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UN Seeks ECOWAS Partnership On Security
The United Nations has called on Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to strengthen its partnership with it in enhancing early warning mechanisms to address security challenges in the region.
UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa, Ambassador Said Djinnit, made the call at the 9th ECOWAS Development Partners Annual Conference in Abuja on Monday.
Djinnit expressed the readiness of the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWA) to undertake joint missions with ECOWAS.
He said this is in order to develop joint analysis and assessments in line with the respective mandates of both parties on conflict prevention and early warning.
“Another area where the ECOWAS-UNOWA partnership should be firmed up is in the early response mechanism.
“The cross-border threat to peace and security in West Africa exposing the region to threats such as drug trafficking, organised crime, including piracy and terrorism constitutes areas where the coordination between the UN and ECOWAS will continue to expand in the end.”
The special representative also commended the efforts of the regional bloc in its decision to extend the Regional Action Plan on drug trafficking, abuse and organised crime.
In his address, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Amb David MacRae, called on the commission to strengthen “long term capacities in conflict prevention and resolution”.
MacRae said the EU was committed to supporting the process of addressing conflict prevention and resolution in West Africa.
“The EU and its member states are contributing substantially to this objective by supporting the ECOWAS Peace and Security mandate.
“The EU is also supporting the fight against human and drug trafficking in support of the ECOWAS declaration on drugs and crime and migration management,” MacRae said.
He also reiterated its determination to support the peace process in Mali “at all levels, including political, military and developmental while maintaining humanitarian aid and demanding respect for human rights.”
He commended the efforts of ECOWAS in it economic integration agenda toward the adoption of a Common External Tariff (CET) which would support the transition to a common market in West Africa.
He also said that the adoption of a CET would facilitate the conclusion of the ECOWAS Economic partnership Agreement with the EU.
He also urged ECOWAS to play a decisive role in the implementation of the economic integration protocols.
The EU envoy said that mechanisms should be put in place to monitor, evaluate and report the implementation of regional policies at national levels.
“ECOWAS commission is in need of strengthening. There is a recruitment process that has to be gone through for positions to be filled and an audit of activities required.
“What we have called for is a greater transparency in the budget as a whole because we need a report to show the results being made with the funds being put in by the EU,” he said.
Corlins Walter