Accra, March 18, GNA – The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) will host the 2022 edition of the Stakeholder Dialogue Series in Senegal and The Gambia.
The event is being organised in Senegal on March 22, and The Gambia on April 5, respectively, and is supported by the German Development Agency (GIZ).
A statement issued by the KAIPTC, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the two countries would host the Second Edition of the KAIPTC Annual Stakeholder Dialogue Series (SDS), a forum which seeks to strengthen partnerships with relevant stakeholders towards the promotion of peace and security in the sub-region.
It said the event was on the theme; “Contributing to the Implementation of ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework: Promoting Partnerships with Civil Society Organizations on Peace and Security in West Africa.”
It noted that the event, which was being organised by the KAIPTC in collaboration with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), falls under the KAIPTC’s five-year strategic plan to strengthen collaborations with CSOs, Think Tanks and the private sector to advance policy dialogues and improve peace and security in Africa.
The statement said it was also in keeping with WANEP’s strategic objective to play a facilitation role in the implementation of the ECOWAs Conflict Prevention Framework as well as the requirements enshrined in the framework of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the KAIPTC and WANEP.
It said over the years, the two institutions had sustained a great partnership and worked together in many areas in furtherance of peace and security on the continent.
It said the 2022 SDS was aimed at leveraging the strengths of both institutions to engage with relevant CSOs in West Africa, to contribute to the implementation of ECOWAS’ Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF).
The statement said a total of 40 participants were expected to participate in the one-day workshop in Dakar, Senegal, (Tuesday, 22nd March) and Banjul, The Gambia (Tuesday, 5th April) respectively. It said participants would be drawn largely from CSOs in West Africa, specifically, Senegal and The Gambia, ECOWAS, Development Partners, Government Agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations.
It said the KAIPTC, as part of its five-year strategic plan, instituted the SDS in 2021, with the aim of creating a platform to engage its clients, development and institutional partners as well as its stakeholders on specific issues of concern within the Peace and Security landscape.
The statement said the maiden edition, which was organized in 2021, in collaboration with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) focused on fostering strategic partnership between the KAIPTC and the private sector and explored opportunities in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) in the context of peace and development.
“This year’s forum will among others discuss and agree on innovative strategies to support and complement ECOWAS’s conflict prevention and management efforts as well as forge partnerships and enhance networking among relevant stakeholders such as KAIPTC, WANEP and other relevant CSOs within the peace and security environment,” it said.
“In 2008, ECOWAS adopted the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF) to serve as a strategic framework for improving conflict prevention and human security in the West African Region.”
The statement said to contribute towards the operationalisation of the ECPF, the KAIPTC and WANEP as part of their mandates have worked extensively to advance peace and security in the region.
It said the KAIPTC had provided consistent world-class training, research and policy support to ECOWAS and its Member States and other international partners in pursuit of the goal for a peaceful and prosperous region.
It said similarly, WANEP had also worked with ECOWAS to strengthen community resilience and build capacities to respond to the peace and security challenges confronting the region.
“It has been recognized that there are untapped opportunities and unsystematic engagement with CSOs to harmonise their interventions in the areas of capacity building, research, and policy advocacy in support of the implementation of the ECPF.”
It said the 2022 SDS was expected to proffer practical measures to address this seeming gap.
The KAIPTC was established as an institution of the Ghana Armed Forces in 1998 and commissioned in 2004 by the Government of Ghana.
As an international ECOWAS mandated Training Centre of Excellence, the KAIPTC’s main mission is to provide globally recognised capacity for international actors in the African Peace and Security landscape through training, education, and research to foster peace and stability on the continent.
Officially launched in 1998, WANEP is a leading regional Non-Governmental Organization focused on contributing to peace and security in West Africa.
As part of its mission, WANEP works to enable and facilitate mechanisms for cooperation among civil society-based peacebuilding practitioners and organisations in West Africa.
It is the official CSO partner to ECOWAS in the development and operation of Early Warning and Early Response in West Africa.
GNA