ECOWAS Strengthens Synergies in the Operations of Its Conflict Prevention Mechanism
23 Aug, 2019
Abuja, 23rd August 2019. The Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in conjunction with the United States Agency for International Development’s Reacting to Early Warning and Response Data (USAID-REWARD), is strengthening the synergy among the Focal Persons of the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF). In furtherance of this drive, a two-day workshop of the Internal Steering Committee (ISC) which ended in Abuja, Nigeria on the 22nd of August 2019, appraised the ECOWAS Response Planning Framework (ERPF) being developed with a view of positioning the ECPF for effective implementation of 2018-2020 Plans of Action (PoA) by its Focal Points Directorates (FPD)s, among others. Participants drawn from the FPDs, the ECPF Secretariat and the facilitators from USAID-REWARD, validated the resource mobilisation strategy document for the implementation of the ECPF PoA. They also reviewed inputs to the draft planning framework as well as the interventions by the FPDs. Apart from reviewing the implementation of the PoA alongside prospects and challenges, a working group on the ERPF was established by the participants. There were also presentations overviewing the implementation of the ECPF PoA, including an elaboration of the resource mobilisation strategy. Going forward, participants recommended the bridging of conflict prevention information gaps between ECOWAS Institutions and Member States, leverage strategic networks while turning the Early Warning products being developed into living documents. They also sued for a desirable information mainstreaming system that allows for effective deployment of the strides of the ECPF components in achieving desired visibility during the implementation of the PoA. The facilitator of the Workshop Mrs Maria Jessop alongside officials of the ECPF Secretariat, were supported during the event by the co-Chairs from ECOWAS Mediation Division as well as Directorate of External Relations Messrs Ebenezer Asiodu and Koe Kla. |
