By Alpha Abu
Representatives of political parties, organisations, and government agencies on Tuesday 7 June 2022 engaged with the staff of the Independent Commission for Peace and National Cohesion (ICPNC) in the validation of the commission’s 3-year Strategic Plan.
ICPNC Executive Secretary Hawa Samai in her opening statement said the validation exercise was the culmination of inputs of various stakeholders including the Office of National Security (ONS) into the zero-draft, and the converging of all the relevant partners at Lakka outside Freetown to draft a strategic plan for the commission.
She said the validation engagement would afford participants the opportunity to re-examine the document to know whether it’s fit for its purpose and make the necessary adjustments.
She admonished the stakeholders to make their contributions, with the interest of the country at heart. She pointed out that maintaining peace in Sierra Leone is a national issue that should be preserved before and after the elections.
Samai asserted the peace commission’s premium on varied shades of opinion and diverse representation in its preparation of the plan, which attracted stakeholders including the youth and disabled persons.
She said the commission does not entertain the idea of working in isolation and that peace is a process that should be enhanced.
The head of Exuberance Global Solutions Consulting Group Magnus Modu Conteh as one of the consultants, discussed with participants issues related to promoting peace, contextual and situational analysis, and the strategic priorities of the commission. Upon its validation, the strategic plan will be reviewed after 18 months. The validation took place at the city hall in Freetown.
Establishing a peace commission was a priority manifesto of now President Julius Maada Bio. The government in May 2019 supported the holding of a national dialogue on the consolidation of peace and national cohesion known as Bintumani III in Freetown, its numerical nomenclature to signify the third national peace initiative in the last 25 years, the other two taking place in the height of Sierra Leone’s civil war.
Prior to Bintumani III, a consultative research document known as Green Paper was developed, which suggested the composition of the government’s proposed commission. This was followed by a broader consultation involving political parties, the Inter-Religious Council, civil society organisations, and the media, for their views on the formation of the commission. Parliament later passed the National Commission and Peace Cohesion Act of 2020.
The post-war Truth and Reconciliation Commission had after its findings, recommended the setting up of the peace commission.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (08/06/22)
