Israel must stop building on Palestinian territory – President Mahama tells UN
President John Mahama has called for Israel to immediately stop building on Palestinian territory as efforts are made to resolve the conflict between the two countries.
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Addressing the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday, President Mahama said: "Ghana supports a two state solution to the conflict. A peaceful and stable Israel, coexisting with a sovereign Palestinian State. To this end we call for an immediate cessation of construction of settlements in the Palestinian territories."
The President, who spoke for about 20 minutes, lauded efforts by the United States (US) and Cuba to normalise relations, describing it as “an important first step towards discarding the relics of the old war represented by the [50-year] economic blockade of Cuba”.
He echoed calls for more inclusivity in the UN - something he said was necessary to reflect the reality and needs of today’s world.
He said after 70 years of the UN’s existence, it was important that the so-called developing countries were given a more active voice in the organisation.
"Truth be told, it's is long past time. The world that existed in 1945 does not exist now in 2015, so the visionary organisation that was formed to meet the needs of that world must now be reformed to meet the needs of today's world."
Sporting a multi-coloured ‘Batakari’, President Mahama also drew attention to efforts he was making at home to empower deprived and marginalised people in Ghana.
He said the Livelihood Empowerment Programme (LEAP), the government had provided cash grants to thousands of households in Ghana, while many others had been registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
The President also spoke about the government’s effort to encourage girls to go to school – something he said would be aided by the introduction of progressively free Senior High Education. (Free SHS)
Touching on the power crisis confronting the country, President Mahama said efforts were underway to add 3500 megawatts of electricity to the national grid to resolve the problem.