GRi in Parliament 22 - 01 - 2002
No country could develop if neighbours were
embroiled in conflict - Speaker
Accra
(Greater Accra) 22 January 2002- The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Peter Ala
Adjetey on Monday said there should not be passivity to peacekeeping because no
nation, surrounded by conflict-endemic countries could remain unscathed by the
ravages of war.
He said
problems associated with insecurity and the resulting influx of refugees were
enough to throw out of gear the development programme of any of "our
fledging economies".
Mr
Adjetey said this in a welcoming address to participant at two-day
Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) Seminar on strengthening United
Nations Peace Operations- International Parliamentary Input in Accra.
The West
Africa Parliamentary Seminar is discussing the report of the Panel of the
United Nations Peace Operations and would subsequently debate, national
strategies for conflict prevention in the region of interest. Case studies on
Mozambique, Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone would be discussed.
The other
topics include: "Institutional improvements in the regional and
international system aimed at establishing an effective regime of conflict
prevention and renewed commitment from member states."
Mr
Adjetey recommended to the delegates to research into appropriate strategies
that would enhance the processes for conflict prevention in both the short and
long terms.
He said
such mechanisms must entail early warning systems that should sensitise the
international community to mobilize resources into any region where there was a
threat to peace and security before the situation degenerated into a full-blown
war.
The
Speaker said peace operations today called for a concerted effort on the part
of the state, civil society and the private sector as a whole since almost five
decades after World War II the world was still in search of an enduring global
peace for its peoples.
Mr
Adjetey said: "Peacekeeping and conflict prevention are very vital for us
in this part of the world, because without peace, there can be no development
since the resources for development would be channelled to the making of
war".
He said
the only positive way of ensuring that "we are not one day caught up in
cross fire" is not only to embark upon aggressive peacekeeping, but also
lend maximum support to all peacekeeping initiatives in every part of the world
especially within the context of globalisation.
Mr
Adjetey said he hoped the participation of parliamentarians from the sub-region
in the deliberations would give adequate expression to the views and desires of
their constituents on how to make this world more peaceful and secure.
Dr
Mohammed Ibn Chambas, Executive Secretary-elect of the ECOWAS, said the
involvement of so many parliamentarians from the region demonstrated the need
to
seek
inputs at the national and regional levels in the development of strategies for
improved United Nations involvement in peace operations.
He said
economic and political issues were closely linked and the practicalities of
national involvement in conflict prevention and resolution assisted economic
development and regional co-operation in West Africa.
Dr
Chambas said as economies become inter-linked, the need for a stable government
was crucial to the growth of local and national economies while regional
stability also increased the rising
significance of ECOWAS in the global market.
He said:
"We must ensure that conflicts throughout Africa are brought to the
attention of international bodies involved in political operations through
early warning and rapid response."
Through
co-operation and consultation with the United Nations, ECOWAS could also remain
apprised and involved in decision-making that affected its own activities, he
said.
Mr
Kenneth Dzirasah, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of PGA Task Force on Peace and
Democracy, said the seminar was the first in the series of three Regional
Seminars on strengthening United Nations Peace operations and was expected to
focus on the International perspective of the subject.
He said
the PGA was an independent International Parliamentary Associations composed of
individual legislators from 100 elected parliaments worldwide with a strength
of 1,300.
Mr
Dzirasah said with an initial focus on the issue of disarmament, PGA had
expanded its mandate to cover sustainable development and population, peace and
democracy, the empowerment of women, economic reform, international law and
human rights.
GRi…/
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