Delegates to the currently underway United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Ministerial in Ghana heard a senior host country representative say the world body’s efforts in this regard “remains indispensable and invaluable in advancing peace in conflict settings globally”.
Ghanaian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, told delegates from 85 countries and international organisations her country “acknowledged the long and positive track record of peacekeeping in Africa” as both a troop and police contributor to UN peacekeeping for over 60 years.
The 5 and 6 December ministerial in Accra is the fifth of its kind and the first in Africa, where the world body maintains five peacekeeping missions.
Among agenda items are advancing sustainable peace, protection of civilians, strategic communications and improving peacekeepers’ safety and mental health. The event will see efforts made to improve environmental management of UN operations and the deployment of more women peacekeepers “to ensure more diverse and inclusive operations”, a statement has it.
UN Under-Secretary for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix is on record as saying at the start of the ministerial that peacekeeping is “ultimately a political endeavour”.
“The goal is to help parties secure and implement peace agreements and related processes. To succeed in a world more divided than ever, we need the united and active engagement of member states. As missions navigate unprecedented challenges and threats, the Ministerial is an important opportunity to demonstrate support and make concrete pledges to strengthen our effectiveness,” he is quoted as saying.
