The Office of the President has announced new rules on Ghana’s participation in the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, noting that no Minister, Government Staff or Civil and Public Servant may attend without prior written approval from the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah.
In a statement issued on Saturday, August 30, the Office of the President said the directive follows President John Dramani Mahama’s recent Cabinet pronouncement on international events and related travel.
The statement reads, “No Minister, Deputy Minister, Civil or Public Servant, CEO/MD of a State-Owned Enterprise, Political Appointee, or any staff of Government may accept any invitation to, or attend, UNGA 80 or any related side meetings, panels, receptions, bilateral engagements, or third-party events without the express, prior written approval of the Chief of Staff.”
According to them, this directive covers all invitations from the UN and its agencies, missions or partner organisations, invitations from development partners, think tanks, NGOs, private sector entities or any other third parties.
It also applies to self-initiated participation, observer attendance, or attendance funded by external parties.
The statement stressed that, “Only the official Government delegation, as cleared in writing by the Chief of Staff, will be authorised to travel and participate. Any pending or previously accepted invitations are suspended unless and until expressly re-authorised by the Chief of Staff.”
It was further stated that all requests should be submitted in writing through the relevant supervising Minister to the Chief of Staff, and warned that flouting the directive would result in consequences.
“Any official who flouts this directive will face strict sanctions in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Public Office Holders and the Civil and Public Service Codes of Conduct paraphrase,” it stated.
They further stressed, “Strict compliance is expected.”
This directive is to ensure a lean, coherent, and cost-effective national representation that aligns with the president’s ‘Resetting Ghana’ priorities.
The 80th United Nations General Assembly is scheduled for September 2025 in New York and will bring together leaders from 193 member states.
It is an annual gathering part of the UN’s main policy-making session, which provides the platform to deliberate on some of the world’s issues.
