By Stephen Asante
Accra, Aug. 02, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has lauded the United Nations (UN) for its continuous stakeholder engagement to address the rising insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa.
“I would particularly like to acknowledge the support of the UN in promoting peace, security and development across our region,” he stated.
It was important that the region shared experiences, committing to the ideals of democratic governance to reinforce the institutional frameworks for sustained protection of human rights, he said.
This is in a speech read on the President’s behalf by the Interior Minister, Mr. Ambrose Dery, at the annual conference of the West African Bar Association (WABA), in Accra.
The two-day programme is on the theme: “Promoting Democratic Consolidation through the Respect of the Rule of Law and Human Rights: Leveraging the Role of Bar Associations”.
It is in line with WABA’s mission to respond to human rights and constitutional challenges in the sub-region.
The conference will discuss the unconstitutional changes of government and engaging with transitions, as well as instrumentalisation of the justice system.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, ECOWAS Commission and United Nations Development Programme are sponsors of the programme.
It is being organised in the face of rising insecurity in the sub-region due to violent extremism and terrorism, as well as poor governance and economic hardships.
“Despite efforts by national security forces and international partners, insecurity has again deteriorated in large parts of the region,” reports the UN Security Council.
It said operations by armed groups, violent extremists and criminal networks forced the closure of more than 10,000 schools, with millions of children affected.
These non-state groups are fighting among themselves for supremacy and control of resources, which is pushing States to the margin and causing untold misery to millions, who have fled elsewhere to safety.
President Nana Akufo-Addo stressed the need for WABA to use the two-day conference to build consensus for the strengthening of legal systems and structures to enhance the rule of law.
“The respect for human rights and rule of law is a critical tenet for democratic consolidation, peace, security and the development of our region,” he said.
Mr Leonardo Santos Simao, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel cautioned that the rising insecurity threatened the considerable gains made over the years to enhance the respect for human rights and the rule of law.
“The plethora of challenges have elicited responses from a variety of actors in the quest for solutions.
“As part of its strategic interventions in the region and mindful of the regional dimensions of the challenges, the UN complements support at the national level with regional interventions that encourage exchanges between key stakeholders,” he said.
The UN Special Representative advised WABA to widen its partnership with other regional networks to address the challenges at hand.
These include the Network of National Human Rights Institutions, ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions and Network of Human Rights Defenders.
GNA