Nana Arrives In New York

President Akufo-Addo arrived in New York City Wednesday evening for the United Nations High Level Meeting to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal 14 which aims to conserve and use the seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

He arrived at the Teterboro Airport in New Jersey in the company of some senior government officials, including Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey; Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo; Deputy Chief of Staff, Francis Asenso Boakye and Director of State Protocol, Ambassador Ahmed Hassan.

They were met on arrival by Ghana's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Martha Pobee and the Military Advisor to the Ghana Mission, Brigadier General Reginald Odoi.

He then proceeded to exchange pleasantries with a cross-section of Ghanaians and executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in America who gathered at the airport to welcome him with miniature Ghana flags.

The president was then chauffeured with a police escort to his hotel.

Schedule
While in New York, President Akufo-Addo would attend the World Oceans Day event and make a statement at the plenary meeting of the Oceans Conference at the UN General Assembly.

He is expected to hold a number of bilateral meetings with top UN officials, including the Deputy United Nations Secretary General, Amina Mohamed and Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly.

The Ghanaian leader is also expected to meet the Ghanaian community sometime on Friday and depart for Berlin, Germany, on Saturday where he will pay a courtesy call on the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and participate in the G-20 Africa Partnership Summit being held in Berlin to deliberate on Germany's 'Marshall Plan' for Africa, at the invitation of the German Chancellor. He will also deliver a speech on the theme, “Ghana, Africa's Rising Star,” at an event to be organised by the Konrad Adenaeur Stiftung.

Oceans Conference
The high-level United Nations Oceans Conference was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 5 to 9 June, 2017, coinciding with World Oceans Day.

The Governments of Fiji and Sweden have the co-hosting responsibilities of the Conference.

It aims to become the game changer that will reverse the decline in the health of the ocean for people, planet and prosperity. It will be solutions-focused with engagement by all.

The Conference will among others, “identify ways and means to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14; build on existing successful partnerships and stimulate innovative, concrete new partnerships to advance the implementation of Goal 14; involve all relevant stakeholders, bringing together governments, the United Nations system, other intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, the private sector, philanthropic organizations and other actors to assess challenges and opportunities relating to, as well as actions taken towards, the implementation of Goal

The Conference shall adopt by consensus a concise, focused, inter-governmentally agreed declaration in the form of a “Call for Action” to support the implementation of Goal 14 .

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, New York, USA