80th UN Day High-Level Dialogue

I am very happy to welcome you all to this High-Level Dialogue marking the 80th anniversary of the United Nations.

On 24 October 1945, the UN Charter entered into force — the legal beginning of our United Nations. But putting aside the formal language, it is also our birthday. I won’t ask you to sing, but let me wish us all a Happy Birthday.

As we celebrate, we must also remember why we were born 80 years ago. The Second World War claimed an estimated 50 to 60 million lives directly, and up to 85 million in total — the deadliest conflict in human history. Families, communities, entire cities and economies were destroyed. In the aftermath, nations came together to build a system founded on peace, human dignity, and cooperation — a vision as vital today as it was in 1945.

The anniversary theme, “UN at 80: Building Our Future Together,” reminds us that the future we seek cannot be achieved alone. It requires shared responsibility, strong partnerships, and a renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation.

Since joining the UN in 1957, soon after independence, Ghana has been a consistent and reliable partner, dedicated to what the UN stands for. Through peacekeeping, diplomacy, and development work, Ghana has shown how a nation can contribute to global well-being. And part of that well-being lies in honest, fact-based dialogue between family members.

I like to think of the UN as a global family — perhaps imperfect, perhaps even dysfunctional. Is any family perfect? I don’t think so. But as a family, we can be united by shared ideals.

As we celebrate this milestone, we must also confront the challenges that define our time — climate change, displacement, inequality, misinformation, invasions, mass atrocities, collective punishment, and the erosion of institutions built to uphold peace and justice. Institutions such as the UN and the ICC face real tests of credibility. These issues require coordinated and practical action.

Building our future together means:

• Reaffirming our commitment to peace and security by preventing conflict and addressing its root causes.
• Accelerating climate action, especially in vulnerable regions across Africa.
• Promoting inclusive development so that young people, women, and marginalized groups are not left behind.
• Upholding the rule of law and human rights as the basis for fair and accountable governance.

In Ghana, we mark this anniversary under the theme “Ghana and the UN – Shared Responsibility for a Better Tomorrow.” It reflects our conviction that development must serve people, peace must be sustained, and dignity protected everywhere.

His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, in his address to the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly, called on the international community to recognise Africa’s growing population and economic potential, and to reflect that reality in global decision-making.

His message aligns with today’s theme and reminds us that our future depends on fairness, inclusiveness, and cooperation.

Allow me to paraphrase some of his poignant points:

• On demographics: By 2050, over a quarter of the world’s people — and one-third of all youth — will live in Africa.
• On representation: The UN Charter’s promise of “sovereign equality of all its members” is not yet realised; Africa still lacks a permanent seat on the Security Council.
• On climate justice: While the Global North emits roughly 75 percent more greenhouse gases, the burdens fall disproportionately on the Global South — a reality that demands resources, not rhetoric.
• On Gaza: He condemned the continuing atrocities against the Palestinian people — the collective punishment and humanitarian catastrophe we witness today.
• On the town-square metaphor: As digital connectivity expands, true communal spaces are eroding — making the UN’s role as the world’s town square more vital than ever.

This brings me to today’s focus — dialogue. People sometimes say the UN is just a talk-shop, with endless meetings and resolutions. But I would argue that dialogue is one of the most powerful tools we have to share ideas and co-create solutions.

When we choose to fight instead of talk....... we do ourselves and the world a disservice.

Dialogues like this — where informed, thoughtful voices exchange facts and ideas — are becoming rare. Too often they are replaced by 60-second, emotion-driven rants that weaken our capacity for critical thinking.

The UN at 80 offers a reminder that we must protect spaces for frank deliberation, where critique is welcomed, bold ideas are tested, and uncomfortable truths confronted.

The United Nations must not be dulled by bureaucracy or tradition. It must leap forward — reinvigorated by the courage of its member states to challenge inertia, rethink outdated mechanisms, and embrace reform.
We must ask difficult questions:
Are our institutions fit for purpose?
Are our partnerships equitable?
Are our commitments matched by action?

Such renewal also depends on bold and principled leadership — the kind we see in our current Secretary-General. He has not hesitated to speak out against suffering and breaches of international humanitarian law, whether in Sudan, Ukraine, or Gaza. In an era when selective outrage too often shapes responses to atrocity, his voice has been consistent, fair, and courageous, reminding us that the UN’s strength lies in moral clarity and impartiality.

Only through honest dialogue and fearless introspection can we build a United Nations that remains inclusive, impactful, and true to its founding values.

To borrow again from President Mahama: the UN is the world’s town square — a safe space where all nations, and indeed all people, can share their concerns, their ideas, and work together for the common good.

Through dialogue, through multilateralism, and by honouring why the UN was created, we can truly build our future together — a better tomorrow for Ghana, for Africa, and for the world.

Thank you.