ECOWAS has called on stakeholders, especially partners and national actors to work for the effective linkage between national/local and regional early warning structures for the purpose of achieving sustainable conflict prevention architecture.
"ECOWAS' driving principle is that sustainable conflict prevention rests with national actors," the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Mrs. Salamatu Hussaini Suleiman said in an address in Abuja on Monday, 19 January 2015, at the opening of a two-day experts' workshop on the Re-positioning of ECOWAS Early Warning System and launch of the implementation process of the National Early Warning and Response Mechanism.
In the address read on her behalf by Ambassador Olu Coker, Special Representative of the ECOWAS Commission's President to Cote d'Ivoire, the Commissioner solicited the contributions of partners and all stakeholders to the realization of the desired objective, which she explained would bring early warning and response capacities to the grassroots level.
Describing the political outlook of the region as fragile with Member States grappling with insecurity, terrorist threats and tensions ahead of a demanding election cycle in 2015, the Commissioner said the Commission has consequently, channeled more efforts to the strengthening of its peace and security architecture through a shift in focus from intervention to prevention and enhancing instruments for anticipating and managing conflicts in a predictable, structured and effective manner.
After 10 years of providing early warning on potential crises, conflicts and human rights violations in the region, the ECOWAS Early Warning System "intends to more efficiently anticipate and rapidly respond to regional threats in furtherance to ECOWAS' Vision 2020, of an ECOWAS of People," she added.
The Commissioner acknowledged the US Government's support for the setting up of the ECOWAS Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN), in response to the request for the strengthening of early warning mechanisms of Regional Communities, and called for similar support from development partners.
In his welcome remarks, Mr. Eddison Agbenyegah from the ECOWAS National Unit, Ghana, who chaired the opening ceremony, commended the Commission for its relentless commitment to peace and security in the region.
He expressed the hope that the workshop "will set the tone for a host of regional activities and interventions which will help stabilize the delicate political, security and socio-economic landscape of our region."
Mr. Agbenyegah called for concrete contributions "towards the full implementation of the adopted national early response mechanism and the consolidation of collective efforts to prevent conflicts and alleviate human security conditions in West Africa."
The meeting is being attended by Heads of ECOWAS National Units and Bureaus in Member States, Directors of National Security, ECOWAS Resident Ambassadors, Special Representatives of the President of the Commission in Member States, Conflict Prevention and Management experts and representatives of development partners.
Directorate of Communication
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