Addis Ababa: An international conference on consolidating peace in post-conflict African countries, starting here Thursday, has attracted some 100 senior representatives of governments, regional and international institutions and civil society organizations from across the globe.
Under the auspices of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), the meeting is organized by Japan, the UN, the Global Coalition for Africa, the World Bank and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
During the two-day TICAD conference on Consolidation of Peace, participants will explore best practices in the areas of security, political governance reconstruction and socio-economic development; discuss case studies from African and Asian countries; and recommend new strategies for consolidating peace in Africa.
– The TICAD conference comes at a pivotal moment for African countries, which are registering increasing success in promoting dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflict, said Mikio Mori, Director in charge of TICAD at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
– Japan has extended assistance of approximately 350 million US dollar (2,17 milliarder DKR) to African countries from 2003 to 2005. It is our hope that this conference will help Africa and the international community develop integrated strategies for post-conflict peace-building and reconstruction which can, in turn, contribute to consolidating peace and moving African countries towards sustainable development, added he.
UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis highlighted the importance of consolidating peace:
– When we look at the progress across the world on the Millennium Development Goals, on the reduction of poverty, on the eradication of disease and all the other goals, we see that the key reason why the world is not able to move as fast as we want, and, in some cases, falling back rather than progressing, is really conflict, and the lack of a consolidation of peace, he said.
Dervis explained that UNDP is working to consolidate peace and help countries overcome conflict, instability, humanitarian disasters, the lack of governance and the lack of economic development associated with conflict situations.
UNDPs post-conflict assistance programme features a multi-sectoral approach to help war-affected communities rebuild and move towards socio-economic growth and development.
For example, in the DR Congo, community recovery activities in the eastern region of the country focus on the promotion of livelihoods and the rehabilitation of infrastructure to facilitate the resumption of social services.
In Sierra Leone, UNDP has worked closely with the Government and its development and humanitarian partners to restore the state authority across the country and to help people and communities as they attempt to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
UNDPs Community-Based Recovery Programme in Liberia facilitates the resettlement and reintegration process of ex-combatants back into the community.
In Rwanda, UNDP has worked to improve prison conditions, trained national and communal police, and supported the reform of the justice system.
A wide range of conflicts in Africa have resulted in major human suffering, including disruption of economic activities and civilian life.
The TICAD Initiative, since its inception in 1993, has provided assistance to refugees and internally displaced people, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants and other war-affected constituents, mine action, and collection and destruction of small arms and other light weapons.
– Todays most pressing peace consolidation challenges, notably those involving post-conflict countries, can best be met through concerted multilateral efforts at both global and regional levels, said Bouna Semou Diouf, Director of the TICAD/UNDP Africa Bureau.
UNDP on UNDP
UNDP is the UNs global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.
Kilde: www.undp.org
