When Ghana made history hosting 1st UN Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting in Africa

The first United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting ever to hold in Africa took place in Accra, capital of Ghana from December 5-6, 2023 with participants from various nations of the world in attendance.

A major target of the meeting was to help secure much-needed political support and generate pledges to strengthen UN Peacekeeping, in line with Action for Peacekeeping and A4P+, the implementation strategy for 2021-2023.

The fifth of such meetings, this first in Africa edition, like the others held in other continents of the world, was focused “on securing concrete commitments from Member States to fill critical gaps, leverage new technologies, and address key priorities to improve the operational effectiveness of peacekeeping missions.”

Held against the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and the Russian-Ukraine war, among other trouble spots in the world, the meeting also dwelt “on critical issues such as the protection of civilians, strategic communications and addressing misinformation and disinformation, safety and security, mental health of uniformed peacekeepers, and the pivotal role of women in peacekeeping.”

Top officials of the United Nations and Defence Chiefs from member nations of the world body attended the historic meeting, and pictures here by JOHN NYAKU, show some of the dignitaries who graced event.