By Mark Menginfia,mmenginfia@gmail.com
Members of the ECOWAS Parliament has convened the second seminar on Transhumance and Inter-Community Conflicts in the ECOWAS Region in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, with Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor advancing ways forward for peaceful co-existence among members of the region.
ECOWAS is the Economic Community of West African States.
VP Taylor, who officially opened the three-day seminar at the Ministerial Complex in Monrovia’s Congo Town suburb, tasked members of the region to strive to make the community an African example of brotherhood, solidarity and peaceful coexistence.
The seminar is being held ahead of the first Extraordinary Sitting of the ECOWAS Parliament to be held in Liberia.
The Liberian Vice President, who lauded the decision of taking the sub-regional Parliament closer, urged national and regional leaders to always keep the Community peaceful.
“This trajectory rationalizes a critical need for the Community of peoples to see that their representatives are keen on providing the platform wherein they have greater grasp of the issues affecting and confronting them; thus allowing them to weigh in on the way forward for all. This synergy bears the potential for promoting greater harmony, understanding and agreement amongst our peoples within our regional block,” stated the VP Taylor.
“The objectives sought in this Special Session, thankfully, falls within the ambit of the concept and mission of the Early Warning Center being established throughout our region. We extend our gratitude to ECOWAS for making this a cogent part of the ECOWAS System of Governance. Its role is to detect brewing conflicts in a timely manner, so as to employ the most effective means of amelioration,” the Liberian Vice President added.
VP Taylor called on members of the region to retrospect of their history, as the parliament convenes the special session, which is in search of a productive formula and cordial relationship in the sub region.
“We together must know that, as peoples of this continent, our ancestors and a few from older generations have come through harrowing experiences of slavery, suppression, and exploitation, so much so that we must be the ones to in the frontlines against injustice, division, and hate,” she warned.
“Our generation must be reprogrammed to appreciate the commonalities of our greatness, the need for peaceful coexistence and our yet hidden potentials in human and natural resources to do greater things together,” she then stated.
Liberian House Speaker Bhofal Chambers in a special statement, called on members of the region to take cognizance of the respective cultures and values of its peoples.
He urged the body to consider the sociology of the people of the sub-region, ranging from their traditions, culture, religions and their respective economies to ensure a proper policy prescription that suits their wellbeing.
As the region moves more closely together, Speaker Chambers maintained that the means and mechanisms for ECOWAS citizens to live more peacefully cannot be over emphasized.
Madam Mawine G. Diggs, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, called on Parliamentarians of the region to focus on the primary interest of the region and its people, as they are the direct interests of the Community’s people.
“As you go through your deliberations for the next few days, I kindly remind you that the reality of Africa’s transformation depends on peace and stability on the continent,” the Foreign Ministry official asserted.
According to her, achieving a terror-free continent requires more efforts on the part of the ECOWAS that has so much demonstrated a unique and result-based integrated Community.
“Our responsibility for a peaceful Africa in part demands a collective effort intended to counter transhumance and intercommunity conflict and take concrete steps to ensure our region achieve an admirable success in ending these anomalies,” Madam Diggs said.