YouSaid · the spoken record

John Dramani Mahama

lines on the record: 104
first: 2012-09-24
most recent: 2016-09-24
sittings or episodes: 5
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“We have consistently expressed our support for a two-State solution to the Israeli- Palestinian question, with the two nations coexisting peacefully. This year the world’s attention has been drawn to the urgency of addressing the growing problem of inequality and the threats that it poses to our unrelenting pursuit of peace. I would also like to draw attention to the pervasive presence of religious intolerance. At the root of all of the world’s major religions is the call for compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, peace and love. Nevertheless, the use of religious dogma and extremism as a weapon of violence persists. In this age of terrorism and political turmoil, of national, regional and ethnic conflict, it may be tempting to use the actions of a few to justify prejudice toward many.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We have also submitted to Parliament a bill on the property rights of spouses, which ensures that spouses are entitled to a fair portion of property acquired during the union. There area also several other pieces of legislation designed to offer protection for and empowerment of women, such as the Domestic Violence Act, the Anti-Human- Trafficking Act, an affirmative action bill and a gender policy. I spoke earlier of isolation. Very few nations have experienced the sort of exclusion that Cuba has suffered for the last several decades as a result of the United States embargo on that country. Ghana reaffirms its position that this embargo should be lifted. Ghana also calls for a halt to the establishment of settlements in the Palestinian territories.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“In fact, much, if not all, of what we are doing falls directly in line with the areas of concern enumerated in the Beijing Platform for Action of the World Conference. My Administration boasts one of the highest number of women appointed to public office in the history of Ghana. Seven of our Cabinet ministers are women, as are the holders of several senior public service posts, and I hope that the fact that they are too numerous to list is an indication that we are reaching towards the ideal. We have submitted to Parliament an intestate succession bill, which ensures that if a spouse dies without having written a will, the surviving spouse will not be dispossessed of their marital assets.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Indeed, both Ghana and the IMF have evolved, and the partnership has the potential to bring about the sort of transformation that will move Ghana from the ranks of the low middle-income countries into a fully fledged middle-income country. The coming year will mark the twentieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, which was held in Beijing in 1995. I would like to note with pride that it will also mark the fortieth anniversary of Ghana’s establishment of the National Council on Women and Development, which has since been renamed the Department of Gender. Ghana has a long-held commitment to the betterment of women’s lives, and my Administration has made it a priority to carry on with that tradition.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“That successful flotation represents a return of investor confidence in the prospects of the Ghanaian economy. That confidence is apparent in the recent rebound of our domestic currency, the cedi, which in the last two weeks has appreciated significantly against its major trading currencies. Last year when I addressed the Assembly (see A/68/PV.12), I explained that it is not sympathy we want in Africa; it is partnership, the ability to stand on our own feet. In an attempt to establish such a partnership, we have entered into discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), an organization that is no stranger to the process of self-assessment and the implementation of change in the pursuit of true progress.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The global downturn exposed the weaknesses in our foundation. It alerted us to the need for change, the need to establish the proper institutions for effective economic management, institutions that will foster resilience and an ability to better absorb the blows of unexpected occurrences or outcomes. The anxieties and concerns of the Ghanaian public are understandable. Like so many African countries, Ghana has been through dark economic times, and our seemingly changing fortunes, with their uncomfortable familiarity, brought on a fear of regression. But this was merely a setback, only a slight reversal. Already, the home-grown measures of fiscal stabilization that we have taken are yielding results. Only this month, Ghana surprised its most ardent critics when it launched its third Eurobond for an amount of $1 billion.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“That contributed to a general sense of macroeconomic instability and placed a great deal of pressure on our domestic currency, the cedi. For the past 22 years, Ghanaians have witnessed a steady improvement in the circumstances of our nation. With the return of democracy and the rule of law, six successful elections and peaceful transitions of power, Ghana became an example for other African nations turning towards democracy and constitutional rule. The stability inspired investor confidence and increased growth. Soon Ghana was deemed one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. That did not make us immune to the economic challenges that many nations were facing across the globe — quite the opposite. Instability in the global commodity markets has a direct bearing on our budgets and hence on our ability to finance our development.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“This month, the Pew Research Center published the results of a 44-country survey conducted in the spring of 2014 to assess public views of major economic changes in the world. According to the results, a global median of 69 per cent are not pleased with the way things are going in their countries. That includes both advanced and developing economies. The concerns expressed cut across a wide spectrum of issues, such as inflation, unemployment, income inequality and public debt. My country, Ghana, is no exception. Over the past year, the public has seen an increase in the cost of living. Falling commodity prices led not only to a fall in tax revenues from companies that operate in Ghana, but they also led to a massive decline in our export earnings.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It would now be far too simplistic, not to mention myopic, for a nation to believe that it is dealing with any one terrorist organization, such as Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab. Ansar Al-Dine, Al-Qaida, Hizbullah, the Taliban, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant or, recently, the Khorasan group. Because of the assistance and cooperation that exist among them, they have in fact become different tentacles of a single organism. So too must we come together as one cohesive body, united in our battle to defend our freedoms and values. We too must communicate within and among ourselves. We must cooperate and lend assistance and resources to fight and conquer the common threat we face. Since the start of the global recession, economic growth rates have generally declined and people have, by and large, become pessimistic about their future.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Africa is especially vulnerable to terrorism because its sheer size and vast terrain offers myriad places for terrorists to hide and create safe havens. With over 60 per cent of Africa’s population under the age of 35 and a significant number living in extreme poverty, terrorists also have the opportunity to recruit new members by exploiting the ignorance and disillusionment of young people who lack the skills, education and opportunity to find gainful employment. The proliferation of technology has made even the most remote areas of the continent accessible through a phone call or keystroke. What that does is facilitate communication within terrorist cells and between terrorist organizations.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It has been suggested that through changes in our behaviour and practices the public could potentially reduce, if not eliminate, their exposure to the virus. Yet in reality, the Ebola virus was able to spread so quickly throughout the West African subregion because of the fluidity of our borders. The free movement of people, goods and services throughout the West African subregion is something that ECOWAS has been promoting for the last several decades. It allows interaction and increased trade between our 15 member States. However, without the proper preventive measures in place, such fluidity can also enable the free movement of disease, drugs, arms, human traffickers and terrorists. Unfortunately.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We cannot afford to let fear keep us away or to let it compromise the very impulses that not only define but sustain our humanity. We must erase the stigma. To that end, my country, Ghana, has offered the use of its capital city, Accra, as a base of operations for activities geared towards the containment of the disease. I would like to commend Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council for establishing the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response. I would also like to acknowledge and commend President Barack Obama and the people of the United States of America for their enormous commitment to the fight against Ebola. Health officials have announced numerous times that in theory, it is relatively easy to stop the spread of Ebola because it is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Instead, the dead are zipped into a secure body bag, carried on a stretcher by makeshift pallbearers in protective wear, and then tossed into a freshly dug grave. Just as individuals with Ebola are often shunned and ostracized by their communities, the initial slowness of response by the international community in many ways has left the affected countries to suffer their fate alone and in isolation. In my travels to those three countries, although I was aware that some airlines had suspended flights, I was shocked to find the airports completely vacant. Ebola is not just a Liberian problem, nor is it a Sierra Leonean or Guinean problem; it is not just a West African problem. Ebola is a problem that belongs to the world because it is a disease that knows no boundaries.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The World Health Organization predicts that if the disease is not brought under control, the number of cases could easily rise to 20,000 by as early as November. What makes Ebola so dangerous is that the virus dares us to compromise the impulses that exist at the very core of our humanity — our impulse to comfort one another with love, to care for each other with the healing power of touch and to maintain the dignity of our loved ones even in death, with a public funeral and a properly marked grave. Ebola is a disease of isolation. It leaves family members afraid to embrace one another. It leaves health-care workers afraid to attend to their patients. It forces the living to abandon the cultural rites of washing, embalming and burying their dead.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Just last week, on Monday, in my capacity as the Chair of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), I travelled to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea — the three countries that have been most affected by the outbreak of Ebola. They are nations that are recovering from conflict. The civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone also adversely affected Guinea, which shares borders with both countries. They are nations that were struggling to rebuild their social and economic infrastructure. Even before the outbreak of Ebola, they were already operating with limited resources, an insufficient number of treatment facilities and a shortage of qualified medical personnel. So far, there have been 5,843 recorded cases of Ebola, including 2,803 deaths.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Dag Hammarskjöld, who served as the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, from 1953 until his untimely death in a plane crash in 1961, said, “The pursuit of peace and progress cannot end in a few years in either victory or defeat. The pursuit of peace and progress, with its trials and its errors, its successes and its setbacks, can never be relaxed and never abandoned.” In the course of the past several months, since the beginning of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, I have been reminded of both the importance and the practicality of those words. True progress relies on neither victory nor defeat; true progress relies on persistence, on perseverance.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Both of those incidents caused a tremendous public outcry, as did this year’s shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, with the singular message of “no justice, no peace”. Do such events indicate an outright regression? Does the uncomfortable familiarity of some current world events mean that, despite the changes so many individuals and organizations have worked to achieve, we have made little or no progress? I would like to believe that this is not so. I would like to believe those events of recent times are merely setbacks that will motivate us to find more sustainable solutions; they are just slight reversals on the sinuous path toward true progress.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“When I hear reports about the taking of hostages and the savagery of beheadings, it is 2004 all over again, and week after week there is news of the killing of foreign hostages in Iraq. When I hear reports about Israel and Gaza, it is 2005 all over again, and Israel has launched Operation Summer Rain, immediately followed by Operation Autumn Clouds. The resulting death toll in the Gaza Strip was in the hundreds, and many of the dead were children. Similarly, in the United States, reports of police brutality against an unarmed black man take me back to 1999, when 23-year-old Guinea-born Amadou Diallo was shot 19 times by four New York City police officers, or to 1991, when Rodney King was brutally beaten by five Los Angeles police officers.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Change has become an overriding theme in the language of today`s social and political landscape. We speak of the need to change behaviours, attitudes and laws. We speak of the need to effect change in the areas of human rights and social justice, in education and health administration. We have come to understand the concept of change as a constant in our lives as human beings and as citizens of this world. But the question we are asking is, does change automatically signify progress? There is an old saying with which I am sure everyone here is familiar: the more things change, the more they stay the same. Sometimes, when I find myself listening to reports of the many recent developments taking place in the world, that saying comes to mind again, and I am overcome with a strong sense of déjà vu, as though we had been here before.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Ghana will continue to pursue the principle of constructive engagement in our relations with the other countries in the world. We are fully committed to promoting honest global partnership that is informed by mutual respect and reciprocity. In closing, I would like once again to pay my respects to those who have lost their lives in Kenya, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Pakistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Mali, Somalia, Turkey, India, the United States and all the other places where terrorists have attacked just this year alone. The reason we are all gathered here today is to find the ways and the means to create a better, more peaceful and prosperous world.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“We are still firm in our belief that an independent Palestinian State, existing side by side with a peaceful and secure Israeli State, is a desirable outcome that we must all support and work towards. In working towards that goal, we must realize that the continuous construction of settlements in Palestinian territory increasingly shuts the door on a two-State solution. Ghana calls once again for the embargo against Cuba to be lifted. It is a relic of the Cold War era and has no place in our current global dispensation. We have come a long way since the end of the last global war, yet the makeup of the Security Council does not reflect those developments. Ghana therefore supports the reform of the Security Council.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“It is not enough to put girls in school and allow them just enough education to be deemed literate; we must keep them in school. Removing teenaged girls from school for any reason, let alone to marry them off, is an unacceptable practice that must end. African women have always been the backbone of our societies. Let us imagine the change they could effect in our countries if we would only help them to reach their full potential. As a President and a father, I owe it to my children — my sons and my daughter — and all the children of Ghana to create a country where they may walk with their dignity intact and heads held high, standing shoulder to shoulder with the children of Europe, South America, Asia, North America and the rest of the world. Ghana is encouraged by the new initiative to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian issue.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“While we are lagging behind in MDGs 4, 5, and 7 — infant mortality, maternal health and environmental sustainability — the figures show that there has been a vast improvement. Since 2000, the number of maternal deaths for every 100,000 births has decreased by more than half, from 740 to 320. We recognize that when we are talking about human lives, even a 50 per cent decrease is too little; it is not enough. That is why in 2010 we launched the MDG Accelerated Framework and Country Action Plan. Women account for more than 50 per cent of Ghana’s population. We believe that empowering them through education and encouraging them to take full control of their reproductive rights will help us not only to attain the MDGs faster, but also to build a better nation.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Often the rest of the world wrongly assumes that we in Africa do not know our worth. But we do. It is not sympathy we want; it is partnership — and the ability to stand on our own feet. It is not handouts we are in search of; it is opportunities. We have already shown that with time and the right opportunity, Africa can make it. Ghana achieved the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets for reducing poverty and hunger far ahead of the scheduled date of 2015. We are on track for achieving MDGs 2, 3, and 6 as well. School enrolment, gender parity and the reduction of HIV/AIDS have all seen dramatic progress and statistical shifts as a result of the work to reach our targets.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“We need to add value to our exports. We cannot continue to export raw cocoa beans in Ghana; what we need to do instead is process more of those beans into value-added products. We cannot continue to export unrefined gold; we need to add value to our gold exports. We cannot continue to export oil and gas; we need to integrate that industry into our economy; we need to process petroleum products and produce power with the gas. We cannot continue to export bauxite and then in return import alumina to feed our local aluminium smelter; we need to work towards creating an integrated bauxite and aluminium industry in Ghana. In that way, by keeping the concept of value at the forefront of our economy, we can create new jobs for our young people. We can do that with local and foreign investors who share our vision.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Over the course of the past decade, African economies created over 37 million wage-paying jobs, yet 63 per cent of workers remain trapped in low-paying subsistence or self-employment endeavours. With those realities come the very real possibilities of income instability, exclusion from the benefits of economic growth and social security benefits tied to formal sector employment. Africa has a fast-growing population, more than 50 per cent of which is below the age of 35. That means we must create more jobs for our growing numbers of youth. They must have opportunities available to them. We cannot do that unless we transform the economies of Africa. It all comes down to value. We must value our resources, including our human resource — we must value our people. We cannot continue to be exporters of raw materials and primary produce.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Strong institutions are the hallmark of every nation’s stability. They are crucial tools in the fight for human rights. It is our intention to bring an end to youth unemployment. In Ghana today, we are about to launch the Youth Jobs and Enterprise Development Fund, a programme that will provide young people with entrepreneurial skills and access to the funds needed to establish businesses of their own or expand existing ones, thereby creating new employment opportunities for themselves. Six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world today are on the African continent. However, that growth has not yet been translated into sustainable employment opportunities.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The results of our recent elections were contested. Since our return to constitutional rule, Ghana has conducted six successful elections. Last year’s elections were the first whose results were formally challenged and heard by the Supreme Court. What made that situation noteworthy was the reliance of all parties involved on the rule of law. The proceedings were televised for the sake of transparency. The verdicts were readily accepted, and there was not a single reported incident of violence. Ghana’s victory is not an aberration. Other countries, like Kenya, have had similar experiences. That indicates that democratic institutions in Africa are growing stronger. It indicates that the balance of power in African countries is shifting from the authority of a sole individual to the more equitable process of properly designed systems.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“If we are to fight back, we must also work cooperatively. Nations in the developed world must align themselves with nations in the developing world. We must form partnerships and work together. Ghana is prepared to do that. We have signed the Arms Trade Treaty and we intend to do everything possible to see that it is ratified in a timely manner. Fledgling democracies tend to be fragile. Their limits are still being tested; their characteristics are still being defined. Democracy is not a one-size-fits-all venture, nor is it a one-time event. It is a system that takes decades to build, a process that pushes a country towards a perfection it will never reach, but countries must try nonetheless. This past year, the limits of Ghana’s democracy were tested, and I am proud to report that we passed with flying colours.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Ghana will continue to play its role in strengthening the Economic Community of West African States to make sure that it is able to meet that objective. With all that I have said in my statement today, I am sure it will not come as a surprise to anyone that Ghana enthusiastically threw its support behind the Arms Trade Treaty adopted by the General Assembly at the sixty-seventh session. International trade in conventional arms and ammunition must be regulated. We like to mention how the world has become a global village, especially when speaking of technology, culture and travel. The ease of communication in that global village also exists for warmongers and terrorist groups, who are using it to recruit new members, expand their cells, create intercontinental networks, obtain weapons and conceal their identities and locations.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Ghana has been steadfast in its cooperation with its regional neighbours to maintain the security of those nations that are enjoying stability and to restore security to those, such as Côte d’Ivoire and Mali, that have recently emerged from turmoil. Currently, Côte d’Ivoire is in a stage of rebuilding. The recent overtures towards reconciliation made by President Ouattara are a major step towards bridging the country’s political divide. After its own bout with terror, Mali made a solid return to democracy by conducting an election that all observers, even the sceptics and the cynics, hailed as being free, fair and peaceful. West Africa has seen enough war and strife. We want peace and security to persist in our subregion.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“There is no place in today’s Africa for hatred and intolerance and the murder of innocent people — not anymore, not ever again. So we will mourn our dead. We will console ourselves and each other through our grief. We cannot allow terror to defeat us. That must strengthen our resolve. Our stride will not be broken. Last year from this stage, I also declared Ghana’s resolve to be a beacon of peace and democracy in the West African subregion. On behalf of the citizens whom I serve, I promised the world that Ghana would not allow its territory to be used in any manner whatsoever to destabilize other nations.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“This year, it gives me great pleasure to do the same — even on the heels of the dastardly terrorist attack — because I know that today’s Africa will not be divided or deterred by the heinous crimes of those who wish to disrupt our progress. I know that our borders will no longer be used to undermine the brotherhood and sisterhood of our citizens. The days of massacres must remain in our past. Our rivers will no longer run red. Our children must be students now; we will no longer allow their childhoods to be stolen from them by those who wish to turn them into soldiers. Africa is standing tall, walking confidently towards political stability, walking confidently towards economic prosperity, walking proudly towards ethnic and religious harmony and coexistence.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Indeed, there are plenty of graves that remain unmarked. There was a time when the ruthlessness of dictators seemed to be the order of the day. For decades, the corruption, greed and depravity of a few caused the suffering of an entire continent. We so easily could have succumbed to the wars, the poverty and the diseases, but we did not. We staggered our way through, year after year, and eventually we made it. We have survived. Last year when I addressed the General Assembly (see A/67/PV.9), I began with the assurance that I had come with good news from Ghana, with stories of success from the African continent.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Professor Awoonor’s life was taken from him and those who loved him, just as the lives of dozens of others were taken away from them and their communities. Each of them had a unique story and accomplishments or aspirations for which they will be remembered. Professor Awoonor’s son, though injured, was among the many who were lucky enough to escape the attack. It is a day they will never forget. They will carry the scars, physical and emotional, with them. We who watched from a distance should never allow ourselves to forget, because we have also been irrevocably marked by this tragedy. When independence was upon us and our possibilities felt endless, the world saw how brightly Africa could shine. Then, for decades, that light was dimmed. There was a time when killing seemed almost commonplace in Africa.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“Kofi Awoonor was a 78-year-old gentleman who had served his country loyally as a poet and professor, ambassador to Brazil and Cuba, and Chairman of our Council of State, a presidential advisory body. Professor Awoonor had once even been our country’s envoy to the United Nations. On this fateful day, however, Professor Awoonor was in Nairobi to perform his poetry at a writers’ conference. He had travelled there with his son, and they had decided before the day’s scheduled events to do what should have been one of the most ordinary and uneventful of activities — to make a stop at a shopping mall. Unfortunately, what happened that day at the Westgate Premier Shopping Mall was anything but ordinary.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“It is with a heavy heart that I address the Assembly today. Just before I left Ghana to attend this general debate, I learned of the terrorist attack that took place in Nairobi. I was shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the many lives that were lost to those senseless and cowardly acts of violence. As the death toll increased, so too did my grief, knowing that each additional number symbolized one more human life. Those numbers symbolized individuals who may have been strangers to those of us here but were of prime significance in the lives of the people who loved them — their parents, children, husbands, wives, friends and colleagues. Soon enough, I got word that one of the people massacred was a person of significance in my life and in the lives of so many other Ghanaians.”
2013-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 68 (2013)
“The lines that divided our world and categorized it into hierarchies of first and third worlds — those lines were drawn by settlers transforming once sovereign lands into colonies and territories — all of those boundaries have now become blurred. Technology has made information more immediately accessible to the general public and individuals more accessible to one another. The world that we know today is not the same world our fathers and grandfathers knew. Our world is smaller, more integrated and familiar. The current realities call for greater inclusion in order to consolidate our common security. They inform Ghana’s call for an expansion of the Security Council to admit more members in order to have a meaningful impact on the many challenges that we all face. Africa is ready for that true and sincere partnership. Our time has come.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“It will be an Africa where we create equal opportunities for women to realize their full potential and where there is respect for the rights of all human beings. The new Africa will wean itself from handouts and humanitarian relief. It will not continue to succumb to the corruption and oppression of despots. The new Africa will stand on the world stage as a mutual partner. True partnership, of course, must be based on equality. When the founding fathers of the United Nations established the Security Council some 66 years ago, it was based on the reality of the time. Almost seven decades later, the paradigms and dynamics of the world have shifted dramatically.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In keeping with that right of self-determination, we wish to restate our support for an independent, prosperous Palestinian State, coexisting peacefully with a free, stable Israeli State. We also reiterate our opposition to the continuous blockade on Cuba and call for an immediate lifting of that embargo. The twenty-first century can readily be described as the century for Africa. Last year, of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world, six were African. Ghana, my own country, posted one of the highest gross domestic product growth rates, reaching as much as 14 per cent. Foreign direct investment amounted to some $1.5 billion across various sectors. That type of sustained growth in combination with security and democracy can only ensure an Africa that will bear no resemblance to the ghost of its former self.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“We will work under the ECOWAS protocol and will utilize whatever other tools of diplomacy are at our disposal to ensure that security and peace are established in Mali and Côte d’Ivoire and that those countries find a place alongside their fellow African countries in the continent’s march forward towards prosperity. Ghana has a strong belief in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Under the principle of the self-determination of peoples, Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country to emerge from colonial domination. Our nation’s founding father, Mr. Kwame Nkrumah, proclaimed that the independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked with the total liberation of the African continent.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Because Ghana wishes to coexist harmoniously with all our neighbours, when legislating policy, we are always conscious of the importance of peace. When offering asylum or a safe haven to refugees, we are always protective of our borders, making certain that political conflict and ethnic tension do not cross over onto our soil. The unfolding tensions in Côte d’Ivoire and Mali have been and continue to be of particular concern to us. Let me say that Ghana will not allow its territory to be used to destabilize any other nation. We will not be the storehouse for any resources or weapons that may be used to disrupt the peace and development of another nation. We will not harbour any individual or group whose intent is to use Ghana as a base of operations to undermine the safety and security of our neighbours.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“It was recently ranked among the 10 largest contributors of personnel to peacekeeping operations over the years. Currently, we have troops in five peacekeeping theatres throughout the world. Ghana’s consistent championing of peace is neither accidental nor coincidental, but by design and by determination. We have always recognized that peace is critical to development and to the overall improvement and enrichment of our people’s lives. It is therefore no wonder that, in 1961, when United States President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps, its very first mission was in Ghana. In the past two decades, Ghana’s position on peace has been tested again and again as the West African subregion was ravaged by one civil war after another. However, we held firm to that position and will continue to do so.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“As President, I wish to assure the international community that that election will also be free, fair and peaceful. I am so certain of our stability through that process that I extend a warm welcome to any individual or organization that would like to come and monitor our elections. The commitment to peace that I have pledged in the past, and which I am pledging anew today, is in keeping with a long-standing tradition that Ghana has established domestically and internationally. In the 1960s, when Ghana deployed 8,800 soldiers to what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, it went on record as the first African country to participate in a United Nations peacekeeping mission. Since then, Ghana has continued to be an active and key partner in the United Nations peacekeeping programme.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“As the numbers associated with the disease — the rates of infection and the mortality — go down, so too do the figures in the global funding for HIV/AIDS programmes. That leaves a considerable financing gap for many African countries, such as Ghana, that are trying not only to maintain their progress but also to move closer to the complete eradication of the disease. In 1992, under the Constitution of its fourth republic, Ghana established itself as a multiparty democracy. Since then, we have held five successful elections, which have resulted in the smooth transfer of power from one democratically chosen leader to another. When it comes to transparency in the electoral exercise, Ghana is, in fact, held up as an example of excellence. We are just a few weeks away from conducting our sixth presidential and parliamentary election.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“In furtherance of our battle against HIV/AIDS, a new five-year national strategic plan has been launched to consolidate the gains already made in reducing the prevalence of the disease. Under the new plan, our target is to achieve the virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission and to expand access to antiretroviral therapy for persons living with HIV/AIDS. The Government of Ghana has committed approximately $80 million as its contribution to the financing of the new strategic plan. However, that is not enough. We now find ourselves in a rather ironic situation that is threatening the advances we have made thus far. Ghana, like several other developing countries that have made remarkable headway in combating HIV/AIDS, is becoming a victim of its own success.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Nearly 60 per cent of the continent’s entire population is below the age of 35. Our young people are not only our future, but also our present. In Ghana, we have been working assiduously to empower and support our youth so as to ensure that they will not be left behind owing to fast-changing global economic, educational and social priorities. The Government is implementing several social protection programmes across various sectors to cushion the poor and the vulnerable and to ensure that the fruits of our economic growth are distributed equitably. Under those programmes, massive investments have been and are still being made in education, health care, the modernization of agriculture, the social infrastructure and direct payments to the poorest households.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“Significant progress has been made in the following areas: reducing poverty, gender parity in school enrolment, universal primary education, the provision of safe drinking water and the fight against HIV/AIDS. Unemployment is a challenge that exists on a global scale. Nearly all nations, be they developed or developing, are grappling with finding ways to tackle that potential threat to their economic stability. In Ghana, we are attempting to deal with the problem as aggressively and as effectively as possible by finding long-term and sustainable solutions. That includes a programme that we will launch to encourage young people to become entrepreneurs, owning their own businesses and thereby becoming employers rather than employees. In Africa, to say that the youth are our future is slightly misleading.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“There is no denying the visibility and viability of such significant developments. At the very least, they require a re-examination of the long-held views and misconceptions about the African continent. Those developments must also find expression in the manner in which developed nations relate to Africa. In many ways, that is already taking place, but the shift has only just begun. There is still much room for improvement. However, I am inspired by what I see, which are limitless possibilities for Africa and its engagement with the rest of the world. As the United Nations Human Development Index attests, we in Ghana have made tremendous strides in a number of areas, with the aim of improving the living conditions of our people. Ghana is on track to achieve the targets set under the Millennium Development Goals.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)
“The number of countries engaged in conflict is steadily decreasing year after year. As that happens, we are also witnessing a steady increase in the number of countries that are governed along democratic lines. As is true of all new democracies, those systems are not without their f laws. While they may not be perfect, however, they are promising. In fact, three African countries that lost their leaders this year — Ethiopia, Malawi and, of course, Ghana — experienced seamless and peaceful constitutional transitions of power to a new leadership. Members can see that, right now, something spectacular is happening in Africa. Growth is taking the place of stagnation; tranquillity the place of turmoil; and democratic governance, founded on the rule of law, the place of dictatorship.”
2012-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 67 (2012)