Ghana is to benefit froma $51 million grant following the signing of the United Nations Compact for the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).
The UNSDCF is the instrument for planning and implementation of UN development activities at country level.
It outlines the UN development system's integrated contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) along with commitment to Leaving No One Behind (LNOB) and fundamental rights and human rights based approach (HRBA).
Others are Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE), building resilience and sustainability and strengthening accountability.
The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, signed on behalf of the Government of Ghana while Charles Abani, the resident coordinator of the UN, signed on behalf of his organisation, in Accra, yesterday.
Mr Ofori-Atta said the signing of the compact reaffirmed a continuation of Ghana's strategic partnership with the UN, which clearly aligned with government's development agenda.
He said this contributed to the achievements of global and regional commitments, under the 2030 and 2063 Agenda over the next three years.
Mr Ofori-Atta explained that the agenda would focus on areas of Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable Economic Growth and Transformation; Accessible, Equitable, Inclusive, Sustainable Quality Basic Social Services; and Durable Peace and Security in Ghana and the West African sub-region.
The minister said Ghana and the UN shared a long history of productive collaboration, dating back to the early 1960s.
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Hesaid that "Ghanaian men and women have served as United Nations peacekeepers since the early 1970s, participating in operations that stretched from the Sinai to the African continent."
Mr Ofori-Atta said government achieved a staff level agreement with the IMF in December 2022, and had since been working tirelessly to complete all prior actions required to present Ghana's Programme to the Fund Executive Board for approval.
"We have also made substantial progress on the debt exchange programme as well as on our engagements with bilateral creditors to secure the necessary financing assurances required for the IMF Programme," the minister said.
MrAbani said the compact was nationally owned and reflected national development priorities.
"It presents the UN's collective commitment to Ghana through a set of development outcomes to be reached jointly from 2023-2025," he said.
MrAbani said the priorities of the UNSDCF were informed by an evaluation of the previous strategic framework and the UN's Common Country Analysis (CCA), which analyses lessons, Ghana's development needs, context and opportunities.
"The total funding for the framework over the three years period is expected to be US$517million. Out of this, US$270million is available with the remaining US$247million expected to be mobilised through various approaches," he stressed.
