The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, announced the appointment on Friday, October 13, according to a statement on the UN’s website.

Major General Vib-Sanziri succeeds Major General Jai Shanker Menon of India.

Since joining the Ghanaian Armed Forces in 1985, Major General Francis Vib-Sanziri has served in many capacities and has been the Director-General of the International Peace Support Operations at the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces since April 2017.

He also served as Assistant Director, Ghana Army Operations (1996-1998), Deputy Head of the Ghana Military Academy (2002-2004), Commanding Officer of an Infantry Battalion (2004-2009), Director for International Peacekeeping Support Operations in 2009 and Army Secretary at the Army Headquarters (2010-2011).

Major General Vib-Sanziri’s peacekeeping experience includes deployments to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in 1988 and 1991, United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) in 1993 and 1994 and the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) in 2007.

He holds a master’s degree in military art and science from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, in the United States, a post-graduate certificate in public administration from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography and rural resource development from the University of Ghana.

He is a graduate of the Nigerian Armed Forces Command and General Staff College, Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College and the United States Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Wang Yi said he urged Ri Yong-ho to abide by UN resolutions in a meeting on Sunday in the Philippines.

He did not say how Mr Ri replied.

Saturday’s resolution banning North Korean exports and limiting investments in the country was passed unanimously.

Mr Wang said sanctions were needed, but “are not the final goal”, and he urged dialogue. He said he told North Korea to remain calm, and not provoke the international community with more tests.

The Chinese envoy also urged the US and South Korea not to increase tensions, saying that the situation was at a “critical point”, but also a juncture at which talks could be resumed.

US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley earlier said North Korea was facing “the most stringent set of sanctions on any country in a generation”.

Pyongyang tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July, claiming it now had the ability to hit the US.

However, experts doubt the missiles can hit their targets.

The tests were condemned by South Korea, Japan and the US, and prompted the drafting of the new UN sanctions.

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Source: BBC

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The women protesters carried children on their backs while singing songs of their struggle, according to a publication from Cape Town, South Africa. In their hands they held signs that said, “Enough is enough with refugee women abuse”.

Among their demands is a more rapid review of their documents, which allow them to remain in the country.

The UNHCR allegedly has more than 200 000 asylum seekers’ applications still pending at the Department of Home Affairs.

The pending applications impacts the women’s ability to find employment, which leaves them to depend on their husbands “who can be controlling and sometimes abusive,” according to the march’s organizer.
Afia Lekhutcha from Ghana, said she had three months to leave the country and had been trying to get her documents for five months now but without success.

The women claim that UNHCR is not doing its job to “follow the right protocols to assist them as refugees”.

With forced displacement at its highest worldwide in decades, UNHCR offices in multiple countries are forced to make difficult decisions, including cutting back aid to refugees.

Due to the backlog, many refugees are undocumented, meaning they will remain unemployed and sometimes reduced to committing crimes.

The UNHCR was unavailable for comment.

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By: Joy Notoma/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Some members of Delta Force, stormed the Kumasi Circuit Court and freed about 13 members of their group, who were facing charges for causing disturbances at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council. The group vandalized some court properties, and almost assaulted the Judge, Mary Senkyire in the process.

Aside this development, there have been several attacks staged by other vigilante groups affiliated with the governing NPP.

A joint statement authored by the special representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel; Mohammed Ibn Chambas , and the resident coordinator of the UN system in Ghana; Christiane Evans-Klock described these attacks as reprehensible.

The statement, which was issued on Monday April 10 and copied to citifmonline.com also called for a thorough government investigation into these incidents since Ghana’s image is being affected by these developments.

“The two UN officials outrightly denounce these reprehensible acts that are the latest in a series of similar incidents since the end of the December 2016 elections in Ghana.They welcome positively the unambiguous condemnation of these acts by the government and expect that all necessary measures will be taken to investigate these actions and bring the perpetrators to justice,” the statement said.

Read the full statement below:

STATEMENT BY THE UNITED NATIONS ON RECENT VIOLENCE AT KUMASI CIRCUIT COURT

Accra, Ghana: 10 April 2017 – The United Nations has consistently drawn attention to the negative role of vigilante groups in the two leading political parties of Ghana.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and the Resident Coordinator of the UN system in Ghana, Christine Evans-Klock, have followed with consternation the acts of impunity perpetrated by the Delta Force vigilante group in the aftermath of December 2016 elections.

They are particularly concerned that these political militants invaded the premises of Kumasi Circuit Court on 6 April 2017, and freed their members standing trial for assault on the Regional Security Coordinator on 24 March 2017.

These acts are likely to tarnish the image of Ghana as a model of democracy and the rule of law.

The two UN officials outrightly denounce these reprehensible acts that are the latest in a series of similar incidents since the end of the December 2016 elections in Ghana.

They welcome positively the unambiguous condemnation of these acts by the government and expect that all necessary measures will be taken to investigate these actions and bring the perpetrators to justice.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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On the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child, the NGO noted that, although women make up the majority of most populations in the world, very little is being done to address the disadvantages and discrimination borne by girls.

According to the 2014, Ghana Living Standards Survey’s Child Labour Report, “The proportion of females (5.6%) who have never attended school is higher than males (5.7%). The Ghana Statistical Service (2014) also indicates that the school attendance rates for males are higher than for females and the differences become more noticeable with increasing age.

The total attendance rates recorded for males and females in the age group 6-11 years, are 93.3 percent and 92.6 percent respectively, compared with 93.4 percent for males, and 90.6 percent for females 19-25 years.

HFFG said “This is even more pronounced for females in the age group 19-25 years in the rural savannah where a very low rate of 53.2 percent is recorded. These statistics indicate that more effort is needed not only in sending female children to school but, more importantly, also ensuring that they stay in school. Again, in Ghana, unemployment is highest among females between the ages of 15-25 (GSS, August 2014). Whilst about 52% of people aged 15-24 were employed (compared to about 90% for the 25-64 population), a third were in school, 14% were inactive and 4% were unemployed actively looking for job.”

It expressed worry that women and girls in the country continue to be the victims of negative cultural practices and are more adversely affected by HIV/AIDS, sexual abuse, child marriages, and other reproductive health rights issues.

It also called on various stakeholders to collaborate to ensure girls and women in Ghana enjoy equal opportunities as targeted by the United Nations.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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It said adequate and quality data would provide the basis for holding all stakeholders – including governments, communities and development partners – accountable for investing in and making sure that girls had an equal chance to succeed, live healthy lives, realise their dreams and contribute to their societies.

Ms. Emelia Allan, a Child Protection Specialist at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), made the call in her address at a media briefing in Accra, on Monday, to give highlights on the upcoming activities to commemorate the 2016 International Day of the Girl-Child.

She said the Day was instituted by the UN General Assembly, and it was marked annually on October 11 to create the platform for advocacy to ensure that girls get the investment and recognition they deserve as citizens and as powerful agents of change within their own families, communities and nations.

It also focuses on promoting girls’ empowerment and highlights the unique challenges they face around the world in areas such as child marriage, teenage pregnancy, child labour, violence, discrimination, gender inequality and limited access to education and health.

Ms Allan said the national theme is: “The Relevance of Data in tracking Developmental Progress”, which focuses on the importance of data in highlighting the challenges and opportunities faced by girls in their daily lives.

She said investment in data was necessary to be able to measure and understand the opportunities and challenges girls faced; and it was also important to inform the interventions to be made by Governments and development partners.

It would also help to track the progress towards meeting the most pressing needs of girls.

Ms Allan said although a lot was being done to address the numerous challenges faced by girls and close the gender gap, inadequate data, braced with ethical challenges associated with collecting such statistics from target groups, including young people, had made the process very stressful.

She said the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was expected to transform national and local development efforts throughout the world in a commitment to leave no one behind in economic, social and environmental development.

“However, in order to assess, monitor and communicate the wellbeing and progress of girls we need age and sex disaggregated data, as advocated for the Global Strategy for Women, Children and Adolescents’ Health (2016-2030),” she said.

She urged the media to intensify advocacy and education on the need for improved access to girl-child education, health and other basic needs, and to highlight their contributions to society and the world at large.

Mrs Cynthia Prah, the National Information Officer of the United Nations Information Centre, said a UN Gender Team had been instituted as a focal point to project the issues for change.

She said the UN was providing support to a number of Non-governmental Organisations to organise activities such as public forums and outreach programmes to highlight the theme and address some of the issues.

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By: GNA

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Addressing a press conference in Accra, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the GNAT, Johnny Akpakli gave the government up to June 20, 2014 to implement the “other decisions contained in the said communiqué we shall inform our members as to the actions we shall take at the end of June 2014”.

The communiqué was signed by all three teacher unions and other stakeholders on May 15, 2014 after a meeting to resolve issues relating to the teachers of the Ghana Education Service.

According to Mr. Akpakli “there are no timelines on these issues”.

This, they think is a deliberate attempt by the government to delay in addressing the issues in the communiqué.

Issues addressed in the communiqué include: incremental credits where it was recommended that Fair Wages and Salaries Commission should liaise with Controller and Accountant General’s Department to let the Ministry of Finance know the total cost of the incremental credits for 2011 and 2012.

On the payment of not more than three months salary arrears, district directors of education were directed to “submit the completed templates for the payment of the remaining arrears to the Regional Directors latest by 16th May, 2014” said Mr. Akpakli.

These completed templates were in turn to be submitted to the Ghana Education Service Headquarters by May 22, 2014 while payment was to begin by the end of June 2014.

According to the signed communiqué, “District Directors were also mandated to collate data on transfer grants of qualified beneficiaries by end of May 2014”.

The communiqué further elaborated that “once Ghana Education Service Headquarters receives the data stakeholders would be invited for a verification and validation exercise for payment to be effected”.

On the second tier occupational Pension Scheme “the matter was referred to the National Tripartite Committee for consideration”.

In an interview with Citi News, Johnny Akpakli said: “Strikes certainly are one of the weapons that the unions use either to enforce demands or ventilate the grievances of their members. If the language our governments understand are strikes and threats of strikes then they should be prepared for more.”

By: Magdalene Larnyoh/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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