The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has re-affirmed the commitment of the 8th Parliament to prioritise issues of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensure that committed Members of Parliament are recruited to champion these goals.
According to him, Parliament will soon approve amendments being made to the current standing orders so as to open the standing committees up for broader engagements.
The Speaker was addressing 15 resident heads of the United Nations Agencies in Ghana, led by Charles Abani, the UN Resident Coordinator, when they paid a courtesy call on him in Parliament.
The delegation had called on the Speaker to, among other things, discuss Parliament’s role in serving as a catalyst to achieving the SDGs as well as prioritise for shaping new cooperation framework.
The UN Resident Coordinator stated that the COVID-19 pandemic had taught the world an important lesson of network multilateralism required to achieving the SGDs and peace.
He pledged the support of the UN systems in Ghana at working closely with the current Parliament to address the many challenges confronting the Ghanaian people, particularly, issues of protection for the marginalised and vulnerable.
“The UN stands ready to support with the principal objective of enabling Ghana realise its ambition of a prosperous inclusive, democratic and egalitarian state, building forward positively and confidently,” he said.
Mr Bagbin announced Parliament’s readiness this year to pass into law the Affirmative Action Bill which is currently before Cabinet.
He, however, cautioned that passing the law alone will not be enough to achieving the recommended 30% representation of women in governance and reiterated the need for further education to change the mindset of the people.