YouSaid · the spoken record

Christian

lines on the record: 409
first: 2006-05-30
most recent: 2010-11-22
sittings or episodes: 64
sources: un-security-council

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

“In conclusion, Ghana wishes to encourage greater participation by the international community in the work of regional organizations in order to strengthen the capacity of such bodies to enhance their protection of civilians and ability to intervene in conflicts. We also stress the need to prosecute and punish perpetrators as a deterrent to crimes committed with impunity.”
2010-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6427Resumption1 (2010) · source
“We urge the Security Council to take a firm stance in ensuring that such perpetrators are appropriately brought to justice. Ghana remains committed to regional initiatives to deal with the issue of protecting civilians in armed conflict. The African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, adopted in October 2009 to promote and strengthen regional and national measures to prevent or mitigate, prohibit and eliminate root causes of internal displacement, is a good case in point. Among other things, member States undertook to prevent violations of international humanitarian law against displaced persons. The African Union's continued presence in Somalia is therefore partly in recognition of that mandate, which requires the continued and increased support of the international community.”
2010-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6427Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The Council's intention to consider targeted sanctions and other measures against parties in situations of armed conflict who commit rape or other forms of sexual violence against women and girls was very much welcomed. Regrettably, the Council has yet to designate sanctions for any perpetrators of violence against women, in spite of widespread reports that much abuse has taken place. Ghana, which has remained among the top 10 contributing countries in peacekeeping and has also fulfilled its obligations with respect to the ratification of the Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions, is particularly concerned about the reported involvement in that regard of peacekeeping and humanitarian personnel deployed by the United Nations to prevent, recognize and respond to sexual violence and other forms of violence against civilians.”
2010-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6427Resumption1 (2010) · source
“What emerged was the clear commitment of participating Member States to prevent and halt atrocious crimes and the need for intervention by the international community. We therefore welcome ongoing discussions within the General Assembly with a view to clarifying and forging consensus on the scope and modalities for the practical application of the responsibility to protect. We also note with appreciation the Council's commitment to the special protection needs of women and children in armed conflict. In 2008, the Council unanimously adopted resolution 1820 (2008), which for the first time identified as an impediment to international peace and security the use or commission of sexual violence as a tactic of war in order to deliberately target civilians or as a part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilian populations.”
2010-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6427Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Ghana continues to advocate the concept of the responsibility to protect recognized and adopted by world leaders in the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document (resolution 60/1), which was a call to action that emphasized the need for preventive measures and for the delivery of international assistance to States in order to enhance their capacity to fulfil their primary responsibility to protect their own populations against genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. In that regard, on 24 September 2010, Ghana co-sponsored a ministerial meeting on the responsibility to protect under the theme "Fulfilling the responsibility to protect: strengthening our capacities to prevent and halt mass atrocities".”
2010-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6427Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Resolution 46/182 adopted by the General Assembly in 1991 places the responsibility for the protection of civilians, first and foremost, with their respective States, which are also expected to facilitate the work of responding organizations in times of conflict. However, it is not unusual to find that the State whose responsibility it is to protect its own populations is the perpetrator of the crimes against civilians. It is thus imperative for the Council to address impunity and ensure compliance with international humanitarian law and improve access for and safety of humanitarian personnel.”
2010-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6427Resumption1 (2010) · source
“We thank the delegation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for organizing this important debate. Ghana welcomes the report of the Secretary-General (S/2010/579) and thanks Under-Secretary-General Valerie Amos for her statement this morning. We also acknowledge the Security Council's long-standing commitment to addressing this issue. Since the Security Council's adoption of resolution 1265 (1999) and other relevant resolutions, the protection of civilians has remained a major issue in the Council's work. While we note the progress made, it needs to be said that events on the ground show that more attention has to be paid, especially as regards the full implementation of the resolutions adopted to protect civilians caught in conflict situations.”
2010-11-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6427Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The United Nations system will need to intensify its efforts to support Member States in accelerating the full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000).”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The Council could endorse a single comprehensive framework to guide implementation of the resolution, or it could endorse the set of indicators while urging Member States to adopt national action plans for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). We further encourage the Secretary-General to take steps to reiterate his commitment to the resolution and to expedite the process towards the full implementation of all 26 indicators. This year marks the tenth anniversary of this landmark resolution. As we review the progress made so far, let us resolve to work harder to ensure its fuller implementation. There is therefore a need to share experiences and good practices across the board. We all have a duty to exhibit the political will to ensure that the next decade is one of action.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“In this context, Ghana, in partnership with the Women Peace and Security Network Africa and the Canadian Government, has taken steps to realize the final stages of establishing Ghana's national action plan on resolution 1325 (2000). Despite the intensified efforts made in the past decade, there remain major analytical gaps, and globally women account for only 2 per cent of military peacekeeping personnel. Another question is on how processed information can be compared among different country situations. We should also bear in mind that the structure and resourcing capabilities of UN Women will come into effect only on 1 January 2011. Consequently, continued attention and support are required to ensure the meaningful participation of women at all stages of the peace process.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“We hold the view that the slow progress of Member States in fully implementing resolution 1325 (2000) is the result of poor monitoring, lack of awareness at the national, regional and international levels, lack of capacity to operationalize the resolution, compartmentalization of issues raised by the resolution, poor coordination among various security sectors, and poor funding and stereotyping of the resolution as a women-only tool. It is our belief that resolution 1325 (2000) will further enhance our country's strong traditions on issues of peace and security, as exemplified through our support of peace missions and the activities of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“In spite of these achievements, the report indicates that methods for monitoring the impact of the resolution are dismal. Although the 2008-2009 System-wide Action Plan was credible in terms of strengthening results- based management, it had design and development weaknesses that will require extensive consultations and redesigning. Tools for measuring progress, such as the comprehensive set of indicators on resolution 1325 (2000), have been designed to ascertain the impact of international efforts on women's issues in order to address the substantive gaps that remain between policies and their implementation. These indicators should also monitor success in the implementation of national action plans. However, 10 years on, most Member States have yet to implement national action plans, with only 20 countries having adopted them.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Resolution 1325 (2000) is indeed important and unique, as it was the first of its kind to link women's experiences in conflict to the international peace and security agenda, focusing attention on the impact of conflict on women and girls and calling for women's engagement in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Ghana welcomes the findings of the Secretary- General's report, which acknowledges the growing participation of women in decision-making and in peacekeeping operations, as well as the key role played by civil society in keeping critical issues on the development agenda and supporting women peacemakers in conflict areas. It also recognizes the key role played by the United Nations Development Fund for Women in the implementation of the resolution and notes that gender has become a more prominent feature of mission planning.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Ghana is pleased to join others in congratulating the delegation of Uganda on assuming the presidency of the Council for the month of October and for convening this debate on resolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security. We thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive report (S/2010/498) and his statement here this morning. We equally thank the newly appointed head of UN Women, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, for her briefing to the Council. My delegation is confident that, with her appointment, this key position is in capable hands.”
2010-10-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6411Resumption1 (2010) · source
“In this context, Ghana supports the presidential statement adopted today and looks forward to giving input on how to optimize the use of preventive diplomacy tools within the United Nations system and in cooperation with regional and subregional organizations and other actors.”
2010-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6360 (2010) · source
“In conclusion, I wish to stress that preventive diplomacy will be taken more seriously if States and other international actors endeavour to strike an appropriate balance between the competing values and principles of sovereignty and solidarity, non-interference and non-indifference and sovereign independence and global interdependence. I wish to recall the proposal made by Ghana in the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations calling for ways to strengthen cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in areas of preventive diplomacy, including peacekeeping and peacebuilding, under the Charter, which has been generally welcomed favourably for further consideration in that Committee.”
2010-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6360 (2010) · source
“When conflicts do occur, they destroy investments, retard social progress and undermine overall development in any given country or region. To succeed in placing preventive diplomacy at the top of our agenda, we must also embrace a shift in thinking and new concepts such as the responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and the incitement of such acts. This was recognized by world leaders in their adoption of the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document (General Assembly resolution 60/1) and also finds a place as a treaty principle in article 4 of the AU Constitutive Act.”
2010-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6360 (2010) · source
“To redeem the promise of the Charter to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which plagued the peoples of the world in the last century, there is an urgent need for the international community to grant priority attention to the prevention of conflicts around the world, and in Africa in particular, which features in the overwhelming majority of the situations on the agenda of this Council. It is time we saw the value of preventive diplomacy in terms of the incalculable cost of waiting until conflicts have erupted and the fact that when they do they occur, it takes a long time, and sometimes the sacrifices of a generation of youth, before it is finally resolved or simply brought under control. Simply put, we should value preventive diplomacy on the basis of the cost of doing little or nothing to prevent conflicts.”
2010-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6360 (2010) · source
“The role of women and that of civil society in this regard should not only be tolerated but encouraged to ensure that no section of society is left behind in our national, regional and international efforts to prevent conflicts. Equally deserving of the more serious support of the international community are African initiatives and practical arrangements such as the African standby forces arrangement, intended to make Africans ready to undertake more effective preventive deployment of personnel or to intervene in conflicts in a timely and effective manner.”
2010-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6360 (2010) · source
“In that way, our commitment to preventive diplomacy should find expression in our relentless resolve and action to promote constitutional democracy underpinned by good political and economic governance, the promotion of the rule of law, respect for human rights, free and fair elections, social justice, including the equitable distribution of national resources in a non-discriminatory manner, the deepening of national integration and harmonious inter-ethnic relations. We must also commit ourselves to addressing other causes of conflict, including terrorism, corruption and transnational organized crimes such as illicit trafficking in drugs, arms and persons.”
2010-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6360 (2010) · source
“Those initiatives include the New Partnership for Africa's Development, the African Peer Review Mechanism and the AU Framework for Post- Conflict Reconstruction and Development, as well as the various African declarations against coups d'e'tat and other unconstitutional changes in government. These African initiatives are intended to prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes.”
2010-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6360 (2010) · source
“This paradigm shift is underscored in the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU) and the protocol on the establishment of the AU Peace and Security Council, as well as in legal instruments and regional organizations such as the revised Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Treaty and the ECWOAS Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Mediation, Management and Resolution. The international community, including Africa's development partners and the United Nations, needs to sustain and intensify engagement with Africa for the more effective implementation of the various African initiatives aimed at strengthening preventive diplomacy and enhancing the prospects for preventing conflicts on the continent.”
2010-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6360 (2010) · source
“Today, the ebbing - if not the resolution - of the many violent conflicts that have afflicted the African continent presents an opportunity for its people and Governments, acting in partnership with the United Nations, to pay greater attention to preventive diplomacy as a strategy to prevent conflicts from breaking out in the first place and to prevent those countries emerging from conflicts of crises from experiencing a relapse or escalation, as the case may be. For the people of Africa, the prevention of conflicts is no longer only a matter of peace and security, but also a development imperative.”
2010-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6360 (2010) · source
“At the outset, the Ghana delegation wishes to congratulate Nigeria on its assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of July and for the remarkable skill with which its delegation has guided the work of the Council since the beginning of the month. We are particularly pleased to see you, Your Excellency, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, personally chair today's meeting. My delegation also Wishes to commend Mexico for ably presiding over the Council last month. Mr. President, the valuable concept paper your delegation prepared for this debate (S/2010/371, annex) highlights a variety of pertinent issues and dimensions of the important question of preventive diplomacy, with particular reference to Africa. My delegation will attempt to address some of them.”
2010-07-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6360 (2010) · source
“The question that must be addressed is how to employ the entire available and legitimate range of tools and resources in order to prevent a country in a post- conflict situation from relapsing into violent conflict and to ensure that it is in a position to achieve sustainable peace, including by addressing the root causes. We hope that Ghana's statement will contribute to the search for ways to move the United Nations peacebuilding agenda forward.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The test of any effective peacebuilding capacity should be to pose the question "the capacity to do what?" and to put in place the appropriate monitoring or evaluation mechanisms to ensure the effectiveness of capacity-building for peacebuilding. The adoption of the African Union Framework for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development speaks to the necessity to look at development in a broad sense in terms of its contribution to peace consolidation, thereby moving beyond the question, often asked, of whether the PBC is designed to handle development. Moreover, peacebuilding and peacekeeping should not be seen as mutually exclusive.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“It is the Ghana delegation's view that, to this end, the convening of a joint session of the PBC and the AU Peace and Security Council to review the peacebuilding strategy for the countries on the PBC's agenda would be a step in the right direction. In the area of capacity-building, the mere existence of the Peacebuilding Commission should not lead to a misleading assumption that the United Nations is adequately equipped with the requisite range of tools - be they human and material resources, information or other - to carry out peacebuilding tasks, let alone to assist countries on its agenda to improve their capacity for post-conflict peace consolidation.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The promotion of coordination and cooperation among various stakeholders interested in assisting countries on the PBC agenda will help minimize or avoid situations in which national authorities are compelled to choose between conflicting priorities that might be set by competing stakeholders in such a way that competition to claim exclusive peacebuilding credit becomes the enemy of cooperation. Ghana acknowledges the efforts made by successive Presidents of the PBC and Chairpersons of the country-specific configurations to reach out to the African Union (AU) in order to dialogue on peacebuilding issues. However, more needs to be done to achieve an effective triangulation of efforts among the United Nations, the AU or the regional organization concerned, and the countries on the PBC's agenda in order to more effectively deliver as one.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“To this end, Ghana welcomes the efforts by the PBC and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon aimed at mainstreaming women in peacebuilding. Ghana also welcomes the emphasis placed on national ownership. In the context of ensuring sustainable peace in post-conflict countries, the principle of respect for national ownership or sovereignty should accommodate the principle of solidarity. Ghana will therefore urge the PBC to continue to explore appropriate strategies to engage regional and subregional organizations in order to enhance coordination and coherence through an integrated approach to the delivery of their respective peacebuilding mandates, in collaboration with civil society and donors.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Education should play a key role in almost all the national dimensions of peacebuilding identified in the concept paper for this debate (S/2010/167), whether they be security sector reform, the reintegration of soldiers, alleviating poverty and unemployment, avoiding discrimination against women or ensuring gender balance. For example, a society cannot effectively integrate its former child soldiers or help them to obtain decent jobs without first giving them books instead of bullets. High unemployment among women and girls can be mitigated by ending discrimination against women in many societies in the areas of access to education and social life. In recognition of the value of education, Ghana's national Constitution provides for free, compulsory universal basic education targeting girls and boys in equal measure.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“A key component of this architecture is the promotion of free and independent media to create a space for public debates on issues before the nation in a manner that allows all voices to be heard without fear. The National Architecture for Peace in Ghana obviously takes inspiration from the national Constitution, which provides for an independent judiciary, an independent media free from all governmental control, and an independent electoral commission, as well as the directive principles of State policy, which call for equitable national development and social inclusiveness and non-discrimination.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Thus, although Ghana is not a country in a post-conflict situation, it is now implementing a peacebuilding framework, the National Architecture for Peace in Ghana. The broad policy objective is to facilitate the development of mechanisms for cooperation among all the relevant stakeholders in peacebuilding in Ghana by institutionalizing responses to conflicts aimed at achieving social, political and religious reconciliation and transformative dialogues. The National Architecture also includes the introduction of the culture of peace into the curriculum of schools in Ghana and building the capacity of national and local institutions to manage grievances in a democratic environment anchored in the rule of law and access to justice.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The PBC should be able to advise the Security Council on situations on the Council's agenda, taking advantage of the lessons learned in cases where there is credible information pointing to the possibility of a violent conflict occurring while giving due deference to national sensitivities. In doing so, the PBC would fulfil the objective of filling an institutional gap within the conflict-prevention apparatus of the United Nations in a more holistic and comprehensive manner. The PBC must pay equal, if not more, attention to the need to mobilize not only the international community but also national stakeholders for sustainable peace, as a nation cannot have peace without the active engagement of its homegrown peacebuilders.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“The PBC is a conflict-prevention mechanism to the extent that it is mandated to mobilize resources and seek the support of the international community to prevent post-conflict countries from suffering relapses. Thus, in the course of the ongoing review exercise, attention should be given to the need to strengthen the PBC as an early warning mechanism, relying on lessons learned not only for the benefit of countries on its agenda that stand the risk of relapsing into violent conflicts, but also for pre-conflict countries. This perspective may be better appreciated when one considers that, in some cases, the international community has failed to respond in a timely manner when danger has loomed in some countries in post- conflict situations, as the peace they had once enjoyed was taken for granted.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Nonetheless, they were quite convinced that the notion of peacebuilding - as variously articulated in the reports of the Secretary-General entitled "An Agenda for Peace" (S/24111) and "In Larger Freedom" (A/59/2005) - was that it should enable the United Nations to add value by filling an institutional gap and ensuring that peacebuilding efforts became sustainable and effective. In the ongoing review exercise, the added value of the PBC must be kept in mind. The goal of attaining sustainable peace is not an event, but a process requiring the sustained attention of the international community. To be sustainable, peacebuilding processes should aim at deepening the culture of peace, democracy and respect for the rule of law, justice, human rights and international legality.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“On behalf of the delegation of Ghana, I wish to congratulate Japan on its assumption of the presidency of the Council for the month of April and on having organized this debate. I also congratulate Gabon on having ably presided over the affairs of the Council in March. We appreciate the statement made by the Secretary-General this morning. When, in April 2005, the Governments of Ghana and Denmark jointly organized a workshop on peacebuilding in Accra to mobilize support for the establishment of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), many participants had no doubt in their minds that peacebuilding pre-dated the PBC.”
2010-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6299Resumption1 (2010) · source
“Such calls also indicate that what might be missing is urgent action to address the problems already identified in the various United Nations and other studies and reports, as well as in resolutions of this Council, including the presidential statement (S/PRST/2009/32) adopted today. I therefore wish to close by echoing the plea made in July by the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime that illicit drug trafficking must be stopped (see S/PV.6157), and to call for urgent action.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source
“It is equally important for the Council and the General Assembly to continue or to enhance their political, financial and strategic support for the Peacebuilding Commission to expedite its work, in partnership with ECOWAS and the AU Peace and Security Council, in addressing the root causes of the conflicts in Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Burundi and the Central African Republic with a view to consolidating post-conflict recovery in those countries. I would like to conclude by emphasizing that the previous and present calls for partnership, shared responsibility and international cooperation would suggest that the international community is aware of what is required to confront the challenge of illicit drug trafficking and other organized crime.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source
“That means that, in addition to the ECOWAS Regional Response Action Plan to combat illicit drugs, the international community must support ECOWAS in implementing its Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, their Ammunition and Other Related Materials, which came into force recently. Such a comprehensive strategy should include support for the ongoing efforts of ECOWAS, in collaboration with the AU, the United Nations and the international community in general, to promote respect for human rights, democracy, the rule of law and constitutional order in West Africa, including support for the application of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source
“It also called for broader international cooperation against organized crime, with a focus on the collective defence and protection of democratic institutions and processes so as to strengthen their resilience to the pressure of illicit funding and organized crime. In its presidential statement of July this year (S/PRST/2009/20), the Security Council recognized the link between illicit drug trafficking and other organized crime and conflict when it expressed concern about cross-border issues in West Africa, such as the illegal drug trade, terrorist activity in the Sahel, maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, weapons proliferation, in particular of small arms, and the resurgence of undemocratic seizures of power, and called for a comprehensive strategy of conflict resolution and crisis prevention while addressing such issues.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source
“As is well known, the experience of some countries emerging from conflict has taught us that illicit drug trafficking and other organized crimes tend to thrive in an atmosphere of conflict, the absence of the rule of law and the lack of good governance and democratic accountability, in which the legitimate State institutions, and indeed society as a whole, have been rendered weak and fragile. For that reason, some organized criminals have at times sought to undermine the stability of States and frustrated post-conflict recovery efforts. During the democracy roundtable held by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance in Mexico City last week, participants heard examples of illicit funds that have been used to influence electoral processes and to corrupt and seize the State apparatus.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source
“That is why Ghana is a party to the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and the United Nations Convention against Corruption, and has introduced various pieces of legislation to make corruption unattractive to public officials and private individuals alike. The Attorney General of Ghana has recently circulated an analytical publication comparing Ghana's anti-corruption laws to the United Nations and AU treaties on corruption as a tool to create public awareness of Ghana's commitment to combating corruption at the national, regional and international levels. Combating corruption should be central to any strategy to fight drug trafficking and other organized crime.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source
“National, regional and international efforts to enhance national capacities to combat organized crime might be fruitless if organized crime networks, which normally operate in the shadowy underground world in order to elude detection, succeed in compromising the integrity of law enforcement agencies through corruption, which would provide those networks with the opportunity to conduct and carry out illicit drug and related activities with impunity. In fact, in many cases, what is required is not capacity-building at the legislative, institutional or technical levels, but rather the ability and political will of law enforcement authorities and political leaders to say no to crime and corruption.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Effective coordination and coherence among those agencies, and also among the agencies and ECOWAS and the African Union (AU), would be instrumental in achieving the successful implementation of that Initiative. It is no coincidence that the ECOWAS Action Plan highlights not only illicit drug trafficking, but also other organized crimes. Efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking must be part of the overall effort to deter, detect and punish organized crime, as the various forms of organized crimes tend to be mutually reinforcing and interlinked.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source
“At the subregional level, Ghana subscribes to the Political Declaration on the Prevention Of Drug Abuse, Illicit Drug Trafficking and Organized Crimes in West Africa of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and urges the international community to provide the required resources for a more effective implementation of the ECOWAS Regional Response Action Plan aimed at strengthening national capacities and cross-border cooperation to tackle drug trafficking and organized crime. To that end, Ghana welcomes the West Africa Coast Initiative, which is a United Nations inter-agency initiative involving UNODC, the Department of Political Affairs, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the United Nations Office for West Africa and INTERPOL.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Recognizing that our national efforts must be complemented by bilateral, regional and international cooperation, given that the problem of drug trafficking is a global challenge, Ghana has sought and received bilateral technical assistance to improve airport screening procedures for passengers and luggage. Following parliamentary ratification by Ghana of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, our country is considering becoming a party to the principal Convention itself. In March this year, Ghana hosted an international meeting to address the protection and assistance needs of victims of drug trafficking.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source
“The judicial and law enforcement authorities of Ghana have accorded cases involving drug trafficking renewed priority with a view to ensuring the speedy disposal of such cases and to imposing stricter bail conditions for suspects, including safeguards to preserve evidence obtained to facilitate prosecutions, while at the same time ensuring that standards of fair trial and due process are not undermined. Training programmes have been undertaken to enhance the ability of judicial and law enforcement agencies to handle drug cases in a more efficient manner.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source
“In keeping with Ghana's commitment to the fight against illicit trafficking in drugs, the Government of Ghana has taken measures at the national level to combat drug trafficking, including strengthening land border controls and sea patrols. The Narcotics Control Board of Ghana is being streamlined to enhance its data collection capability, and the possibility is being explored to enable the Board to exercise the power to prosecute drug-related crimes.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source
“We also align ourselves with the statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of Egypt on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. West Africa has become not only a transit point but also a final destination for the illicit drug trade, which usually follows a circuitous route, originating in South America, to Europe and elsewhere, in a vicious cycle of reduction, supply, transport, transit and consumption. In some cases, that illicit trade has triggered or fueled conflicts, corruption and other organized crimes, such as the trafficking of persons, particularly women and children, who are often deceived, abducted or otherwise forcibly recruited as drug couriers against their will.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source
“Ghana is pleased to see Burkina Faso presiding over the Security Council this month and was particularly honoured to see Mr. Alain Yoda, Minister for Foreign Affairs, presiding earlier over today's open debate. My delegation also wishes to express its appreciation to the delegation of Burkina Faso for having organized this debate, as well as for having prepared the concept paper on the important issue as illicit drug trafficking, which poses a real and present threat to the peace, security and stability of many regions of the world, including Africa. My delegation thanks the Secretary-General for his presence and his statement, and the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for his briefing.”
2009-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6233Resumption1 (2009) · source