By: Hannah DadzieAn ECOWAS Capacity Building Workshop for Multi-Stakeholders on Protection and Human Security has opened in Accra. This has become necessary as human security has become an extremely serious issue in West Africa, due to worsening social and economic challenges, internal conflicts, political instability and civil wars.
The three-day event is also aimed at enhancing the protection of the most vulnerable in society, especially women and children. Stakeholders are deliberating on a more comprehensive approach to address these issues that threaten human security in the sub region. Incidence of violence and human insecurity has weakened governments and prevented them from fulfilling their responsibilities in ensuring their populations’ security.
Citizen, especially women and children have become vulnerable due to these conflict and political instability. There has been lack of effective policy response to some of these issues that insecure the lives of populations in the sub-region.
There have been calls for strong and enforceable legal, policy and institutional frameworks to find sustainable solutions to the issue of human insecurity.
The ECOWAS Capacity Building Workshop of Multi-Stakeholders on Protection and Human Security is meant to create a unique opportunity to address the country’s human security and protection challenges through an integrated, multisectoral and human rights-based approach.
Opening the workshop in Accra, Coordinating Director of the Multilateral Bureau of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Perpetua Dufu, who spoke on behalf of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said the Ministry hopes the workshop would aid in coordinating the efforts of all stakeholders in promoting the rights and freedoms of all citizens in the sub region.“Citizens of our community continue to face life‐threatening dangers which deprive them of living humanely, triggering social breakdown and thus, inhibiting development by depriving countries of the full benefits of their human capital. This situation has also contributed to rendering large sections of society, especially women and children vulnerable to the promise of better opportunities only to be trafficked for domestic work, farm labour and commercial sex” Madam Ayorkor Botchwey saidECOWAS Resident Representative in Ghana, Ambassador Baba Gana Wakil, reassured ECOWAS Commission’s commitment to work assiduously with the government and other stakeholders towards improving human security.
He asked both the State and non-State actors to leverage the presence of the Office of the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Ghana in, planning and implementation of their programmes.“We must work together to improve human security in the country by leveraging the capacities and resources of relevant stakeholders and ensuring that every citizen is protected,” Mr Wakil indicatedDirector Humanitarian and Social Affairs, ECOWAS Commission, Dr Sintiki Tarfa Ugbe, said they are pursuing a dual approach to address the common causes and strengthening the risk reduction of human insecurity.“We are here, primarily to hear from each other and to devise measures by which to improve our efficiency and effectiveness; in service to the people of Ghana and the entirety of West Africa.” he said.
Stakeholders hope the deliberations would help come out with a solid approach to stem the insurgencies which are instigating the lives of citizen, to secure a better future for West Africa.
