Dr Chambas tells African govts to protect citizens

Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General at the United Nations Office for West Africa, has disclosed that the region faces a multitude of peace and security challenges, and it will require full attention and combined efforts to prevent violence and political instability.

He also stated that although there is an understanding that the responsibility for global peace and security lies with the United Nations, at the level of Member States, it is the government’s role to protect its citizens.

Dr Chambas, however, noted that Africa took a major step with the adoption of the African Union (AU) Constitutive Act in 2000, which provides a normative framework for an intervention of the continental body in case of grave violation of human rights, for instance, thus bridging the gap between “non-interference’’ and “non-indifference”.

He was speaking on the topic ‘The Continuing Challenges of Peace and Security in Africa: A West Africa Perspective,’ during the annual lecture in honour of Kofi Annan and Dag Hammarskjold, two former UN Secretary-Generals.

The lecture was to honour these two former UN Secretary-Generals whose fight for peace, justice and human rights cannot be overemphasised.

Kofi Annan’s tenure as the Secretary-General of the United Nations was characterised by more concerted efforts to ensure world peace, respect for human rights and promotion of women’s right.

Despite the efforts of these eminent peacemakers and those of many others, Dr Chambas said Africa is yet to be at peace with itself, and it is, therefore, appropriate that Africa continues to reflect on the challenges of peace and security and efforts that have been deployed in West Africa to deal with these challenges.

He stated that over the years, West Africa has gained considerable ground in consolidating peace and democratic governance after having been ravaged by dead/long years of conflicts, widespread human rights, violations, and political instability.

These hard-won gains, he said, have generally brought stability to the region and enabled positive economic growth and development with a promise and potential to reverse the widespread of poverty and unemployment, and also to promote sustainable livelihoods, good governance and democratic practice.

Her Excellency, Ms Joanna Adamson, the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, who was the Chairperson during the lecture, mentioned that peace and security issues are the core business of the African Union.

Participants at the lecture were drawn from the civil society, the security services, the private sector, academia, members of the diplomatic corps and the general public.