FIRST EXTERNAL CONSULTATIVE MEETING ON CANDIDATURES

III. The need for early expressions of interest by Ghana in positions of international organisations.
· The election of Professor Alex Dodoo, the Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority, as President of the African Organisation for Standardization.
IV. The need for Ghana to groom young Ghanaian officials to eventually take up positions within the international bodies Ghana belonged to.
The main issues that were discussed at the meeting were:
Ambassador Sammie Eddico concluded by admonishing the MDAs to remain in constant communication with the Ministry and indicated that the Committee would meet twice in a year.
The Chairman of the meeting, Amb. Sammie Eddico, Supervising Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration chronicled the history behind the meeting by indicating the priority of Government over the years to hold high-level positions in International Organisations, which had informed the establishment of the Candidatures Unit. He further enumerated the following successes of the Unit:
I. The importance of MDAs reporting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration after attending various conferences.
· The election of Ghana as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the term 2022-2023.
II. The need for MDAs to desist from submitting candidatures and responding to requests for support without recourse to the Ministry.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration held its first External Consultative Meeting with representatives from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies on Candidatures at the Obed Asamoah Conference Room on 21st July,2021. The purpose of the meeting was to enhance the Ministry’s constitutional mandate to manage and comprehensively coordinate the interaction with States and all international organizations, to which Ghana is a party or observer.
· The election of Ghana to Subsidiary Bodies of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) which includes the United Nations Commission on Narcotics Drugs for the term 2022 – 2025 and the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP);
V. The creation of a special fund to aid in the promotion of Ghanaian candidatures.

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