Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration
The government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has pledged its continuous commitment to the Commonwealth, by fervently upholding its values and reaffirming its belief in the organisation as a powerful influence for the good of the world.
Government therefore hopes that as Ghana joins other member states of the Commonwealth to commemorate the Commonwealth Day, which fell on Monday, March 8, it will cooperate more, with mutual respect and goodwill, to deliver a common future for the Ghanaian people.
In a message to commemorate the day, virtually, the sector minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, indicated that the government is committed to a future that is evidently characterised by sustainability, peace, security, fairness and inclusivity.
Relevance
She noted that the relevance of Commonwealth cannot be underestimated in these contemporary times.
“Our Commonwealth has stood the test of time and has championed the promotion of prosperity, democracy and peace, justice and human rights, empowerment of women and young people, amplified the voices of small and vulnerable states, advocated the protection of the environment in terms of the blue economy through its Blue Charter and climate change,” she said.
“Apart from these great strides, this intergovernmental organisation has been placed on the path towards further championing trade facilitation through the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda to boost trade among its Member States and help address threats such as debt, terrorism, corruption, inequality as well as racism,” Ms Botchwey added.
Rooted network
In her view, this year’s theme, “Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming,” is very appropriate, given the overwhelming challenges and the threats to a promising and fulfilling future for generations yet unborn.
The Foreign and Regional Integration Minister said that member states cannot afford to be helpless in the current Covid-19 situation confronting the world.
“It is imperative that our abiding efforts would be geared towards assisting each other with our deeply rooted network of friendship amongst Member States, to achieve some of the goals, including protecting our natural resources and boosting trade through the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda,” she noted.
According to Ms Botchwey, the Commonwealth family remains an organisation that aspires to promote global sustainable development and helps shape the world of tomorrow, while playing its leadership role in curbing the Covid-19 pandemic.
She expects that with “common purpose through knowledge transfer, all can give and all can gain,” adding : “This would lead to innovations that will transform lives and livelihoods to ensure an inclusive progress and a greater prosperity for all.”
