By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The ECOWAS Parliament at the just concluded Delocalized Joint Committee meeting held in Monrovia, Liberia from the 25th to 29th of July 2023 commended Sierra Leone and other countries for achieving the 30% quota for women in Parliament and cabinet positions.
It also commended the country for its participatory governance in the sub-region following the just concluded elections.
Within the framework of the implementation of the annual activities of the ECOWAS Parliament, the Joint Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)/ Committee of Legal Affairs and Human Rights/Committee on Social Affairs, Gender, and Women Empowerment met from 25th to 29-th July 2023 in Monrovia, Liberia to discuss Political inclusion in governance in the Member States and the spike in Coup d’etat in the sub-region.
The theme for the five-day deliberations was ‘’strengthening political inclusiveness in participatory governance process: a mechanism for the promotion of peace and security.’’
The discussion also focused on the adoption of policies on quotas and positive actions, the development of youth policies, gender policies, and women empowerment, as well as legal reforms designed to improve the representation of women, youth, and minorities in decision-making bodies.
The effective implementation of these policies and reforms has led to an improvement in the representation of women in several national parliaments, a case study of Guinea Bissau, Togo, Senegal, Benin, and Sierra Leone following the recent legislative elections. The aforementioned advances marked a trend towards greater inclusion and strengthening of women’s leadership presence.
The Head of delegation of Liberia to the ECOWAS Parliament, Edwin Melvin Snowe Junior commended the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament and the members of the joint committee for their decision to deliberate on the best mechanisms for ensuring greater political inclusion in governance in the region.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. Bhofal Chambers in the opening of the deliberations commended the important role played by institutions including the ECOWAS Parliament in the efforts towards achieving the integration objectives of the region and promoting peace and security in West Africa in general.
The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Dr. Sidie Mohamed Tunis specified that the delocalized meeting is part of the activities chosen by the ECOWAS Parliament to continually mark its openness to the citizens of the region and ensure experience-sharing, as well as a dynamic collaboration with national institutions in the pursuit of the integration of the Community.
The Speaker used the meeting to express gratitude to his country, Sierra Leone, the entire region, and the international community for their support in ensuring the smooth conduct of the recently concluded Presidential and legislative elections in the country.
The joint committee members noted the lack of inclusiveness in political governance where the link between participatory governance, peace, and development is often expressed through the demands of citizens who complain, among other things of marginalization, alienation, and inequality. These grievances can lead to discontent and dissatisfaction, usually expressed in public demonstrations and protests, disputes, or violent conflicts. They also pointed out that extreme cases, and grievances, when not properly addressed, can lead or often expose citizens to some forms of political agitation, radicalization, indoctrination, and violent extremism.
Addressing the involvement of the Armed and Security Forces in political governance, the members of the joint Committee, during their deliberations, unanimously condemned and admonished the recent military coup that took place in Niger on the 26th of July 2023.
In this regard, the members of the joint Committee, while noting that the use of the Community Stand-by Force has made it possible to avert several crises in the region, they mentioned the need for its rapid operationalization, with a view to preventing and defeating coups d’etat.
In addition, the members of the joint Committee are of the opinion that the arrival of the military on the political scene in recent years is unacceptable and should lead the regional institutions to consider the root causes of this situation with a view to its permanent eradication.
The Committee called on the Member States to adopt concrete mechanisms to encourage the participation of all citizens in important decision-making processes, including vulnerable groups such as ethnic or religious minorities, women and youth and vulnerable groups with disabilities, and the elderly.
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