A two-day consultation and orientation workshop yesterday opened for the newly reconstituted ECOWAS Council of the Wise (CoW) in Accra to prepare them to effectively and efficiently assist the ECOWAS Commission in the prevention and resolution of conflicts in the region.

The overall objective of the workshop is for ECOWAS management to consult and orientate the nominated members of the CoW with the mandate and tasks or responsibilities expected from them as a supporting mechanism of the ECOWAS mediation organ.

Established by the 1999 protocol relating to the mechanism for conflict prevention, management, resolution, peacekeeping, and security, the Council of the Wise has become one of the key pillars of the peace and security architecture of ECOWAS and as a supporting organ, created purposefully for preventive diplomacy and mediation interventions in member states within the region.

Mandate

Speaking at the opening of the two-day consultation and orientation workshop, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of ECOWAS, General Francis A. Behanzin, said the ECOWAS Council of the Wise had in the past, assisted the ECOWAS Commission in the prevention and resolution of conflicts in some member states, facilitated communication channels and confidence-building measures between conflicting parties, and also participated in fact-finding missions, as well as election observation missions, in conformity with the provisions of Articles 17 and 20 of the 1999 Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security.

He said the statutes of the Council of the Wise were approved through Decision A/Dec.2/12/16 at the 50th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in December 2016 to further define the mandate, compositions and rules of procedures of the Council as part of the initiative to re-constitute and reposition the Council of the Wise to effectively support the ECOWAS Preventive Diplomacy and Mediation efforts in the Member States.

General Behanzin has, therefore, congratulated the members of the council for being nominated by their respective countries, saying “I would equally like to express my very deep gratitude to you for accepting the nomination, which in my view is a clear demonstration of your commitment to regional peace and stability.”

He, however, prayed that the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, “will give you the necessary support to carry out your functions as required.”

Commendation

The Chair of the Council of Ministers and who is also Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, said paid a glowing tribute to the members of the council for their critical roles in conflict prevention in the ECOWAS region.

“The members of the Council of the Wise have been engaged in the prevention and resolution of political crisis and disputes in other instances, such as in Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Niger, among several others,” she said.

However, she noted, in the past few years, the functionality of the Council of the Wise as a Preventive Diplomacy and Mediation Organ of ECOWAS has diminished, as there has not been any reconstitution of the Council in a while.

Madam Botchway however expressed the hope that the new nominees for the CoW, who were familiar with the region’s security situation would bring to bear their experiences in preventing conflicts in the region.

“It is therefore heartwarming that you are availing your experiences and expertise in conflict prevention and resolution for the good of the entire Community,” she noted.

Outcomes

Touching on the essence of the workshop, she said “the two-day orientation workshop would update nominees of the council on the current peace and security situation in the region, enhance their knowledge on relevant ECOWAS legal and normative instruments, policy documents, including ECOWAS Mediation Guidelines, Statutes as well as the mandate, composition, functions, and mode of operations of the Council of the Wise.

“It is my expectation that at the end of the workshop, we all will have had the benefit of an enhanced understanding of the relevant ECOWAS legal and normative frameworks and policy documents, especially in the areas of peace, security, democracy, mediation and good governance,” Madam Botchway pointed out.

She also commended the President of the Commission, Dr Jean-Claude Kassi Brou for his great initiative in reconstituting the Council of the Wise.

Source: graphic.com.gh