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Tag: United Nations (UN)

  • Ghana places seventh in UN peacekeeping missions ranking


    As of March this year, Ghana has been ranked seventh out of 122 contributing countries by the United Nations (UN) in terms of its involvement in peacekeeping efforts.

    The global deployment of peacekeepers by the UN during this period reached a total of 76,712 individuals, consisting of 70,257 males and 6,455 females.

    Among the 6,455 women deployed, Ghana accounted for 429 of them, positioning the country as the fourth highest contributor worldwide and the second highest in Africa when it comes to the deployment of women in peacekeeping operations.

    In all, Ghana has so far deployed a total of 2,762 peacekeepers to various parts of the world.

    UN Peacekeeping Day

    The UN Resident Coordinator, Charles Abani, made this known during a flagraising and wreath laying ceremony to commemorate the 75th International Day of UN Peacekeepers on the theme: “Peace begins with me: 75 years of UN Peacekeeping” in Accra yesterday.

    The event was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (MFARI) at the forecourt of the State House in Accra yesterday.

    Men and women who have dedicated their lives to upholding peace and security around the world and also contributed to peacekeeping were rewarded for their various contributions.

    Tributes were also paid to fallen heroes who died in the course of peacekeeping operations.

    A symbolic tree planting exercise was held to honour fallen peacekeepers globally. 

    Commendation

    Mr Abani commended Ghana for her unwavering commitment since its first participation in the operations in the 1960s by providing soldiers, police officers and civilian personnel to numerous peacekeeping operations across the globe.

    “Earlier this month, 700 Ghanaian peacekeepers, including 68 women were awarded the prestigious UN medal for their commitment to shaping a more peaceful and prosperous future for the peace of the world’s youngest nation,” he said.

    Mr Abani also expressed appreciation to Captain Cecelia Erzuah who served as a peacekeeper with the UN Interim Security Forces in Abyei for receiving the 2022 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award.

    The award was for her advocacy role on gender equality and community engagement to address the peoples’ concerns.

    According to Mr Abani, the dedication and sacrifices of peacekeepers could not be monetised due to the fact that some had paid a price with their lives in the course of peace under the UN flag.

    “The legacy of these peacekeepers should inspire us to take action, recognising the fact that peace begins with you, me and us,” he added.

    Mr Abani further said that attaining peace was the collective responsibility of everyone and not just the sole efforts of international organisations and governments.

    He reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to continue to be a reliable partner in the agenda for peacekeeping.

    Support

    The Deputy Minister of Defence, Kofi Amankwa-Manu, called for all hands on deck to support peacekeeping operations, provide the necessary resources and also empower peacekeepers with the tools they need to carry out their mission.

    The Deputy Minister of the MFARI, Thomas Mbomba, said there was the need to strengthen partnership between the UN and regional and sub-regional bodies such as the AU and the European Union.

    Member-of-Parliament-for-Atwima-Kwanwoma-Kofi-Amankwa-Manu-

    Mr Mbomba announced that Ghana would be hosting the upcoming Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference in December this year.

  • West urges Russia to undo Ukraine grain deal suspension

    Moscow withdrew from the Black Sea agreement after accusing Ukraine of carrying out a drone attack in Crimea.

    Western governments are urging Russia to reverse its decision to withdraw from an UN-brokered grain deal, which undermines efforts to alleviate the global food crisis, with Ukraine claiming Moscow planned the move well in advance.

    In July, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations under which Moscow allowed grain ships to leave Ukrainian Black Sea ports. The agreement, which had already allowed the export of over 9 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain, was set to be renewed on November 19.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday expressed “deep concern” as Ukraine’s maritime grain exports were halted.

    “The Secretary-General continues to engage in intense contacts aiming at the end of the Russian suspension of its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” Guterres’ spokesman said.

    “The same engagement also aims at the renewal and full implementation of the initiative to facilitate exports of food and fertilizer from Ukraine, as well as removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertilizer.”

    Moscow suspended its participation in the deal on Saturday, effectively blocking shipments from Ukraine, one of the world’s top grain exporters, in response to what it called a major Ukrainian drone attack earlier in the day on its Black Sea Fleet headquarters near the port of Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea.

    “Russia’s decision to suspend participation in the Black Sea deal puts at risk the main export route of much-needed grain and fertilisers to address the global food crisis caused by its war against Ukraine,” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Twitter on Sunday.

    “The EU urges Russia to [reverse] its decision.”

     

     

  • Haiti asks world for military help to curb chaos

    Haiti has asked for foreign military support to curb its gang violence crisis which has paralysed the country.

    The Haitian government authorised Prime Minister Ariel Henry to request armed help due to “the risk of a major humanitarian crisis”.

    The US meanwhile urged its citizens in Haiti to leave due to the insecurity.

    A group of powerful gangs have blocked the country’s main fuel terminal since September, crippling its basic supplies like water and food.

    It is not clear to whom the request for intervention has been sent to, and in what form the help would be given.

    The UN said it had not received an official request from Haiti’s government.

    “That being said, we remain extremely concerned about the security situation in Haiti, the impact its having on the Haitian people, on our ability to do our work, especially in the humanitarian sphere,” said UN spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric.

    The US is also considering a request for a humanitarian corridor to restore fuel distribution within Haiti, according to state department spokesperson Vedant Patel.

    Mr Patel did not say where the troops to support this would come from.

    Varreux fuel terminal has been controlled and blockaded by a coalition of powerful gangs since last month, which has ground the whole country to a halt. Some hospitals have shut, while businesses and transport services stopped working in protest of destitution.

    Civil unrest escalated since Mr Henry announced an end to government fuel subsidies on 11 September, which sent petrol and diesel prices skyrocketing.

    Since then, protests and looting have intensified, with the capital, Port-au-Prince, at the heart of it. Food aid warehouses have been targeted, with an estimated $5m (£4.6m) worth of food aid lost in repeated attacks, according to Haiti’s UN envoy.

    It is unclear whether the Haitian government request for foreign military intervention would mean the return of UN peacekeeping troops, after leaving five years ago.

    The UN’s presence has left a mixed legacy in Haiti: its peacekeepers accepted partial responsibility for sparking a cholera epidemic more than a decade ago which killed about 10,000 people.

    Haiti’s government said eight people had died on Sunday from cholera, for the first time in three years – raising concerns over the potential for a health crisis too.

    Of the many supplies that have been blocked by the country’s gangs, clean water is a vital one – especially as cholera is spread via contaminated water.

    Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world and has suffered a number of recent crises, most notably the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moïse, in July 2021 and a massive earthquake that left more than 2,200 people dead just a month later.

    Deaths are frequent, with more than 200 people killed in gang violence in Port-au-Prince in the space of just 10 days in July, according to figures from the UN.

    Source: BBC

     

  • ASCVD hike in Ghana; collective efforts needed to tackle dyslipidemia

    Global statistics on Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) infection continue to dominate discussions on public health.

    Today nearly 41 million people around the world [i] die from NCDs (conditions that are not mainly caused by an acute infection but result in long-term health consequences and often create a need for long-term treatment and care.)

    The study also indicates that three-quarters of these deaths are to a large extent, endemic in low and middle-income countries. It is in light of this that the United Nations (UN) initiated plans to reduce NCD by 25% by 2025 to assuage the impact. [ii]

    In Ghana, NCDs like Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs), cancer, diabetes, Arthritis, etc, are significant contributors to Ghana’s disease burden. In Ghana, CVDs are responsible for 18,000 deaths annually[iii].

    Even more alarming yet with very little attention, is the upsurge of dyslipidemia; a chronic risk factor of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD), caused by abnormal cholesterol or lipids in the blood.

    Increased levels of bad cholesterol (LDL-C), lead to them becoming deposited in the walls of blood vessels where they can slowly begin to block blood flow through the arteries to the vital organs such as the heart and brain. If this happens, one is said to have ASCVD. [iv] Dyslipidemia (high levels of lipids) does not show symptoms.

    Such that more people are dying silently, leaving many households socio-economically affected by the high cost of healthcare treatment, loss of breadwinners, and daily livelihood.

    A recently held summit organized by Novartis had health professionals highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach to tackle dyslipidemia in Ghana. Specialists at the meeting warned that the total rate of NCDs is set to topple other diseases as the leading cause of mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.

    Dr. Philip Amoo, a Public Health Physician Specialist, indicated that apart from its health risks, ASCVD impacts families emotionally and financially, affecting economic productivity.

    “75% of all human deaths annually are linked to Non-Communicable Diseases of which cardiovascular disease remains a major contributor. Other than the economic burdens on families, productivity at work is halted leading to loss of manhours.”

    The experts further advised that people who check their cholesterol levels can lower the risk of developing ASCVD and ultimately strokes and heart attacks by knowing their lipid level and taking steps to control it if elevated.

    Novartis Ghana is engaging stakeholders in the cardiovascular health community to chart a way forward for CVD screening, monitoring, and treatment in Ghana.

    The focus of Novartis is to motivate key players to act to secure better health outcomes for people living with ASCVD, including redefining how stakeholders in the health sector can work together to reverse the devastating health and financial consequences of this silent but deadly disease.

    A major fallout from the panel discussion focused on how stakeholders, including the public sector, can leverage strategies to drive treatment access by increasing advocacy to target patients suffering from dyslipidemia.

    Data collection, health system strengthening, and awareness programs are ways to curb the toll the condition has on the country’s economic growth.

    A panelist at the summit, Dr. Abdul-Samed Tanko, a Cardiologist, stressed that advocacy is necessary to achieve this. “The country is not experiencing a type of Dyslipidemia whose risk factor is genetically induced largely because not much-targeted screening is being done. If that is resolved, we can get more data to feed into a registry localized for health interventions to cover all these groups.”

    Patients like Patience Binim, an educationist, have joined calls for strengthened efforts towards how ASCVD is approached, and patients supported. “There should be more organizations educating patients on prevention and advocacy, going to communities, and targeting people. I have heard the name (Dyslipidemia) but I didn’t know much about it until the doctors told me”.

    Collaborative partnerships are important to lessen the burden of ASCVD. It is why stakeholders like Novartis and other leading agencies are investing in solutions that reduce morbidity, and mortality by advocating for solutions to drive innovative access to treatments.

    The Global Health company aspires to be the partner of choice for governments and NGOs to strengthen healthcare systems across Africa.

    “We are deeply committed to improving access to health care and medicines for patients not only in West Africa but across SSA. Already, our ongoing collaborative efforts with like-minded organizations have seen us delivering on our ambitions which we hope will bring real impact to a significant number of patients.”

    This, the Country Head Mr. Philip Tagboto says, has led to discussions with key experts.

    This is just one example of how Novartis is working with thought leaders, medical societies, health authorities, and NGOs across SSA to highlight the urgency and address this silent killer. The time for action is now and committed multi-sectoral collaboration on awareness, screenings, and treatment is key.