Ghana not shying away from responsibility of protecting human rights - Deputy A-G

At the 11th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, the Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Ms. Diana Asonaba Dapaah, reiterated Ghana’s commitment to human rights in general and business and human rights in particular.

Addressing the session on the theme, “High-Level Roundtable: Governments Taking Action on Business and Human Rights,” at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Ms. Dapaah stressed, "As a country, Ghana remains committed to its responsibility as a primary duty-bearer to protect human rights including business-related human rights.

"We do not shy away from that responsibility at all. That said, we also relish the support of all stakeholders and urge all stakeholders including businesses to adopt a collaborative instead of an adversarial posture in this discourse on business and human rights.

"Businesses ought to see themselves as agents of change for sustainable development. As Ghana progresses on its National Action Plan (NAP) on business and human rights, it is heartwarming to witness the cooperation of all stakeholders and the blunt conversations that have emerged out of these stakeholder engagements.”

Also at the Forum, Ms. Dapaah stressed the need for African countries to come together to advance an African approach to business and human rights within the global framework.

While emphasising the importance of business and human-rights as key to the successes of other African initiatives including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Ms. Dapaah highlighted thus, “Africa must gain notoriety as a continent which does not countenance irresponsible business conduct and we cannot have a weak link in this agenda.”

The UN Forum is the world’s largest annual gathering on business and human rights with participants from governments, businesses, community groups and civil society, law firms, investor organisations, UN bodies, national human rights institutions, trade unions, academia and the media.

At the Forum, participants take part in discussions on topics that relate to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

The 11th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights took place from 28th- 30th November 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland.