The ECOWAS campaign to curb the proliferation of small arms in West Africa has received a boost with the launch of an EU-supported 5.56 million Euro project that will strengthen on going regional efforts to mop up small arms and light weapons and empower the populations.
According to a press release made available to LEADERSHIP Friday, it said, the project known as the “EU support to ECOWAS regional peace, security and stability mandate,” which was launched in Abuja on 16th September 2014 will complement similar initiatives and contribute towards the reduction of illicit circulation of arms in the region through a comprehensive voluntary arms collection programme complemented by an incentive scheme to enhance regional security.
“This is an excellent model of partnership arrangement worthy of emulation,” the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Kadré Desire Ouédraogo said at the launch of the three-year project to be financed by the EU and implemented initially as a pilot project in six of the region’s fifteen Member States.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is the implementing partner for the project which will address knowledge gaps on the dangers of proliferation of such arms through an advocacy and sensitization campaign; build the capacity of stakeholders, collect and destroy such arms and undertake the provision of social amenities in border communities as development incentives.
“This project is in consonance with the objectives of the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, their Ammunition and other Related Materials, which is now a legally binding regional framework for the effective fight against the scourge of small arms and light weapons since 2009,” the President added.
He acknowledged the value of the various components of the project targeted at reduction in armed violence through weapons collection exercise in exchange for development incentives; the provision of operational level competency of
National
Commissions and other stakeholders accompanied by a robust community sensitization campaigns.
The project will implement a “pilot weapons collection programme in two clusters covering six countries,” namely northern Niger, Mali, the Mano River Union, mainly west of Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea forest, east of Liberia, north-east Sierra Leone and Nigeria, in order to consolidate good governance and stability in the region.
In his message to the launch, the Head of EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Michel Arrion said the project was inspired by the realization that peace, security and stability were necessary conditions for development.
“This intervention would contribute to the building and maintaining of peace, security and stability in the ECOWAS region,” he said, in the message delivered by Mr. Richard Young.
In his speech, the UNDP Resident Representative and UN Resident Coordinator for Nigeria, Mr. Daouda Toure said that trafficking in small arms “is fuelling many community based violence which has assumed alarming proportions in recent times.
The UNDP official, who was represented by Dr. Pa-Lamin Beyal said the situation constituted a major threat to economic growth and stability, and also hinders the much needed investment for socio-infrastructure development of the region.
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