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World Veterans Federation calls
for upliftment of veterans welfare
Accra, 14 July,
Ghanadot/GNA- Mr. Abdul Hamid Ibrahim, President of the
World Veterans Federation (WVF) on Saturday urged African
countries to do more to ensure the upliftment in the welfare
and well-being of its veterans.
He said, it was very pathetic that most of African war
veterans had been neglected with little attention given them
despite their sacrifices to their countries.
Mr. Hamid Ibrahim was speaking at the official opening of a
three-day World Veterans Federation's 13th Meeting of the
Committee on African Affairs in Accra.
He said African countries could do more to help in reaching
out to their victims of war and set them free of the harsh
conditions they were facing, adding, "their sacrifice was in
solidarity with all".
The meeting, which is being sponsored by the government of
Ghana brought together members of the Executive Board of the
WVF organizations across Africa and seeks to address issues
relating to veterans’ welfare, sustain the bonds of
friendship between various veterans' organizations on the
Committee and how to achieve world peace.
Mr. Ibrahim said the WVF was a non-governmental organization
established in 1950 with a membership of 160 veteran
organizations from more than 80 countries and regions seeks
to promote the interest, rights and the well-being of the
veteran in world peace.
He said the federation seeks to contribute towards the
building of a peaceful, just, and free world within the
principles of the United Nations Charter and the Universal
Declaration of Human rights and people's freedom and was
committed to helping solve some of the problems facing war
victims in Africa.
Mr. Ibrahim also advised world leaders to encourage the use
of dialogue rather than war in solving problems to achieve
world peace and security.
"We are reminding them that war is not the means of solving
problems but compounding them..."
He said as retired soldiers, they have had their feel of war
and would not encourage any country to use the military in
solving problems.
The President of WVF therefore, expressed the disappointment
at the international communities for its failure to find
lasting solutions to crisis.
Mr. William Boafo, Deputy Minister of Defence, said, Ghana
had always shown dedication and commitment to improving the
welfare of the officers of the Ghana Armed Forces when they
are out of active service and had joined the rank of
veterans.
He said Ghana could be counted among the first African
nations to join the WVF and a worthy founding member of the
Federation's Regional Grouping of the Standing Committee of
African Affairs.
The deputy Minister said the country joined the two bodies,
conscious of the laudable role it was playing to seek the
interest of Africa's veterans and the numerous victims of
war.
He said as part of government’s commitment to its veterans,
the ministry had accepted to foot the bill for the
collective premium payment for all veterans who register to
receive medical care under their respective district Mutual
Health Insurance Schemes.
Mr. Boafo also acknowledged the neglect and the plight of
spouses of the retired service personnel and promised that
efforts were being made to accelerate the consummation of
government's approval to grant surviving spouses a good
percentage of the monthly pension pay of the deceased
partner.
He said the government had, on several occasions
collaborated effectively with the Veterans Association of
Ghana on administrative and welfare needs of veterans and
cited the new infrastructurally improved Legion Village in
the Greater Accra Region as an example.
The Minister therefore called on the Committee to discuss
and provide productive input into the ongoing debate on
African Union government since a continental government
would be in a stronger position to tackle “the root causes
of our inter-state as well as intra-state conflicts.”
GNA
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