the world.

Ghana welcomes other initiatives like the restructuring of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the establishment of a Department of Field Service. This will not only reduce the work of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, but also, help to promote its accountability and transparency.

The General Assembly's approval for the overhaul of the United Nations' administration of justice, for the first time in 60 years, is commendable. However, Ghana urges the Organisation to reflect on mechanisms for the enforcement of verdicts of the Court of Justice.

Mr President, conflicts, particularly those in the developing world, have consistently undermined policies to improve the circumstances of our people. Sustainable development can only be achieved in an international environment of peace and security.

The United Nations remains the ideal multilateral instrument available for maintaining international peace and security and for promoting fruitful international co-operation especially in this era of globalisation. All its member states should therefore be committed to its ideals and purposes.

To conclude, Mr President, permit me to once again wish the Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, success during his tenure and assure him of Ghana's continued co-operation and support.

Thank you.