Abuja — The out-going Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government, Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan, has called on Member States to continue to demonstrate unity of action and cohesiveness so as not to undermine efforts towards regional integration, peace and development.
Opening the 40th Ordinary Session of the Authority at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on Thursday, 16th February 2012, he said ECOWAS should live up to its reputation as an acclaimed model in regional integration with its members speaking with one voice at international fora. "We should not allow any division in our ranks to be exploited to the detriment of our regional objectives," the chairman said. He noted that under his chairmanship, ECOWAS faced numerous political and economic challenges, most of which were successfully resolved, "thanks to our collective commitment and dedication to the cause of peace." Some of the achievements under his stewardship included the successful resolution of the political crisis in Cote d'Ivoire and the consolidation of democracy in the region, especially in Liberia and Niger.
On Guinea Bissau, President Jonathan said ECOWAS has not only charted a path to stabilize the polity through a carefully developed Defence and Security Sector Reform Programme (DSSRP), but has also invested considerable resources for the successful implementation of the programme. Despite these achievements, he acknowledged the serious challenges of insurgency in the Sahel region, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and the "rising scourge of terrorism which now threatens the peace and security of our sub- region." The situation in the Gulf of Guinea, the President said, has been compounded by drug trafficking, oil bunkering and human trafficking, noting that all the threats required urgent and concerted actions. While calling for urgent structural reforms within ECOWAS Community Institutions in order to enhance their capacity and improve their transparency, he said "it cannot continue to be business as usual if our Organization must fulfill the vision of our founding fathers."
The chairman acknowledged the recently replaced ECOWAS pioneer Commissioners for their "good job," and paid tribute to the outgoing President of the Commission, His Excellency, James Victor Gbeho, for effectively steering the affairs of the Commission "with dedication and commitment." Speaking in the same vein, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for West Africa Ambassador Said Djinnit paid tribute to President Gbeho for his "able leadership and the effective partnership we have built." While noting that ECOWAS had been able to overcome a number of multifaceted internal crises that could have negatively impacted on the region and beyond, the Ambassador called for a deepening and consolidation of cooperation between the UN and ECOWAS in tackling the challenges confronting the region.
These challenges include those from the region's coastal and northern borders through the phenomenon of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and insecurity in the Sahel region, he said, adding that equally important are election-related challenges. He suggested that the UN should work closely with other stakeholders, including ECOWAS, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Gulf of Guinea to mobilize resources and assist concerned Member States to organize a summit to develop a comprehensive anti-piracy strategy.
The UN and ECOWAS should also collaborate to resolve the political situation in Guinea Bissau as well as strengthen partnership in the fight against impunity, promotion of accessible, independent and effective justice system, as well as the protection of human rights. The Chairperson of the African Union (AU), His Excellency Jean Ping, said the close collaboration between ECOWAS and the AU has led to the achievement of "our common objectives with regard to resolving crisis in the West African sub-region." He called for a broadening of intra-African trade and urged ECOWAS to "strategically position" itself in the High-Level African Trade Committee" to ensure that the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) is operationalized by the indicative date of 2017.
In his statement, President Gbeho thanked the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government for its principled guidance and direction which has enabled the outgoing management of the Commission to bequeath "a bit more stable and a bit more prosperous" region, expressing the hope that the new Commission will build on the successes. He cautioned that the modest achievements should not lull the Community into complacency, since the region's security environment continued to be characterized by fragility. The challenges requiring urgent attention, President Gbeho said, included the resurgence of rebellion and banditry in Mali and other States in the Sahel region fuelled by recent crisis in Libya, terrorism, piracy and other forms of organized crime in the Gulf of Guinea.
Others are persistent climate-related challenges and food insecurity, he said, and called for vigilance regarding governance related challenges such as the lingering constitutional and election-related disputes and violence across the region. Some highlights of the summit will include the election of a new President of the Commission and Chair of the Authority as well as endorsement of candidates to fill vacant positions in the Commission and other Community Institutions.
