Ghana has joined four others for a two-year term on the UN Security Council, the world’s top body for addressing threats to international peace and security.
Ghana joins the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Gabon and Albania after they were elected unopposed by UN members in June 2021 and will each serve until the end of 2023.
They are expected to address issues such as terrorism, child soldier recruitment and conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Libya and other parts of the world.
Ghana’s tenure on the Council will focus on Enhancing Global Peace and Security for Sustainable and Inclusive Development.
Some of our priorities will include:
- Commitment to placing the critical agenda of conflict prevention, post-conflict reconstruction and multilateralism at the heart of UN peace and security agenda;
- Promotion of Human Rights, sustainable development, peace and security in advancing the work of the Security Council, especially at a time when the United Nations is mobilising all Member States towards combating the COVID-19 pandemic;
III. Advocacy for the implementation of the actions recommended by the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations, such as improved strategic planning, better force generation, enhanced safety and security and strengthened efforts to combat sexual exploitation and abuse;
- Strengthening partnerships between the United Nations and continental and regional organizations such as the African Union and ECOWAS in conflict prevention, peacekeeping operations and special political missions; and
- Addressing conflicts caused by environmental factors such as land degradation, desertification, drought and climate change.
Ghana and Gabon have served on the council three times whiles Brazil is serving for the first time with the UAE serving once from 1986-1987 and Albania serving for the first time on the council.
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The Security Council has 10 seats for temporary members but five of the seats are permanently occupied and dominated by Russia, China, the US, Britain and France — which hold the power of veto.
The council holds regular meetings to address threats to international peace and security and makes the ultimate decisions on resolutions to impose sanctions, authorise the use of military force and launch peacekeeping missions.
Some of the council’s priority includes hotspots such as Ethiopia and Afghanistan as well as the long-standing Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Iran’s nuclear programme.
To be adopted, council resolutions need at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes from permanent members.
Welcoming the new members on the security council, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said the council has a “big responsibility on its shoulders” and urged the newcomers to help “find compromises” to global problems.
UN Sectary General, Antonio Guterres in his New Year message, urged UN members to step up to the plate in 2022.
“These are not just policy tests. These are moral and real-life tests. And they are tests that humanity can pass if we commit to making 2022 a year of recovery for everyone,” Mr. Guterres said.