Ghana has underscored the significant threat posed by piracy and robbery at sea to security in the Gulf of Guinea and re-iterated that tackling maritime policy and robbery forms part of her priorities to advance sustainable development through enhanced global peace and security during her tenure on the United Nation’s Security Council.
Ghana assumes her seat on the UN Security Council in January 2022 for two years and will use her tenure to support Resolutions and Presidential Statements aimed at addressing insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.
Minister for National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah on behalf of Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said this during the launch of “The Stable Seas Report on the Cost of Piracy off the Gulf of Guinea at the United Nations Headquarters in New York which was jointly performed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway, Ms. Anniken Huitfieldt and Mr. Kan-Dapaah.
Ghana co-sponsored the report with Norway, Nigeria and the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) which is part of her efforts to draw global attention to the canker of piracy and galvanize multilateral support for regional arrangements in dealing with the issue.
According to Mr. Kan-Dapaah piracy and robbery at sea are a great threat to global security and Ghana as well as other countries in the Gulf of Guinea region are no exception adding that the increase in the activities of piracy and robbery at sea in the region from 64 in 2011 to 106 in 2020 should be of concern.
For her part, the Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister, Ms. Anniken Huitfieldt said development within the coastal states of the Gulf of Guinea was hampered by the activities of piracy and maritime armed robbery.
She therefore emphasized the need to combat the menace in order to unleash the full potential of the economies of the states in the Gulf of Guinea.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kan Dapaah and H.E Ms. Huitfieldt held a bilateral meeting to exchange ideas on areas of cooperation including ensuring maritime security, particularly during Ghana’s tenure on the Security Council. Ghana and Norway will be serving together on the Security Council for a year in 2022.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah seized the opportunity to highlight some of the other priorities that Ghana looks forward to cooperating with Norway while on the Council, including Strengthened Partnerships with Regional Arrangements; Preventive Diplomacy; Countering Insurgencies and Violent Extremism; Effective Mandates for Peace Support Operations; Women in Peace and Security; Youth in Peace and Security and Climate Change Dimensions of Peace and Security.
Story: Henry George Martinson@radiogoldlive.com
