On 24 July, as part of a visit to Ghana with the support of the CMI — Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, representatives of the Ukrainian Community of Dialogue Practitioners were invited to the office of the National Peace Council Ghana (NPC), an independent national peace institution established in 2011 by the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts and build sustainable peace. At the meeting, the West African colleagues presented the history of the organisation, its mission and ongoing projects.
The National Peace Council has a governing board known as the ‘Council of Thirteen Eminent Persons’. The members of the board are appointed by the President: 13 representatives of different religious denominations and social groups: four are Christians, three are Muslims, one is a representative of a traditional African religion, two are representatives of civil society, two are representatives of the President (at least one of whom is a woman), and one is a representative of the House of Chiefs.
Any decision is made by the board by full consensus, and this almost never causes difficulties: the ten men and three women give the impression of strong intellectual and spiritual leadership, so the consensus they can almost always reach seems quite logical and natural.
Through its early warning systems, the board of the National Peace Council learns of threats and helps to address them. This institution is neutral and independent, despite the fact that it was established by an act of Parliament: the state finances the salaries of the board and the Secretariat, but all the Council's activities are supported by donor organisations.
The NPC has direct access to all state bodies and actors and is well respected and empowered, which speeds up decision-making and shortens the path to understanding.
More information about the National Peace Concil is available on the website: https://lnkd.in/eg3iM4TH
The visit of representatives of the Ukrainian Community of Dialogue Practitioners provided many important insights and ideas for the implementation of peacebuilding practices for the Ukrainian context, as well as an opportunity to discuss partnerships and exchange of experience with colleagues from Ghana.
The Ukrainian Community of Dialogue Practitioners is grateful to the partners for the inspiring and fruitful visit: WANEP-Ghana, a leading West African peacebuilding organisation. And also CMI — Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, an independent organisation working in the field of conflict prevention and resolution through dialogue and mediation.
Yorumlar