Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, former president of The Gambia, has said that the assurance of peace and security in the West African Sub-region has become a sine qua non for sustainable development and human security, just as increasing integration, deepening democratization and the improvements in the welfare of the populations are becoming the corner stone of peace and security.

Sir Dawda made these remarks at the opening of a five day experts meeting on the ECOWAS conflict prevention framework under way at the Paradise Suites Hotel.

According to him, even as the wars in the sub-region have ended, thanks largely to the determination of the leadership of member states and their organizations, it has become imperative that the sub-region consolidates the peace by fashioning permanent mechanisms for the peaceful management of differences and to prevent tensions from degenerating into open and violent conflict.

“This meeting in Banjul, convened to further develop ECOWAS’ strategic framework for conflict prevention, is yet another important step in the efforts to erect permanent  people – oriented structures for consolidation of democracy, peace and security in the sub-region”, he said, adding that the exercise will produce linkages that will further strengthened the interest of peace and unity.

Former President Jawara further revealed Gambia’s commitment to the cause of African Unity, which he said, has played an important role in the evolution of ECOWAS, particularly in the spheres of regional integration, peace and security.

For his part, Col. Mahamane Toure, ECOWAS commissioner of political affairs, peace and security, said ECOWAS could have achieved more spectacular results if the community, in its interventions, had carried along its member- states and citizens in a more structured and systemmatic manner.

According to Col Toure, we must generate greater awareness of community initiatives among the broader population, designate clear roles and responsibilities to critical regional stakeholders and mobilize the necessary resources to enhance capacity and facilitate implementation, for this to happen.

The framework among other things, seeks to achieve these goals through the identification of priorities in the short, medium and long term, with regard to conflict prevention and peace-building.