Get Guardian on GoogleThe Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) have renewed calls for stronger regional coordination to address terrorism, insecurity and conflicts across West Africa and the Sahel.
The commitment followed a meeting between the President of the ECOWAS Commission, General Birame Diop, and a United Nations delegation led by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for UNOWAS, Ambassador Leonardo Santos Simão, at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja on November 3.
The two institutions discussed ways to strengthen their cooperation through more effective frameworks for addressing security challenges confronting the region.
They also emphasised the need for improved communication, regular consultations and stronger channels of engagement to ensure better coordination in responding to emerging threats.
The renewed engagement comes as countries across West Africa and the Sahel continue to grapple with terrorism, violent extremism and other forms of insecurity that have disrupted communities and complicated regional stability.
ECOWAS and the United Nations said their discussions centred on counter-terrorism, conflict prevention and sustainable peace, although the statement did not identify specific new operations, funding commitments or implementation timelines arising from the meeting.
The engagement underscores the importance of cooperation between regional and international institutions in addressing security threats that cross national borders.
Both organisations reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration and developing mechanisms to support a more coordinated response to insecurity in the region.
In another development, ECOWAS and the Guinean government have begun a three-day workshop to develop ways of integrating disaster risk reduction into the country’s education system.
The workshop brings together teachers, education officials and disaster-management specialists to examine measures for making schools safer and strengthening the ability of communities to respond to emergencies.
Organised by the ECOWAS Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs in collaboration with Guinea’s National Agency for the Management of Humanitarian Emergencies and Disasters (ANGUCH) and national education authorities, the exercise is being implemented under the project on strengthening ECOWAS disaster risk management capacities.
The project is financed by the European Union through the African Union Commission under the 11th European Development Fund’s Intra-ACP Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Programme.
The Acting ECOWAS Resident Representative in Guinea, Salifu Iliasu, speaking on behalf of the Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Professor Nassirou Bako-Arifari, said the regional organisation remained committed to helping member states integrate risk awareness, prevention and preparedness into education.
The workshop is expected to examine school safety, hazard awareness, early-warning systems, emergency preparedness, teacher training and the inclusion of disaster risk reduction in education policies and curricula.
The Director-General of ANGUCH, Lancei Touré, said disasters could disrupt school activities and stressed the need for stronger coordination, prevention and emergency planning at school level.
The initiative is aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, which provides an international framework for reducing disaster risks and strengthening resilience.
