By James Amoh Junior, GNA
Accra, Oct. 24, GNA – Ghana on Friday joined the international community to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN) with a flag-raising ceremony at the forecourt of the State House in Accra.
The ceremony, held under the national theme “UN@80: Ghana and the UN – Shared Responsibility for a Better Tomorrow,” highlighted Ghana’s long-standing commitment to multilateralism, peacekeeping, and sustainable development since joining the UN shortly after independence in 1957.
The event was attended by high-level dignitaries including Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Mr Zia Choudhury, UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana; members of the diplomatic corps; representatives of security services led by the Ghana Navy; and students.
Mr Ablakwa lauded the UN for its eight decades of work in advancing peace, human rights, and development, while celebrating Ghana’s enduring partnership with the world body.
He paid glowing tribute to the men and women of Ghana’s security services, particularly those serving in UN peacekeeping missions around the world.
The Foreign Minister said: “Since our first deployment in 1960, Ghana has remained among the top 10 troop-contributing countries to UN peace operations,” he said. “From Rwanda to Lebanon, Somalia to Sudan, our gallant troops have stood firm in defence of human life and global peace, often staying behind when others withdrew.”
Mr Ablakwa said Ghana’s contributions to UN peacekeeping reflected its deep-seated belief in global solidarity and compassion.
He noted that, “when others abandoned the task, Ghanaian troops remained, guided by courage and respect for human life,” he said, calling on the audience to applaud the country’s military personnel for their professionalism and sacrifice.
The Minister reaffirmed Ghana’s unwavering commitment to the ideals of the UN Charter, saying the partnership had significantly influenced the country’s national development trajectory.
Through agencies such as UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, FAO, and UNESCO, he said, the UN had supported Ghana in strengthening education, healthcare, environmental protection, and digital innovation.
He emphasized that Ghana’s collaboration with the UN had been instrumental in aligning the country’s national priorities with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in poverty reduction, climate resilience, and governance reforms.
Touching on the global theme “UN@80: Building Our Future Together,” Mr Ablakwa reiterated the need for urgent reform of the UN Security Council to ensure Africa’s full and equal representation.
The Minister stated that, “Africa’s continued exclusion from permanent membership is an injustice,” he said, and that “If we are truly to share responsibility for a better tomorrow, our international institutions must reflect today’s global realities.”
Mr Zia Choudhury, UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana, in his remarks, traced the founding of the UN to 24 October 1945, when the UN Charter came into force, establishing an organization that now unites 193 member states in pursuit of peace, human rights, and development.
He said the UN’s mission remained as relevant today as it was eight decades ago.
He noted that, “We, together, assist and protect over 139 million people fleeing war and persecution, provide food for 123 million people in crisis, vaccinate nearly half of the world’s children, and maintain peace with more than 60,000 peacekeepers in 11 operations.”
Mr Choudhury commended Ghana for its leadership and advocacy for multilateral cooperation, describing the country as “a beacon of stability and diplomacy even in times of global uncertainty.”
He said the UN’s anniversary was both a time for commemoration and reflection on the shared responsibility of nations to uphold its founding ideals. “Building a better world is not the burden of one institution or one government, it is a collective duty for all nations and all people,” he said.
He also read a special message from the UN Secretary-General, Mr António Guterres, reminding the global community that the phrase “We the Peoples”, the opening words of the UN Charter, remains a living promise that transcends borders and generations.
The ceremony concluded with the raising of the national and UN flags and a joint pledge by Ghana and the United Nations to continue working together toward a more peaceful, equitable, and sustainable world.
GNA
Edited by Christian Akorlie