GHANA Takes Over UN Security Council Presidency – Focus On Enhancing Peace and Security in AFRICA

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Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman, Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations, addresses the Security Council meeting on maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine Sept. 09, 2022. (UN Photo/Laura Jarriel)

By Gary Raynaldo – DIPLOMATIC TIMES

UNITED NATIONS – NEW YORK – GHANA officially took over as President of the UN Security Council Tuesday for the month of November with a focus on enhancing Global Peace and Security for Sustainable and Inclusive Development, particularly on the continent of Africa. Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman, Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of November laid out the Council’s programme of work for the month during a press briefing with reporters at UN headquarters in New York. Ghana follows Gabon which held the rotating presidency the month of October 2022. The Security Council is a body of 15 members, five of which are permanent and have veto power: the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China. Last year, the Republic of Ghana won a seat on the powerful UN Security Council for 2022/23. It is Ghana’s second presidency since the nation first joined Security Council in 1963.

Ghana’s tenure on the UN Security Council will focus on Enhancing Global Peace and Security for Sustainable and Inclusive Development. The presidency of the important Security Council is a “historic moment” in Ghana’s two-year tenure at the Council.

(Photo by Gary Raynaldo /©Diplomatic Times) Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman, Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations, and President of the UN Security Council the month of November briefs reporters at UN world headquarters Nov. 01, 2022.

DIPLOMATIC TIMES VIDEO / Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman, Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations, and President of the UN Security Council the month of November briefs reporters at UN world headquarters Nov. 01, 2022.

GHANA To Chair Meetings on COUNTER-TERRORISM Efforts in AFRICA

For the month of November, the Security Council, under the Presidency of Ghana, will not hold a specific meeting/debate on the situation in Ukraine. Many critics have accused the Council of focusing too much attention and efforts on Ukraine, while ignoring other important issues in Africa such as poverty and terrorism, as well as the crisis in Haiti. Terrorism and violent extremism continue to a major threat to West Africa, especially in the Sahel region. Ghana plans to organise two signature events during the month to address the conflict. The first signature event is a ministerial-level open debate on the theme “Integrating Effective Resilience-Building in Peace Operations for Sustainable Peace”. Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is expected to chair the meeting. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs and Peace and Security Bankole Adeoye, Chair of The Elders Mary Robinson, and Security Council Report Executive Director Karin Landgren are the anticipated briefers.

“The purpose of the debate is to seek a focused conversation on how best to balance the kinetic and non-kinetic aspects of peace operations in a way that helps restore peace in addressing underlying drivers of conflict particularly on the continent of Africa.”

-Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman, Permanent Representative of Ghana to UN

The second signature event is a debate on “Counter-terrorism in Africa—an imperative for peace, security, and development”. Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to chair the meeting. AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, President of the European Council Charles Michel, and a civil society representative are expected to brief.

“This debate would seek to focus attention on how counter-terror efforts in Africa can best be supported by the work of the Security Council and how the Council can support that effort, including through adequate, predictable and sustainable financing. The debate will also look at how the Security Council could work with regional arrangements to address the terrorism menace.”

Security Council Supports Continued Black Sea Grain Initiative To Stabilize Food Prices

Wheat prices surged on global commodity markets this week after Russia pulled out of a deal to keep grain exports moving out of Ukrainian ports, threatening to exasperate global food shortages. The move could hurt many poverty-stricken African nations.

“I think that when we look at the balance of the views in the (Security) Council, there is a general support for the continuation for the black sea grain initiative. The support that the Council can give would be to encourage the efforts that have been led thus far by the government of Turkey as well as the (UN) Secretary-General himself who has been very much engaged in this matter. I think that all of us are concerned that we have an initiative ongoing in a way that helps to stabilize the food market. That would be the support at this stage the Council can give.”

–Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman, Permanent Representative of Ghana to UN

International Military Force To Help Resolve HAITI Crisis Yet To Be Formed

Last month, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday again called for an international force to end the hellish situation in Haiti. A group of violent gangs has blocked the Carribean nation’s main fuel terminal, Varreux since September, causing shortages of basic supplies like water and food. Haiti has descended into a nightmare of violence with a deadly outbreak of cholera as gangsters wreak havoc in the Caribbean nation. On October 21, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution establishing sanctions on Haiti, targeting armed gangs to end deadly violence in the Caribbean nation, but did not take any action with regard to an international force. The so-called international force has yet to be formed to help end the dire situation in Haiti, as the Caribbean nation is sensitive to the appearance of allowing another foreign occupation on its soil.

“Certainly, we are very much concerned about the situation in Haiti. That second resolution was based on the request from the Prime Minister of Haiti for some international support. The matter of Haiti also is a complex one and I think that is one aspect all of us need to recognize. The Haitians themselves have in different parts of their history have indicted some reservations for foreign assistance or interventions or support of their own matters. So we think that given this we are concerned by the situation and we need to assure we are able to take on the Haitian situation and I think are the processes that actually are effecting the delayed of any international police assistance to support the Haitian police to be able to maintain law and order. I am aware that there is ongoing consultations among the key stake holders in this matter with countries in the region to establish the nature of the force and how that can be inserted in response to the request made by the prime minister of Haiti and behalf of the government of Haiti. We would be anticipating that the conclusion of those consultations before the Council can properly take forward any resolution on the matter in Haiti.”

–Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman, Permanent Representative of Ghana to UN

In November, the Security Council will also hold its annual briefing with the heads of police components of UN peace operations. Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix; the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) police commissioner, Christine Fossen; the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) police commissioner, Mody Berethe; and Emma Birikorang, director at the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, are the anticipated briefers.

African issues on UN Security Council programme of work in November are:

• Libya, the semi-annual briefing by the ICC Prosecutor concerning cases in the country

• Gulf of Guinea, briefing on the Secretary-General’s report on Gulf of Guinea piracy pursuant
to resolution 2634

• The Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel (FC-G5S), briefing and consultations on the activities of the force

Sudan/South Sudan, mandate renewal of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA)

• Central African Republic, meeting with troop contributing countries to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and renewal of MINUSCA’s mandate

• Somalia, renewal of the mandate of the 751 Somalia Sanctions regime and its Panel of Experts.

Middle East issues on the November Programme include SYRIA

Middle East issues on the November UN Security Council Programme include:

• Syria, monthly meetings on political/humanitarian developments and on the chemical weapons file, as well as the bi-monthly informal interactive dialogue on the implementation of resolution 2642

• Yemen, the monthly meeting on developments

• “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question”, the monthly meeting

• Lebanon, consultations on the implementation of resolution 1701.

Tagged with: Africa, Diplomacy, Ghana, Harold Adlai Agyeman, Peace, security

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