The Ministry of Education, Science and Sports (MESS) has commended Busumuru Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) for his pioneering role in placing sport at the centre of international diplomacy. Osei Bonsu Amoah, the Deputy Minister in a press release commended the former UN Chief for promoting sport as a valuable tool for development and peace in the world. He said, "It is through your advocacy of using sports for development and peace which has ensured its identification as a tool for development in Ghana's Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II)." Busumuru Annan in July 2002 convened a UN Inter-Agency Task Force to identify the essence and role of sports in human development. The Deputy Minister said the declaration of the year 2005 as the International Year of Sports and Physical Education helped increase awareness and the creating of the right conditions for the implementation of more sport-based human development projects. "We indeed share your sentiments that sports can play a role in improving the lives of individuals and the community as a whole. "We also reckon with you that the time is right to build on that understanding to encourage governments, development agencies and communities to think of how sports can be included more systematically in the plans to help children who live in poverty, diseases and conflict". Source: GNA