Ghana’s Ground-Breaking Resolution on Gender and Corruption Adopted by COSP10 in Atlanta

Ghana’s groundbreaking resolution on gender and corruption has been adopted by consensus at the 10th Conference of the States Parties held in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States of America, from 11th – 15th December 2023. The journey on this resolution which begun about six months ago has been long, tortuous and painful. The resolution, though well intentioned and in the interest of women, girls and boys who are disproportionately affected by corruption, fell into an emotive realm, with some degree of misconception and suspicion.

 
At the same time, the learning curve in the process has been great. We have learnt that even in a difficult international political situation, the collective will of noble women and men, their resilience, patience and ingenuity can yield immense dividends in support of multilateralism. Therefore, ours is to stand together for what unites rather than divides us; to preserve the interest of present and future generations in our common and shared responsibility to address and counter corruption.

 
We need to empower women, girls and boys as agents of change by ensuring their inclusivity in leadership role to mitigate opportunities for corruption. An inclusive society is a less corrupt society, as diversity breaks up pre-existing collusive networks. Again, we need to research on the linkages between gender, as construed by this resolution, and corruption.

We would like to thank all delegations who have accompanied Ghana through this journey, with special mentions of Ambassador Aftab Khokher of Pakistan, Ambassador Laura Holgate of the USA, Ambassador Rapu Molekane of South Africa, Ambassador Mohamed El-Molla of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Ambassador Carl Hallergard of the European Union, among many other Vienna-based diplomats, for their support and cooperation.

Embassy and Permanent Mission of Ghana
Vienna
17 December 2023