By Iddi Yire
Accra, Sept 22, GNA – Mr. Charles Abani, the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Ghana, says in terms of peace, Ghana is a crown of jewel in the sub-region.
He reiterated that the Ghana’s peace architecture was a model for other countries to emulate.
He said as the UN, with a role to support the Government and People of Ghana achieve its development vision and priorities, it was their mandate to continue their support to the process of strengthening the peace architecture through the National Peace Council (NPC), especially so as the country deals with emerging internal and external threats.
Mr Abani stated this in his keynote address at the 2022 International Peace Day press conference in Accra.
He said as the world celebrate International Day of Peace, there was also the need to celebrate Ghana’s efforts on maintaining peace in a time of growing volatility such as described above.
“We recognize and single out Ghana’s example in sustaining peace.” Mr Abani stated.
He said Ghana, as the 2022 second most peaceful country in Sub-Saharan Africa (Global Peace Index), its national peace architecture was a model to many other countries.
“We cannot take this for granted because peace is expensive and the barriers to peace can be complex. No one institution or person can solve them all. Advancing peace and safety for all peoples is our collective responsibility because peace requires partnership, sustained attention, and continued commitment.”
He, therefore, called on all stakeholders – Government, civil society organisations (CSOs), the private sector, youth groups, community and traditional leaders and development partners – to continue to contribute towards the promotion of peace in Ghana to facilitate the acceleration of the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The event was organised by the NPC in collaboration with the UN in Ghana.
The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the UN General Assembly to commemorate and strengthen the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples as a period of non-violence and cease-fire.
The Global theme for this year’s commemoration is “End Racism. Build Peace.”
The NPC, in seeking to harness Ghana’s existing inter-ethnic and inter-religious ties and to promote tolerance, unity and a more inclusive society has domesticated the theme to read: “Managing Ethnic Diversity in Ghana for Sustainable Peace.”
“Peace is fundamental to our existence and therefore our progress. You will agree with me that we are able to gather here today because we have peace,” he said.
He said everything seemed normal in this room because the atmosphere here was peaceful; adding that, “peace allows us to go about our daily business without fear of reproach.”
Mr. Abani said observed annually since 1981, International Day of Peace aims to strengthen the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.
He reiterated that the Day was important that the global community was reminded of the great importance of peace because their very existence and progress would not be possible without peace.
Touching on correlation of peace and development, he said there could not be sustainable development in the absence of peace; stating that the Sustainable Development Goal 16 “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”, calls for the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.
“A peaceful society is one where there is justice and equality for everyone. This is hitched on the understanding that it would not be possible to build a peaceful world if steps were not taken to achieve economic and social development for everyone.”
He said a just society would ensure that the systems to promote equity and resilience were in place to facilitate effective recovery from pandemics such as COVID -19.
He said violence, conflict and disruptions could only exacerbate the development challenges of the world; saying “It therefore behooves upon us to sustain the peace we are enjoying today.”
Reverend Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman, Governing Board, NPC, appealed to the chiefs and people of the Bawku traditional area, to cease fire; declaring that nobody gains from protracted conflicts.
The event was attended by members of the Queen Mothers Foundation Ghana and students from Labone Senior High School and Accra High School.
GNA