2023 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Kicks Off in Accra, Ghana

Ministers and delegates from more than 85 countries and international organizations will meet in Accra, Ghana for the 2023 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting on 5-6 December to express their collective commitment to UN Peacekeeping. 

The Ministerial seeks to secure vital political support and concrete commitments to strengthen UN Peacekeeping efforts to meet current and future challenges and needs, in line with ongoing reform under Action for Peacekeeping and the A4P+ implementation plan.  

“Ultimately, peacekeeping is a political endeavor. Our goal is to help parties secure and implement peace agreements and related processes. To succeed in a world that is more divided than ever, we need the united and active engagement of Member States,” said Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix. “As missions navigate unprecedented challenges and threats, the Ministerial is an important opportunity for Member States to demonstrate their support and make concrete pledges to strengthen our effectiveness.”  

The flagship event, co-hosted by the United Nations and the Republic of Ghana, marks the fifth such meeting at the Ministerial-level and the first to be held on the African continent.  

“As a long-standing troop- and police-contributing country to UN Peacekeeping since the 1960s, Ghana acknowledges the long and positive track record of peacekeeping in Africa and believes that UN Peacekeeping has a future and remains indispensable and invaluable in advancing peace in conflict settings globally. It is therefore pertinent that the world remains resolute in our commitment to jealously guarding this multilateral tool and fully support the Secretary-General’s initiatives such as the Action for Peacekeeping and A4P+ which are essential to improving the effectiveness of modern-day peacekeeping and tackling the security challenges of our time,” said Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. 

The year’s event will focus on crucial issues such as advancing sustainable peace, protection of civilians, strategic communications, and improving the safety and mental health of peacekeepers. During the two-day event, Member States and the UN will also work together to improve environmental management of our operations and deploy more women peacekeepers  to ensure more diverse and inclusive operations. 

The Accra meeting is the latest in a series of high-level events that have enabled world leaders to pledge resources to help missions fully implement their mandates.  Beyond garnering political support, generous contributions by Member States at meetings in New York, London, Vancouver, and Seoul have helped generate rapidly deployable military units, key aviation assets, better medical capacities and to advance the Women, Peace, and Security agenda.