State
House, Banjul, February 27, 2020 – A three-year peace building, security and
stability (PSS) intervention by the ECOWAS in partnership with the European
Union that began in December 2016 and ended December 2019, is currently
undergoing a multi-sectoral scrutiny at the Tendaba Camp in LRR.
The regional PSS project was mandated to
support the implementation of various strategic reforms, institutional building
and strengthening in The Gambia. Through the retreat, participants will review
the achievements of the interventions, share lessons learnt and adopt best
practices for building sustainable peace, define key priority actions and map
out a way forward.
The Secretary General and Head of the Civil
Service, Mr. Muhammed S. Jallow, in his statement at the opening of the event,
hailed the EU and ECOWAS for their contribution to consolidating peace,
democracy and good governance in The Gambia.
Mr. Jallow highlighted notable achievements
registered in building sustainable peace in The Gambia which was thanks to the
intervention. However, he noted “some challenges” that require collective
efforts of everyone.
“Nourishing peace is not a task limited to
time, place or certain individuals but a shared task and responsibility of
everyone at any time,” he noted.
Speaking
on behalf of the Special Representative of the ECOWAS President to The Gambia,
Mr. Claude Kondor said the retreat gives multiple stakeholders an opportunity
to engage in open and frank discussions. The thematic issues of discussion
focus on peace and stability in The Gambia and the entire ECOWAS region.
The Project provided support to consolidation
of peace, democracy and good governance in The Gambia under four fundamental
results: strengthening of security governance structures, supporting national
dialogue and reconciliation processes; improving democracy and governance
processes, and enhancing coordination and partnership between the relevant
stakeholders.
Representatives from Office of the National
Security, Independent Electoral Commission, National Council for Civic
Education, National Assembly, National Youth Council among others are taking
part in the review.
