Members of Parliament of Ghana have called on the United Nations (UN) to urgently revise targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) due to the negative impact of Covid-19 on nations’ economies.
In a statement on the Floor of the House last Friday, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddirisu indicated that the action was necessary because Covid-19 will not allow many nations to be able to hold on to the pledges and promises that they made towards the attainment of the SDGs targets.
“My contribution will be centered on COVID and its effects on the global economy and the reported cases of worsening cases of extreme poverty in the world. The UN will have no option than to revise and call for an urgent meeting of heads of states to revise the Sustainable Development Goals and the targets that were set therein.
COVID will wither away the commitments that were made by nations, COVID will wither away the economic resources that were to assist and facilitate the attainment of those objectives. We have to increase and expand access to basic facilities including quality water globally, and even healthcare,” he added.
The MP for Tamale South made this request in his contribution following a statement made by Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Frank Annoh Dompreh, on the event of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations which fell on the 24th of October, 2020.
In support of the MP’s call, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey also expressed doubt that Ghana will be able to achieve the set SDG goals by 2030, attributing that to the dire effect of pandemic.
Mrs. Ayorkor Botchwey further urged that the timelines for the achievement of the SDGs should be looked at.
“Ghana is a worthy member of the United Nations and on the occasion of the 75th anniversary, we very much would like to convey very warm felicitations to all countries and members of the United Nations.
We will not be able to achieve the SDGs within the timeframes that we have set for ourselves, which is 2030, because of the dire negative effect of Covid-19 on our economies and our social lives, and therefore, there is a need for us to have a re-look at how we can reprioritize and also to push further for the SDGs to be achieved,” she noted.
Ghana marked the 75th anniversary under the theme: ‘Shaping our future together, Ghana and the UN’, and while the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Frank Annoh Dompreh called for more years of bilateral cooperation and partnerships, he also urged that Ghana as a country, takes up the mandate to address its issues locally.
He said: “I wish to remind us all that local actions are often more powerful than coordinated global ones. If we continue to address our issues ourselves, we ease the burden on international organisations, and leadership remains key in this process, therefore, we need to embody the change that we wish to see.”
