By: Albert Kuzor | Voltaonlinegh.com |
Heads of government and high-level representatives of the UN system and international organisations have discussed the challenges and potential of South-South Cooperation during a second high-level UN Conference on South-South Cooperation held in Argentina.
Participants observed that enhanced cooperation was needed to tackle threats including climate change, growing energy demands, and widening gaps between the rich and poor around the globe.
Speaking on the floor on behalf of Ghana, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charles Owiredu revealed Ghana’s plans towards the ideas and principles of South-South Cooperation and the government’s efforts in delivering on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) programme.
Mr. Owiredu said Ghana was on course in improving the development and standard of living for its citizens and mentioned that African countries including Ghana needed international partnerships to support with funds for swift implementation of the SGDs.
“Ghana calls upon the international community to explore means of leveraging and innovative funding mechanism under the frame work of South-South Cooperation to complement ODA inflows. We must form a defective partnership among government, public and private sector actors, academia and non-governmental organisations, particularly philanthropists in this effort.”
The Deputy Minister further said that, “interregional collaboration initiative such as the Forum of China-Africa Cooperation, the India-Africa Forum Summit and the Turkey-Africa Economic and Business Forum should be further utilised to enhance the implementation of the SDGs.”
On development, he indicated that the expansion of South-led Multilateral Development Bank has contributed significantly through additional financing mechanism for the SDGs most especially in infrastructural development and climate change.
He said that Ghana just like any other lower middle income country, was facing financial challenges making it difficult to invest in development, thus, resulting in persistent inequalities, infrastructural gaps, high dependent on export of raw natural resources and unprocessed farm produces among others.
Mr. Owiredu however, assured of government’s resolve to chart a new direction for the country’s development, through “Ghana Beyond Aid”- a policy that will create a favourable condition for Private Sectors to thrive and subsequently propel growth and create employment opportunities.
On some successes Ghana chalked, he indicated that, “over the years, countries of the south have significantly increased their weight in the world economic and today, account for more than 59% of global gross domestic product (GDP).”
He therefore called for the strengthening of the collaborations saying “I wish to urge that we strengthen our institutions to seriously address South-South Cooperation and to fully integrate this approach in our various development strategies and policies.”
The South-South Cooperation is a commitment to collective development, promotion of human freedom, opposition to colonialism and the creation of equitable conditions for peaceful and harmonious socioeconomic development of countries of the south.
Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com