Ecowas Organizes Landmark Conference On Two Decades of Peace Processes in West Africa

21 March 2010
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Economic Community of West African States (Abuja)
press release

A major international conference to commemorate and evaluate ECOWAS' involvement in peace processes in West Africa begins on Monday, 23rd March 2010 in Monrovia, Liberia.

The five-day conference which is being organized by the ECOWAS Commission will seek to look at the past with a view to drawing lessons from it and consolidating on the achievements made so far, with specific focus on accomplishments, shortcomings and lessons learned from the crafting and implementation of peace accords in the region in order to enhance future interventions in conflicts.

The conference is expected to produce, among others, a guidance note linking ECOWAS conflict prevention mechanism with peace building and peace consolidation work undertaken by the wider international community in the region. Some 200 participants including sitting Presidents and former Heads of State from Member States, former Force and Field Commanders from the region, the African Union and United Nations systems, civil society, the media as well as research institutions will take part in the conference.

The conference will be declared open by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia on Tuesday, 23rd March 2010 after which it will continue with plenary sessions for general discussions and break-out working groups based on thematic issues relating to the dynamics of peace processes in West Africa. Participants will also be expected to contribute to the development of policy framework on conflict response and peace building for the future.

ECOWAS' intervention in violent conflicts began with the deployment of the ECOWAS Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) in Liberia in March 1990 following the outbreak of civil war in the country three months earlier.

Read the original article on Ecowas.

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