PEACE is a pre-requisite for development as a whole because it creates an enabling environment for the fundamentals of a society's progress; human capital formation, infrastructure development, markets subject to the rule of law, and so on.
It is against that background, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Liberata Mulamula called for Commonwealth states to seek permanent solutions to the chronic conflicts and other challenges facing some countries.
some Commonwealth countries are facing endless challenges such as war and other forms of insecurity, including weakness on the part of some organs charged with the responsibility of enforcing some issues, such as the rule of law.The situation has been going on despite efforts being made by Commonwealth members in strengthening democracy, peace and good governance there are still many challenges that need to be addressed.
The minister made the call on Thursday in Kigali, Rwanda at the meeting of the Commonwealth foreign affairs ministers ,that was held on the sidelines of the on-going 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
In the absence of peace, education and health structures break down, systems to provide infrastructure disintegrate, and legal commerce is crippled. Critically, peace also frees up resources, both financial and human, that would otherwise be diverted to controlling violence.
Intuitively, peace and development go hand in hand - generally speaking, the more peaceful a society, the more prosperous and stable. But we're only now starting to understand the economic costs of violent conflict.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Violence has significantly and directly reduced growth. Moreover, there is a strong relationship between business enterprise and peace. In a 2008 worldwide study conducted by the United Nations Global Compact, 80 per cent of senior managers felt the size of their markets grew with increasing peacefulness and 79 felt costs decreased with improving peacefulness.
Yet, only 13 per cent were aware of the metrics and tools that shed light on the peacefulness of the markets in which they operated. Businesses can play a central role in peace building, since they have an interest not just in profitability but the longer term stability of the markets in which they operate.
There is urgent need to identify ways to make business practices more transparent, resolving internal conflicts more constructively, and directing their attention to communities in ways more cognisant of social justice.
Concerted efforts by regional and international communities are needed, to use diplomatic means to prevent conflicts, turn to their fundamental principles and values to ensure peace and stability are maintained.
They should also consider the possibility of using self-assessment procedures applied by other regional and international bodies. Member states could emulate procedures of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in assessing themselves in implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
