UN will help Ghana abolish vigilantism

General News on Friday, April 19th, 2019

Source: ghananewsagency.org

2019-04-19

The United Nations has reaffirmed its determination to badist Ghana in its efforts to abolish political vigilance.

Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), said that the United Nations would remain at Ghana's willingness to facilitate national conversations to answer the non-partisan question.

He said the UN remains committed to supporting ongoing national efforts, led by the National Peace Council, to combat political vigilance, and expressed hope that all parties participate in the conclusion of a consensual agreement to tackle this phenomenon comprehensively.

Chambas made the remarks during a presentation at the second public conference of Ghana's Council of Foreign Relations in Accra.

He spoke of the following theme: "An Agenda for Building Partnerships for Peace in West Africa and the Sahel: Challenges and Opportunities".

Dr. Chambas noted that political vigilance, as demonstrated in the partial by-election at Ayawaso West Wuogon earlier this year, illustrated two main peace issues.

The first was the importance of the political economy of peace, which was unsustainable in a broader context of economic polarization and inequity.

The second major problem was the need for partnerships to combat this multidimensional phenomenon, both as cause and effect.

Dr. Chambas said that one in five Ghanaians lives in poverty; more than a quarter of Ghana's children (28%) live in poverty and one in eight Ghanaians lives in extreme poverty.

He stated that this went against the collective vision of a country and its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other development goals.

He said the bottom line was a group of Ghanaians who have become economically deprived of their rights and vulnerable to political manipulation.

Dr. Chambas said that the apparent resistance of political vigilance meant that it was out of the reach of political parties, and even the only government.

He called for national efforts involving multiple partnerships between the government, political parties, security agencies, judiciary, media, communities, civil society, traditional and religious leaders, and national and sub-national institutions. to find a solution to the threat.

"In the current environment, the country should consider triggering all instruments of the national peace architecture in order to meet the challenges of political vigilance in Ghana, beyond the legalistic approaches", did he declare.

"I should applaud the initiative of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former President John Dramani Mahama and their political parties, to work collaboratively to end the phenomenon of vigilance before they reach the end." he does not become a monster that can no longer be controlled … ..to destroy Ghana's reputation, "he added.