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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
At the 76th High-Level Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at United Nations Headquarters in New York City which ends today, a number of world leaders and heads of global entities took turns to present issues and provide guidance to the world body. .
Once again, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made Ghana and Africa very proud in his stimulating warning to the world body on issues that affect conscience, livelihoods and human lives.
When he stepped onto the podium at the UNGA last Wednesday, our President did not mince words in encouraging the world to get rid of the policies, decisions and positions that affected the resolve of the UN founding fathers to achieve a fairer, greener and more peaceful world.
He recounted the devastating effect the COVID-19 pandemic had had on the lives and livelihoods of Africans, particularly the near erasure of the meager economic achievements Africa had amassed in recent years.
He assured the world body that despite this, Ghana and Africa were listening to scientists because it was obvious that vaccination was the best way to protect populations.
The president, however, insisted that such a feat could not be achieved when parts of the developed world resorted to vaccine nationalism.
It is empirically and scientifically proven to be correct that a country or part of the world that has fully vaccinated its citizens can never be safe from the pandemic because the rest of the world that is not vaccinated will generate new strains of the virus. more dangerous which render useless the immune system of the vaccinated.
It is with this in mind that the Daily Graphic supports the president’s call for a uniform distribution of vaccines to all peoples of the world in order to prevent the creation and spread of very dangerous strains.
President Akufo-Addo again referred to the recent development where some countries in Europe have claimed that they will not recognize as having been vaccinated those who have taken the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine made in India.
He explained that this vaccine has been given to three African countries through the COVAX facility and said that “the use of vaccines as a tool to control immigration will be a really regressive step”.
What is worrying is that COVAX is a global collaboration to accelerate the development, manufacture and equitable distribution of new vaccines and we believe that such a facility which is blessed by the global health body, the World Health Organization, should not be called to question in such a way.
It is an indisputable fact that India’s ability and integrity in manufacturing effective vaccines has never been questioned over the years and this is the main reason why European nations must review their decision and avoid what the president called a “retrograde step”.
President Akufo-Addo again represented the voice of the African Union (AU) when he called for the repositioning of key multilateral organizations and international financial institutions, such as the UN, Bretton Woods institutions and the G20, to reflect inclusiveness, support countries’ investments in global public goods and ensure accelerated financial support to better rebuild and prepare for future pandemics.
He was of the opinion that just as the EU was admitted to the G19 to make it the G20, the inclusion of the AU in the G20 would not only change the name to G21, but would also bring 54 African economies, 1 , 3 billion more people and $ 2.3 trillion. more output.
We could not have agreed more with the President when he said that such an addition would add only one seat to the table and about ten minutes to the discussion, but would redefine the coordination of global policies for enable a more prosperous, inclusive and sustainable world to emerge.
Africa has come of age and must be given its rightful place in such decision-making forums, so that it can make its voice heard and participate in the development process of the world, not as a beneficiary of donations, but as an equal participant in global action advancing in a sustainable manner.
One thing we cannot take away from President Akufo-Addo is his frankness and commitment to advocate diplomatically and convincingly for the realization of the aspirations and visions of every Ghanaian and ordinary African.
The world should realize that whenever a group of the world fellowship feels disadvantaged in this way, it affects all of humanity and becomes a stain on the conscience of the group.
Running the largest human organization, the UN, calls for inclusion, participation, equal representation, as well as support for the less endowed members, and we are convinced that this would be the next world order. .
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