GPPAC National Consultations in 9 West African countries  

Promoting Human Security and Sustainable Peace through Collective Action

Currently, there is world-wide recognition of the increasing influence and potential of the contribution of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to peace and security.  Governments now willingly invite the contribution of CSOs as partners in conflict prevention and good governance. In his June 2001 Report on the Prevention of Armed Conflict to the General Assembly of the United Nations, the UN Secretary General called for closer interaction between the UN and civil society organisations (A/55/985-S/2001/574).  UN Security Council Resolution 1625 acknowledges the fundamental roles of civil society in conflict prevention and underscores their undisputable contributions in this endeavour. (S/RES/1625 2005). Though violent conflicts continue to threaten socio-economic development and sustainable livelihoods, conflict prevention is emerging as a central strategy that seeks to integrate efforts of all stakeholders working to promote peace. A recent study conducted by the Liu Institute for Global Issues at the University of British Columbia recognized an upsurge of international activities designed to prevent conflicts led by the UN with the support of civil society groups among others.^[1]

Since 1998, the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) has been facilitating collaborative approaches in peacebuilding and conflict prevention in West Africa. CSOs and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working for peace and development have demonstrated their capacity to compliment government efforts in preventing conflicts. During violent conflicts, they have provided essential services including relief aid to needy populations. These organizations have also made significant contributions in the area of democracy, human rights, women and youth issues, while some have worked relentlessly to end conflicts in their communities and nations. Whereas in the past these organizations were often not consulted on issues of governance and peace processes, West African governments are increasingly recognizing the vital role of civil society organizations in governance thus are beginning to build partnerships with civil society.^[2]

Additionally, regional organisations such as the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have welcomed civil society actors in the effort to enhance peace and security in the region. Whereas the shift to integrate CSOs is positive, these CSOs have yet to optimize their contribution and fully assert their influence.  There is a need to strengthen collaborative approaches of CSOs in order to promote social change and engage in political processes, policy formulation and the broader issues of human security. WANEP will localise the process of the Global Partnership for Armed Conflict Prevention (GPPAC) by strengthening its national networks and inviting other civil society groups, who are not members of WANEP, to participate actively on a common platform of CSOs engagement with governments, regional organizations and the UN system at national and regional levels in West Africa.   

Local knowledge, ownership and infrastructure for this engagement exist through the WANEP Networks. Since 2002, WANEP has been working in collaboration with both the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Civil Society Organizations to increase the capacity and effectiveness of both formal and non-formal conflict prevention mechanisms in the West Africa region. The initiative embarked upon by the European Centre for Conflict Prevention (ECCP) to develop a common platform for effective action in conflict prevention at all levels found resonance with WANEP’s experience and practice of peacebuilding in the West African region. A three-year initiative of GPPAC involved extensive research, dialogue, and networking at the local, regional, and international levels as a response to an invitation by the UN Secretary General to NGOs in conflict prevention to organise an international conference on their role in conflict prevention and their future interaction with the United Nations. WANEP’s involvement in this process as regional initiator for West Africa added another dimension to its capacity as a Network Organization, providing a platform for the promotion and consolidation of civil society mobilization around issues of peace, conflict prevention and human security.  The GPPAC process culminated in a global conference at the United Nations in July 2005.^[3]  

As a concrete follow-up to the global conference, WANEP organized national consultations with two main objectives: One, to contextualize the West Africa, Africa and Global Action agendas to national needs; and two, to strengthen Civil Society collaboration in conflict prevention through the WANEP National Networks in Mali and Niger where there are no functioning WANEP National Networks. The national consultations will assist in developing and forming these national networks with support from the WANEP Regional Secretariat. The consultations that have so far been organised in the 9 countries (Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Ghana, Mali, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and The Gambia) provided WANEP and a Regional Steering Group (RSG) that was set up during the West Africa Conference of CSOs, the opportunity to create awareness on the Global Action Agenda as an advocacy and lobbying tool among civil society actors. CSOs examined the relevance of Regional and Global Action Agenda to their local context and strategized on how to work collectively to enhance the participation of civil society in conflict prevention and human security. The objectives of the consultations included the following: 

• Expand the collective role of CSOs in conflict prevention and human security
• Create awareness on the Global Action Agenda and the opportunities for conflict prevention and human security 
• Examine the relevance of Global Action Agenda at the national levels  
• Develop strategies on how to engage policy makers on thematic issues of the Global Action Agenda   
• Launch a National Peace and Human Security Forum