United Nations in Ghana

The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Ghana:

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Publication

22 August 2022

Looking back to accelerate forward to achieve the SDGs – lessons from Ghana’s Second Voluntary National Review

The big question is how is our work going to support Ghana’s transformation in such a way that the successes achieved today benefit all Ghanaians without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs? The Agenda 2030 and its 17 goals, the yardstick by which development progress is measured, gives us reason to pursue harder the goal of achieving our development agenda. Measuring progress through regular and inclusive reviews in preparation for the Voluntary National review (VNR) also offers a chance to evaluate, assess and recalibrate. Held annually in New York during the annual session of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the Voluntary National Review provides an opportunity for countries to share their experiences implementing the SDGs. It also seeks to strengthen Government’s policies and institutions and to mobilise multi-stakeholder support and partnership for SDGs implementation. In July this year, 45 countries, including Ghana, presented its VNR in New York. Led by the National Development Planning Commission, Ghana’s VNR preparation was consultative and participatory, involving Government of Ghana Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Civil Society Organizations (including representation of youth, women, children and persons living with disabilities), the private sector, UN Agencies and a host of development partners. The UN in Ghana actively supported the 2022 VNR process through technical, coordination and financial assistance. The UN further accompanied Ghana to the HLPF to give support to its VNR Lab held on the side of the HLPF to facilitate experience sharing from the 2022 VNR process and deliberate on opportunities in terms of mobilizing resources and fostering partnerships to accelerate implementation of the SDGs as well as showcase how Voluntary Local Reviews have been used in the VNR processes. The review shows that Ghana has made some gains since its last report in 2019 as shown during a virtual exhibition supported by the UN in Ghana. For instance, there has been an increased registration level of school enrolment in kindergarten, primary, and secondary schools resulting in over 80 percent enrolment and gender parity achieved. The population participating in formal and informal education, and training has gone up. There has also been improved outcomes in tackling maternal mortality; obesity among children; women’s participation in parliament and local government; access to improved drinking water services and electricity; illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; financial inclusion; and proportion of unsentenced detainees. Like many other countries, progress of SDG implementation has been mixed. These have been driven by COVID-19 impacts as well as global conflicts, which are estimated to cause a rise or fall back in poverty of some 25 percent of Ghanaian populace. This is coupled with the current low coverage of social protection, generally high food inflation, high unemployment rate among PWDs and youth, as well as disparities in access to basic services such as health, sanitation and nutrition. Improvement in the macroeconomic environment recorded in the 2019 report has been derailed as a result of the pandemic, and we have seen the single-digit inflation grow into double digit leading to an upward trend in interest rates and the budget deficit. The highlights of the report call for the need for Ghana to restore and transform its economy to create opportunities for all, especially young people; broaden social protection coverage for vulnerable groups, including persons with disability, to enhance social inclusion; strengthen innovative financing and resource mobilization through expanded multistakeholder partnerships and an integrated national financing framework as well as harnessing emerging opportunities such as the Africa Continental Free Trade Area. In addition, Ghana will need to address infrastructure deficits in key sectors such as health, education, and sanitation services; deepen the national digitalization drive; and mitigate the impacts of climate change and variability for green growth. The findings of this 2022 VNR clearly demonstrate the need to redouble efforts in order to bring about critical socio-economic transformations and fulfill the transformative promise of the SDGs to “leave no one behind”. Reviewing and reflecting on the SDGs implementation, consulting various groups, stakeholders, and partners in the process, present a window of opportunity for further inclusive engagement and investment to build forward better towards achieving self-reliance and the SDGs. We commend the Government and people of Ghana for their resolve to pursue a forward-looking approach to implement and attain the SDGs, despite the many global challenges engulfing every aspect of our development efforts. The UN is committed to supporting the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders in taking forward the recommendations and embedding the key learnings and opportunities arising from the 2022 VNR in our next United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). The UNSDCF will reflects the Government’s expectations of the UN and drive the UN Country Team’s joint response and contributions to national development priorities and SDGs, as well as strengthen and expand multistakeholder partnerships critical to achieving the SDGs. Our collective vision is to see a Ghana that is independent, self-reliant, and resilient where all Ghanaians have equal access to basic services, their rights are protected, and they enjoy a stake in the country’s prosperity and growth. Ghana’s second VNR presentation is an indication of the country’s preparedness to accelerate SDGs implementation. Now is the time for Ghana to ‘lead from the front’ through firm commitment and resources to implement the emerging recommendations from the consultative process. The entire United Nations system in Ghana reaffirms its commitment to continue to support efforts towards achieving the SDGs, leaving no one behind and a Ghana Beyond Aid, where the present generation will benefit just as much as the future generation.

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Story

21 June 2021

Climate-proof adaptation revitalizes a local economy and empowers women in Ghana

Climate change and unpredictable flooding make the river in Mframafaw periodically impassable. It is a huge problem for Madam Meliama Sulemana, a farmer, and her seven children. When it floods, Madam Meliama and her children are cut off from the nearby market where she sells her produce, and from their school. After consultations with the local community, a culvert and a bridge are being constructed to channel the floodwaters away from the community and provide a safe access-way to local services. The construction is under the Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) project. The GrEEn project is a four-year initiative of the European Union, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). It is funded by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa, SNV and UNCDF. It aims at creating greater economic and employment opportunities for youth, women and returning migrants by promoting and supporting sustainable, green businesses in the Ashanti and Western Regions of Ghana; helping people like Ms Sulemana. Mframafaw is a lowland farming community, about 25km from Offinso in the Ashanti region of Ghana. A few years ago, Ms Sulemana and her family depended on income from the farm for food and school fees for her children. She planted maize, oranges and rice. Her high hopes for the future have faded as climate change has made it difficult for her and her family to make a living or access basic services like schools and hospitals. “The situation has gotten so bad that we leave the fruits to rot in the farms since we do not see any point in harvesting them when we know there’s no way to get them to the market” said Ms Sulemana. “In the past I used to make enough money from my farm and was even able to save but now I barely earn enough to feed my family. Without external assistance, pregnant women in this town find it impossible to access healthcare during the raining season,” she added. Today, the GrEEn project is taking the Local Climate Adaptive Living facility to Phase II in Ghana, using LoCAL's innovative performance-based climate resilience grants, hosted by UNCDF, to channel finance to local governments for locally led adaptation actions. Activities, guided by the needs of the community, might include land regeneration, green economic investments or climate proofed infrastructure development, as in Mframafaw.

One of the benefits of the LoCAL approach is its flexibility, allowing local communities to identify their needs and collaborate in finding a climate-proof solution. Over the years, the village and local government authorities have tried to construct makeshift bridges over the river, which now breaks its banks every rainy season. The bridges are washed away whenever there is a heavy downpour. The women also tried splitting their harvest into small bundles to carry on their heads through the floodwaters, or contract local men with access to motorized tricycles to help them transport their goods. But these options proved either time consuming, hazardous and or costly. According to Ms Sulemana and other women in the community, the plans for the bridge and culvert come just in time as climate change had collapsed commercial farming activities and the village children were missing out on school. With the construction of the bridge and culvert under the GrEEn initiative, children will now find it easy to travel to school and farming activities are expected to resume.

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24 September 2022

UN in Ghana commits at least $260m to support Ghana's development priorities between 2023 and 2025

To support Ghana to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs and Agenda 2063, the UN in Ghana is gearing up to sign off its UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework with the Government of Ghana. The Cooperation Framework has three main outcomes – inclusive economic transformation, equitable access to social services, and durable peace and security in Ghana and across the sub-region. At the 10th Global Citizen Festival, co-hosted by Accra, the UN Resident Coordinator announced a commitment of at least $260 million (2.6B Ghanaian Cedis) to empower people and institutions through capacity development and other support between 2023 and 2025 through the Cooperation Framework, while working to ensure that no one is left behind – women and girls, children, the youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized or excluded groups. It further committed to work across sectors on climate change, digitalization, and urbanization and to mobilize additional resources for achieving the SDGs and encourage contributions to the UN Joint SDG Fund to support this ambition.

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21 September 2022

UNDP launch $1 million OneTreePlanted programme to restore the Black Volta Landscape

The ‘OneTreePlanted’ programme to plan five million trees by 2024 was launched under the UNDP Global Environment Facility Small Grant Programme (GEF/SGP) at Maluwe in the Bole Bamboi District of the Savannah region of Ghana. The programme will enhance capacity and supply various seedlings including Cassia, Mahogany, Cashew, and Mango to selected communities in the Black Volta landscape for planting. The aim is to fight environmental degradation and promote sustainable livelihood enterprises in the landscape. The Black Volta landscape is an international water ecosystem that generates clean energy from the Bui hydropower for national development. The landscape also provides haven to globally threatened species including hippopotamus, elephants, and Buffalos. It is also known that crop production from this landscape contributes 37.5% of yam, 11.3% of cassava, 17.2% of maize and 28.7% of local rice to the national totals. The area thus supports livelihood services for over one million indigenous people. The prosperity and sustainable management of the Black Volta landscape is therefore a great priority for national development. Unfortunately, the landscape has been subjected to environmental abuses over the years. The area experiences uncontrolled wildfire, illegal mining, uncontrolled harvesting of wood for timber and charcoal, and unsustainable farming practices. A trend analysis shows that if nothing is done, Ghana is likely to lose the potential of the Black Volta landscape as a natural resource for national development. It is very important to enhance the resilience of the communities to climate change impacts and thus reduce poverty, and this requires partnerships. Read more.

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22 August 2022

Ghana launches 2022 Voluntary National Review Report

The report, the second since 2019, is under the leadership of the National Development Planning Commission. It was prepared through a collaborative process which involved the UN, development partners, civil society, private sector, the youth and other relevant stakeholders. The launch of the 2022 report was held on 19 August 2022. In a statement, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Charles Abani, described the report as “an invaluable snapshot of major SDGs progress, challenges, lessons learned, and identifies catalytic and transformative priorities and ways to enable and accelerate SDGs achievement, especially in the context of resource constraints occasioned by serial shocks such as COVID-19 and current ongoing conflicts.” He added that the United Nations is committed to firmly support the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders in taking forward the recommendations, pledging that the key learnings and opportunities arising from the 2022 VNR would be incorporated in the next United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNDSDCF). This he said would ensure the Cooperation Framework, which is yet to be finalized, reflects the Government’s expectations of the UN and drives the priorities of the UN Country Team. In a speech read on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo by the Chair of the NDPC, Prof. George Gyan-Baffour, the president reiterated government’s commitment to take smart and bold decisions necessary to ensure inclusive sustainable development in Ghana despite the economic and geo-political challenges being faced. He added that the government would also strengthen its relationship with international partners, as well as traditional and religious leaders to build a safer, more resilient and prosperous society for current and future generations. An exhibition was organized as a side event to showcase innovative examples of initiatives that have been implemented in Ghana to support the implementation of the SDGs. The UN in Ghana exhibited contributions from the various UN entities including reports, videos, newsletters, posters, studies, testimonials and other products. The exhibition stand was visited by delegates at the event – government officials, civil society actors, students among others – who interacted with UN staff and learnt about the UN and the Sustainable Development Goals.

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28 June 2022

UN Ghana cleans Ussher Fort beach

The ocean is the largest, most complex ecosystem on Earth. It covers 71% of the planet’s surface and is responsible for producing at least half of the world’s oxygen and regulating the climate, as well as providing means of livelihood for over three billion people. Unfortunately, the health of our oceans and the creatures that call them home are facing unprecedented threats resulting from pollution and it is being overfished. In the efforts to scale up action and set in motion science-based innovation solutions for global ocean action, the Governments of Kenya and Portugal are co-hosting the United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon Portugal from 27 June to 1 July. The importance of protecting our marines, seas and oceans cannot be underestimated. Our oceans are our lifeblood; they provide us with jobs, they offer clean energy, and they store carbon, all of which are important. They also provide the habitat for many species of animals and plants, which are essential to our planet. The United Nations in Ghana held a clean-up exercise at the Ussher Fort Beach as part of activities leading to the UN Ocean Conference taking place in Lisbon, Portugal. The clean-up was held in partnership with the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board and Zoomlion Ghana Limited, and was supported by UN-Habitat.

Residents of the community, representing a large proportion of fisherfolk, were actively involved. They were sensitized on the essence of protecting our marines, oceans and seas. Speaking at the event, the UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Charles Abani said, “Life in the ocean is extremely important. If it dies, so do we. And so, it is really important that we work from community level, across governments, across society to ensure that we are not dumping waste in the ocean.” He further emphasized on the need to be more sustainable and ‘go green’. In 2015, the UN adopted the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals which included the goal of ensuring that our oceans are healthy and protected. SDG 14 aims to protect our oceans from further degradation and pollution, and to ensure that they continue to support current and future generations. It is to ensure that the ocean is healthy and productive, and that its ecosystems are healthy and resilient. Overfishing, pollution, and development have all taken a toll on the ocean’s health and ability to support life. Studies have shown that more than 80% of marine pollution originates on land and is caused by direct human impact. An estimated eight to fourteen million metric tons of plastic end up in our ocean each year, much of which originates from our waste streams and consumer habits. The majority of this plastic ends up in our oceans as a result of our littering and improper waste management practices, both of which are largely caused by human behavior. Keeping the oceans clean starts with each of us. The world’s oceans are the lungs of our planet, and healthy oceans support healthy people. This is why it is important to scale up both ocean action and ocean knowledge. Watch the video on the clean-up exercise by the UN Ghana.

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Press Release

26 September 2022

UN in Ghana commits to support Ghana to realize its ambition to be self-reliant

The UN Resident Coordinator for Ghana, Mr. Charles Abani announced this at the Global Citizen Festival, co-hosted by Ghana, in Accra, over the weekend. The festival brought together renown artists, Ghanaian leaders and thousands of young people from all walks of life determined to add their voice to accelerate the attainment of the SDGs and create a just, equitable and sustainable world. The event was broadcast live across the world. Mr. Abani, representing the UN in Ghana, and flanked by Barbara Clemens, World Food Programme Director for Ghana and Esther Akua Gyamfi, Executive Secretary of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities said “today is the best time to rally the needed support for Ghana”, adding that “the UN stands with Ghana on this forward-looking ambition to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs and Agenda 2063”. The commitment above represents about 50% of the proposed funding by the UN to support the UN Cooperation Framework, which will soon be signed by the UN and the Government of Ghana. It will cover the period 2023 to 2025 to support inclusive economic growth, equitable access to services, and durable peace in Ghana and across the sub-region. The festival, the first-ever in Ghana, was held as part of the 65th anniversary of the country’s independence.

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Press Release

01 September 2022

Ghana Armed Forces receives funding from the Elsie Initiative Fund to increase the deployment of women to UN peacekeeping

With the EIF grant, Ghana will increase its contribution of military women by deploying a Gender-Strong Unit (GSU)—a military battalion with substantial representation of women overall including in command positions—to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for three years and beyond. “The inclusion of women at all levels of peace operations, through promotion of gender equality and awareness creation, is a clear and present reality, for the success of complex and multidimensional peace operations.” said the GAF’s Chief of Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama. “The approval of this will further enhance our pre-deployment preparations and deployment of female soldiers. It will also go a long way to improve our gender awareness and equality through targeted training and national awareness.” he added. Through the EIF-funded project, Ghana will address two of the most challenging barriers to women’s meaningful participation, that were identified in a barrier assessment conducted in partnership with DCAF – the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (report) on the GAF, being limited pool of trained and qualified women to deploy as peacekeepers, and inadequate infrastructure for women. Specifically, the GAF will partner with the Women Peace and Security Institute of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre to launch a nation-wide campaign to address gender stereotypes and promote the recruitment and integration of women in leadership and combat roles. Through visits to Ghana’s 16 regional areas, the GAF will also conduct outreach activities to encourage young women in secondary and tertiary schools to be enlisted. The GAF will also build two accommodation facilities designed specifically for women recruits (total of 300 beds), which will enable more women to be recruited and trained for deployment to UN peace operations. The UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Mr. Charles Abani commended Ghana’s role as the top contributor of uniformed women in military contingents to UN missions, and the project as an important milestone. “The EIF’s support will enable the GAF to continue transforming their institutional culture through an ongoing commitment to gender equality. We are pleased to know the GAF is committed to ensuring that the project’s impact is long lasting and is dedicated to proper preparation of their forces prior to deployment. The UN in Ghana welcomes Partners’ support, such as the EIF, which will render GAF’s contributions more efficient. The envisaged construction of dedicated women’s accommodation will enhance the positive strides the GAF is already taking to recruit, train and retain women in its armed forces and in peacekeeping,” he said. Ghana has a history of including women in the military and was among one of the few countries in the world to enlist women as far back as 1959. The country has since adopted nation-wide policies to promote the meaningful inclusion of women in peace and security such as the National Gender Policy and Ghana’s National Action Plan 2 [2020-2025], on the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (GHANAP 2). Through its bilateral partnership with Canada under the Elsie Initiative, the GAF will receive technical assistance on developing policy and training to build a gender-sensitive institutional culture within the GAF. UN Women’s Regional Director Ms. Oulimata Sarr said “We are proud to see that Ghana has made tremendous efforts in advancing gender equality. I commended Ghana’s efforts in incorporating and institutionalizing gender perspectives. We are pleased to see that this important project, funded by the Elsie Initiative Fund, will further contribute to the implementation of GHANAP 2020-2025, by supporting women’s participation at all levels in peacekeeping.” This year, the EIF also funded a project to enable UNIFIL to build gender-sensitive accommodation for women peacekeepers (press release). The improved accommodation will support the first Ghanaian military GSU, to be deployed in September 2022. *** About the Elsie Initiative Fund (EIF) The EIF, a UN trust fund hosted by UN Women, supports the sustainable deployment and meaningful participation of uniformed women peacekeepers by providing financial assistance and incentives. Established by the UN, Canada and Member States in 2019, the EIF aims to accelerate progress towards the United Nation’s gender targets in line with Security Council resolutions and the UN Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy 2018-2028. The EIF is funded by contributions from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom. For more information on the EIF, please visit https://elsiefund.org/ and follow @ElsieFund on Twitter.

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Press Release

18 July 2022

Japan and UNIDO to Promote Kaizen Practices to Foster the Development of Ghanaian MSMEs in Sustainable AgriBusiness

Ghana has disseminated Kaizen – a Japanese methodology and philosophy for continuous quality and productivity improvement at the shop floor over the last decade. As such, hundreds of Ghanaian enterprises have introduced and still apply Kaizen practices, which helped them improve their performance. Still, to achieve a bigger national impact, the approach needs to be upgraded to sustainably improve the enterprises’ competitiveness. Accordingly, with funding from the government of Japan and in coordination with the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), UNIDO will implement its “Expanding the Kaizen initiative by enhancing sustainable agribusiness” project that, through the Organization’s digital dashboard system, will adress inter alia the economic performance, the resource efficiency, the environmental sustainability, and the social welfare of MSMEs. Ultimately, the 3-year project will support Ghana in scaling up its national Kaizen initiative, and by extension enhance the performance of Ghanaian MSMEs. The project will introduce “Smart and Sustainable Agri-Business (SSAB)” – an approach that collects key performance indicators to visualize the enterprises’ performance, also related to productivity, resource efficiency, food security/compliance and social welfare. A pre-launch event was attended by Hisanobu Mochizuki, Japanese Ambassador to Ghana , Fakhruddin Azizi, UNIDO Representative to Ghana and Liberia and Charles Abani UN Resident Coordinator.

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