Ghana, 2010

Let me begin by

congratulating the President of the Assembly on his

election to lead the Assembly at its sixty-fifth session. I

trust that he will, with his outstanding experience and

excellent diplomatic skills, steer this Assembly to a

successful conclusion. I also wish to thank his

predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki,

for the efficient and able manner with which he

presided over the Assembly at its sixty-fourth session.

Ghana subscribes to the declaration by the

African Union Assembly of Heads of State and

Government that designated 2010 as a year of peace

and security. Ghana will, therefore, continue to engage

other member States in the search for peace and

security in places on the African continent that have

known no peace, and we will contribute to renewed

global efforts to prevent conflicts through preventive

diplomacy, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.

As we witness a decline in the number of the

violent conflicts that afflicted many countries over the

past decade or more, it is time to renew our

commitment to the work of the Peacebuilding

Commission in order to ensure that countries emerging

from conflict do not relapse into violence. Ghana was

privileged to have served on the organizational

committee of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC)

and will remain actively involved in the pursuit of the

attainment of the strategic objectives set for the post-

conflict countries on the agenda of the Commission’s

country-specific configuration. In this regard, Ghana

supports the steps being taken to also place Liberia on

the agenda of the Commission.

As agreed by world leaders in 2005, Ghana

strongly supports the principle of the responsibility to

protect as the normative framework to prevent and

deter the occurrence of genocide, war crimes, crimes

against humanity and ethnic cleansing, which have

occurred in many countries that were emerging from

conflict. While the fear of its abuse does not take away

the intrinsic value of the principle of the responsibility

to protect, caution must be exercised in order to avoid

its abuse. The principle is not intended to undermine

the sovereignty of States; on the contrary, it is to

ensure that sovereign responsibility is exercised in a

manner that will prevent a repetition of the mass

atrocities that were experienced in places like Rwanda,

Srebrenica, Cambodia and Sierra Leone, with

devastating impacts on neighbouring countries.

Sadly, in many places, some of those conflicts

persist in varying degrees of intensity. The

international community must be ready and willing to

assist national authorities who request such assistance

with a view to developing or enhancing the capacity of

countries that are manifestly unable or unwilling to

uphold this responsibility to do so. To that end, we

welcome the Secretary-General’s proposal to establish

a joint office to coordinate United Nations system-wide

efforts to strengthen early warning mechanisms aimed

at ensuring timely and decisive preventive action

and/or intervention in appropriate cases, in accordance

with the United Nations Charter.

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While the reduction of extreme poverty and

hunger is a major development challenge for Africa,

most countries in the region are also grappling with the

problems of climate change, a high disease burden,

poor infrastructure, brain drain and the lack of

development of productive capacity. In the last few

years, African countries have had to deal with the

effects of rising food and energy prices and the

complications arising from the global financial and

economic crisis. Those multiple crises have not only

reversed impressive recent progress in economic

performance, but are also jeopardizing efforts by

African countries to achieve the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs).

It is gratifying to see that the interests of the

international community in climate change have

increased markedly in recent times, especially after the

adoption of the Bali Action Plan in 2007. We need to

sustain that interest and build on the common ground

that was first found in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, with the

establishment of the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change, and was subsequently

built on in Berlin, Kyoto, Marrakech, Bali,

Copenhagen and, soon, Cancún.

There are issues that need to be addressed for

progress in Cancún and beyond. What is missing is a

demonstrable political will. Without that, countries will

not see the need to raise their ambitions to cut

emissions. Industrialized countries have made pledges

to cut emissions by 2020. However commendable those

commitments may be, they fall short of the 25 to

40 per cent cut that the Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change says will give the world a chance of

staying below the recommended two-degree average

global temperature rise.

We need to preserve the Kyoto Protocol, which is

currently the only existing international agreement

with legal status to verify emission reductions. That is

why it is critical for all parties to work together to

address the divisions over a second commitment period

for the Kyoto Protocol and ensure its continuity after

2012.

Just as there was “aid fatigue”, developing

countries may soon be experiencing “promise fatigue”.

We must get the numerous pledges out of the fine print

and make them work for humanity. I am simply

appealing to industrialized nations to fulfil their

funding pledges, including the $30 billion in fast-track

financing for developing country adaptation and

mitigation efforts through 2012, and the pledge to raise

$100 billion a year by 2020. For developing countries,

the early delivery and transparent allocation of that

money will boost our confidence in the dialogue and

show that industrialized countries are truly committed

to progress in the broader negotiations.

We have made progress in the implementation of

the MDG agenda. However, keeping the solemn

promise we made in 2000 and achieving the Goals by

2015 will require intensified efforts, much more

resources and effective cooperation. No one should be

oblivious to the enormous challenges African and other

developing countries face in their efforts to achieve the

MDGs.

Ghana will not compromise under any guise in its

pursuit of good governance and the promotion of the

rule of law, as these are important prerequisites for

achieving sustainable social and economic

development. African countries themselves have come

to acknowledge that part of the reason for their

impoverishment could be ascribed to poor post-

independence governance practices. That is why most

African countries have taken steps to consolidate their

governance institutions, including strengthening the

electoral system.

Food security is a national priority for Ghana. For

most Ghanaians, getting enough good-quality food at

affordable prices is a major concern. The Government

is therefore implementing a progressive agricultural

policy that will ensure increased production, especially

in staples and other food crops that our climate and

land can efficiently support.

Ghana will soon become an important producer

of oil and gas. The focus of the Government is to

ensure that Ghanaians will derive the maximum benefit

from oil production. Although oil revenues will start to

flow around the fourth quarter of the year, the

Government is taking measures to ensure

accountability and transparency in the management of

revenue from oil production. To that end, an oil and gas

revenue management bill has been submitted to

Parliament for approval. In addition, the Government is

holding a series of consultations with several countries

and private operators who have expertise and

experience in the field so that their knowledge can be

tapped and best practices adopted.

23 10-55264

In our efforts to create wealth and prosperity for

our citizens, Ghana has made attracting foreign

investment an important pillar in its development

strategies. We will continue to pursue such policies in

the belief that our efforts will be supported and

rewarded with genuine partnership.

Africa is tired of the misery and poverty arising

from resource-induced violent conflicts. Africa wants

to use its oil and natural resources to create wealth for

its citizens. We call on the United Nations and

well-meaning development partners, including the

international business community, to support our

efforts to nip the so-called resource curse in the bud

and exploit our God-given natural endowments for

development.

Whereas the international environment for

growth in Africa is still favourable, the risks posed by

global imbalances and external shocks, such as the

recent financial crisis, call for increased international

policy coordination. We need a renewed spirit of

solidarity and commitment for a comprehensive global

response if we are to confront the challenges of our

time.

It is in that light that Ghana wishes to reaffirm its

commitment to the ideals of the United Nations and

continue to live up to its Charter obligations, including

playing an active role in international peacekeeping, in

order to assist the Organization in its task of

maintaining global peace and security and promoting

fruitful and beneficial cooperation among Member

States. We must resolve to muster the political will to

strengthen the United Nations so that it can function

effectively and redeem the majority of our peoples

from wars, diseases and poverty by providing the

financial and material resources required to discharge

those onerous responsibilities.

It is only when we measure up to those

responsibilities that we can give meaning to the phrase

“We the peoples of the United Nations”.