Ghana, 2002

A year ago the entire world

watched in horror as terror was visited on the city that

plays host to the United Nations. It is a city that has

welcomed people from all corners of the world for

hundreds of years and that still remains for many an

irresistible magnet as a place of opportunity.

We watched all of us, from our different parts

of the world as the terrible events unfolded. If there

had been any doubt before, that experience convinced

all of us that our world had indeed become a global

village. Modern technology enabled all of us

simultaneously to watch the events as they unfolded.

The devastation and drama of those events have since

forcefully brought grief to our individual hearts, across

continents, races, religions and political ideologies. If

ever there was any doubt about mankind's shared

humanity, that catastrophe conclusively dispelled it.

A year on, we still bear the deep scars; we have

not forgotten, and we dare not forget, because what

happened was not directed exclusively against New

York and the people of the United States. Nationals of

many countries, including Ghanaians, perished in that

tragedy. What happened was indeed an affront to

civilization itself.

Throughout the ages, whenever humanity has

found itself confronted with great danger, it is the sense

of unity and common purpose that has pulled us

through. This is no exception. Indeed, the resilience of

New York and of the people of the United States has

brought about a spirit of solidarity and generosity that

is just as awesome to behold as the tragic event itself.

It is for that reason that I am optimistic about the

future. The work of the United Nations and of non-

governmental organizations, and the growing

acceptance of the principles of good governance,

human rights, tolerance for a diversity of views and the

rule of law around the globe make me optimistic. In my

mind's eye, I can already see, in the near future, a

world in which there is more openness, more

forbearance and less categorization of mankind.

Our nations have been brought together by

science, technology and conscience, as well as by

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adversity, and the acknowledgement of

interdependence among peoples has become a reality.

Now we are moving from the concept of beggar thy

neighbour' to one of prosper thy neighbour', which

should become the hallmark of the global village.

Sadly, the continent of Africa still lags behind in

many spheres, as poverty and disease plague the

continent. But there is a new spirit abroad among the

African countries. Africa has never wanted to be

perceived as the scar on the conscience of the world'.

We do not want to be the object of pity and charity, and

we do not want to provide the grisly images of war,

disease, ignorance, famine and poverty for the world's

television screens. It was largely as a result of our

determination to shed that unacceptable image that

many a country on the continent, on attaining

independence, desperately rushed into one or another

untried ideology or economic model that tended only to

worsen the woes of self-doubt left by exploitative and

unconscionable colonialism.

Today, under the auspices of the African Union,

the rejuvenated continental grouping, our countries

have resolved to tackle the continent's problems to

enable us join the mainstream of world development.

We have pledged to endeavour to be honest with each

other, and under the Peer Review Mechanism there will

be no hiding behind claims of sovereignty in order to

tolerate abuses of human rights in individual countries.

We are determined to strive for democracy and

good governance, not because those are fashionable

buzzwords but because we are convinced that they are

the surest if not always the most rapid path to the

development that we require to uplift the conditions of

life of our peoples.

The technology exists and the human expertise

abounds in the world to end the degrading poverty and

debilitating diseases that sap the confidence of the

peoples of Africa. This world Assembly must rally to

help Africa in its genuine efforts to tap into the

intellectual, financial and moral resources of the globe,

to be a worthy partner within it. The concept of the

New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)

provides the framework within which African countries

can be assisted to become part of the mainstream. It

provides a great opportunity for world leaders to move

from rhetoric to purposeful action.

Education has served as a route out of poverty for

people throughout the ages, and it should be the way

out for us in Africa as well. We have an essentially

young population that is ready and anxious to learn.

Fortunately, information and communications

technology provides the means to help Africa leap-frog

into the modern world. Let the world community

therefore assist Africa to join in the mastery of this

powerful tool.

Ours is a well-endowed continent. Our raw

materials keep the manufacturing engines of the world

running. The reasons for investing in Africa, therefore,

need not be charitable; investment can be based on

sound economic considerations. The market potential

of a thriving and economically viable Africa will do

wonders not only for Africa but also for the world

economy at large.

I am optimistic, because I think of what Ghana

and the African continent have contributed to the

development of the world. We have provided, and

continue to provide, personnel in various fields to all

kinds of institutions in the world. Ghanaian academics

and citizens from many other African countries can be

found in many top universities and companies around

the world, contributing significantly to the

development of cutting-edge enterprises. Africans are

in various jobs and are making a considerable

contribution to the running of organizations, including

the United Nations. I would like to take this

opportunity to express Ghana's and Africa's

deepest gratitude to the international community for

the confidence it showed in re-electing Mr. Kofi

Annan, the Secretary-General, to a second term.

In all these endeavours, however, the missing link

for Africa has been the solid and sustainable

framework for good governance to support the

purposeful evolution of prosperous and stable nations

on the continent. It is for this reason that Ghana, like

other African nations, is trying to put its house in order

to take advantage of emerging prospects. We are

nurturing our infant democracy, and the citizens are

passionately committed to the defence of the

Constitution. We are putting in place mechanisms to

support good governance. The institutional framework

is being created to ensure an efficient public sector that

can interface effectively with an enterprising private

sector to create wealth and eliminate poverty.

But Ghana, like other developing countries,

cannot alone achieve the dramatic rate of growth that is

required; there must be significant injections of outside

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investment into our economy. We need affordable and

sustainable sources of energy to be able to achieve

rapid development. We need the partnership, markets

and support of the international community to sustain

our development. That is the message of NEPAD. We

are working to develop a positive economic

environment to receive and integrate foreign direct

investment as a tool for regional development. That is

the sure path for Africa to connect effectively with the

global markets.

Ghana acknowledges its share of responsibility to

protect the resources that Nature has given our country

as the heritage of all humankind. The world cannot and

must not operate on the basis of the survival of the

fittest. Weaknesses caused by history and other factors

must be taken into account and, above all, our common

humanity must inform all our international dealings.

Ghana sees a lot of potential in globalization. We

wish to recommend, however, that an organization such

as the United Nations should provide the regulatory

framework to ensure that the benefits of globalization

are more equitably distributed. The opportunities are

enormous for those who can take advantage of the

move to more liberalized markets and increased flows

of investment capital. But nature did not make all

people equally competitive. That global organization

must, therefore, evolve systems of safety nets to

guarantee all humanity an acceptable minimum degree

of dignity and respectability. The United Nations must

rise up to this challenge.

For the pure and proper development of the

global village, certain initiatives by this Organization

must be commended and encouraged. Ghana is in full

support of United Nations effort to curb the illicit trade

in small arms and light weapons. We urge Member

States to join in the early implementation of the

Programme of Action that was adopted in 2001 to stop

this trade, from which most of the instability in Africa

stems.

Secondly, women and children need our

protection. It is for that very reason that in Ghana we

have created a Ministry for Women and Childrenës

Affairs to enable us tackle issues that affect those two

groups. We have embarked on a vibrant educational

campaign and are pursuing policy initiatives that will

create awareness and reduce the incidence of

discrimination against women and help improve their

livelihoods. We are also striving to ban child labour

and enforce free and compulsory education for all

children up to the junior secondary school level as

enjoined by Ghanaës national Constitution.

Thirdly, I must mention the HIV/AIDS pandemic,

which is threatening the survival of our countries. The

spread of the disease is compounding our difficulties

even further. I wish to pay tribute to the Secretary-

General for his interest, and for the setting up of the

Global Fund to help us fight the menace. The Ghana

AIDS Commission is constantly seeking new ways to

change attitudes at all levels towards the disease, and

we seek to learn from the experience of others in

combating it. We support the efforts of the international

community to provide more affordable antiretroviral

drugs for the most needy.

At this stage, permit me to congratulate

Switzerland on its accession to membership, and East

Timor on its forthcoming accession. That Switzerland

has at long last joined the Organization confirms its

universality. They are welcome.

The tragedy of 11 September has certainly made a

difference to the world. It has shocked the world into

uniting to condemn it. Let those of us who have

accepted the honour and privilege to speak on behalf of

our peoples determine that we must strive for a world

of greater tolerance and of more justice, a more

humane world in which law and order are fully

respected both within nations and in the international

community. Eleven September must be used to

underpin the vital communal spirit that must motivate

the global village. We would then be able to say that

we had left the world a better place than we found it.