Veep urges ECOWAS countries to support CSOs

General News of Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh

2019-03-27

Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia called on ECOWAS member states to create and allocate a budget allocation to support the work of civil society organizations (CSOs) to bring peace to the continent.

According to him, this should be done by devoting some of the ECOWAS levies to civil society organizations with backgrounds in peacebuilding activities.

Vice President Bawumia made the call when he addressed participants at the 20th anniversary celebration of the West African Peacebuilding Network (WANEP) in Accra, yesterday.

It was themed; "The future of peace and security in democratic societies: the complementary roles of CSOs"

He said peace in Africa should not be taken for granted: "We can not do anything without peace, so we must invest in peace as we invest in other parts of society."

Mr. Bawumia said the roles and contributions of civil society organizations in nation-building continued to evolve and now revolved around the key issues of human security, empowerment and empowerment. economic transition, political transition and budget management, among others.

"CSOs in West Africa have undoubtedly played a crucial role in promoting the ECOWAS peace and security agenda at the regional and national levels. It is increasingly recognized that CSOs have access to conflict areas and are in direct contact with victims, enabling them to provide unique types of protection. information needed to manage and transform conflict, "he said.

Civil society organizations in West Africa rely heavily on external sources of funding for their peacebuilding activities. Most often funds are short-lived and limited in scope.

He added that it was necessary for civil society organizations to work with the governments of the subregion to consolidate the progress made over the years in maintaining peace and security in the region. and to define a better way forward.

"This involves strengthening early warning systems as well as community and national peacebuilding infrastructures to improve preparedness and response to security threats," he said. he declares.

Dr Chukwuemeka B. Eze, Executive Director of WANEP, said that WANEP was founded to deal with the civil wars that were raging in West Africa in the 1990s.

He said WANEP's key priority areas included the development of early warning and response mechanisms, dialogue and mediation, democratic governance and elections.

The Director-General said that her country was also recognized for its capacity-building in peace and the promotion of women's participation at all levels of the peace process.

Eze said WANEP has been a credible institution over the years with technical know-how and best practices in conflict management, resolution and transformation.

"The sustainable structure of the WANEP regional network and its support to state and intergovernmental organizations has been recognized as a dynamic model of much sought-after regional organization, to be replicated across the continent and around the world," he said. declared.

Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, Chief of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, also praised WANEP's efforts for peacebuilding and prevention of HIV / AIDS. conflicts in Africa.

"I congratulate you for the influence on peace and stability in the region, but do not rest on your oars, because you think about the next twenty years, the project in the next 20 years", a- he declared.