The event was held from 25th to 29th October 2022 in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Kebba K. Barrow, who is the chairman of ECOWAS Parliamentary Committee on Macro-Economic Policy and Economic Research, at the forum spoke about the rationale behind the creation of Early Warming National Centres in respective member states, which he said, is in fulfillment of the provisions of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty and other Community Texts, in particular, those of Article IV of the Protocol relating to the Mechanism on Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security.
These regulations, he added, require ECOWAS to put in place the necessary mechanism to ensure regional security through a regional peace and security monitoring system.
The Kombo South lawmaker revealed that the system originally compries a Regional Observation and Monitoring Centre based at the Headquarters of the ECOWAS Commission and four (4) Observation and Monitoring zones, each with an Office covering several Member States.
"Further evaluation in 2013 of the functioning of the mechanism led to the establishment of National Centres in all Member States of which the centre represents Sierra Leone."
Barrow noted that the parliament has sent teams to national centres to see how they can assist in achieving timely and robust streams of information to help tackle terror within Member States and across borders.
“Insecurity has evolved into many forms with many justifications and many names,” he pointed out.
The community's response, he noted, has no option but to keep up with the growing sophistication, diversity, and intensity of the terror threat.
"Meanwhile, the mandate of these centres is to alert Governments of potential crisis threats; recommend appropriate responses to identified threats; identify response structures, both at the level of the State, civil society organisation, communities and partners, facilitate, coordinate as well as monitor the implementation of activities or actions relating to responses to threats.
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