In March and April this year, the Centre, in collaboration with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and with support from the German Development Agency (GIZ) held the second edition of the Stakeholder Dialogue Series (SDS) in Senegal and The Gambia.
Held under the theme “Contributing to the Implementation of the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework: Promoting Partnerships with Civil Society Organisations on Peace and Security in West Africa.”, participants in both countries called for the inclusion of women at the leadership level within the security sector and greater involvement of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the implementation of the ECOWAS’ Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF).
Participants in a group work on how to enhance partnerships between CSOs and ECOWAS
Participants were drawn from CSOs with interest in women, peace and security in West Africa, ECOWAS, Development Partners, Government Agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations. Participants discussed issues pertaining to the implementation of the ECPF, and proffered practical solutions to ensure the active participation of all stakeholders in the implementation process. They called on ECOWAS to support rigorous resource mobilisation locally and internationally to empower CSOs to actively participate in the implementation of the ECPF.
The annual Stakeholders Dialogue Series forms part of the Centres Strategy to strengthen collaborations with CSOs, Think Tanks and the private sector to advance policy dialogues and improve peace and security in africa. Side meetings were held with the CSO community such as CSO Gender Platform, the African Centre For Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS), Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Peace & Security Competence Centre and Femmes Africa Solidarite as part of networking activites whilst exploring potential partnerships.