Derrick

It was an honour to address the UN special high-level commemorative session on the 25th anniversary of the Durban Declaration on Monday. The Durban Declaration was adopted 25 years ago to combat racism, discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance. In my remarks, I indicated that it must give us all great consternation that 25 years after the Durban Declaration, we are still witnessing extreme intolerance, violence and discrimination manifesting as genocide in Palestine, xenophobia in South Africa and attacks on minorities including Rohingya Muslims and African Americans. Clearly, we have urgent work to do in creating a new world where every life matters. This is why the Ghana-led landmark UN Resolution declaring the transatlantic enslavement and racialised chattel as the gravest crime against humanity is a historic step towards acknowledging the root cause of discrimination, injustice and inequality. The progress we are making after the Ghana-led resolution A/RES/80/250 in securing apologies; engaging in honest reckoning; achieving pledges on the return of looted artefacts and cultural heritage; repair and compensation is the foundation for the new world we are building. I agree with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil when he stated in his UN address last week that the vote on the Ghana-led resolution is one of the most important votes by the UN in its 81-year history. In my speech, I also declared Ghana’s unwavering support for the ICC and opposed attempts to abolish the ICC. Ghana takes the view that international mechanisms for punishing crimes against humanity must be protected and strengthened. For God and Country 🇬🇭 🙏🏾