Guard Ghana’s democratic gains – Peace Council to Ghanaians

The National Peace Council (NPC) has appealed to all Ghanaians, both home and abroad, to get involved in sustaining the peace in Ghana, as the country prepares for its 2020 elections.

This was emphasized by Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih, Board Member of the National Peace Council, in an address at the 2020 International Day of Peace celebration themed “Shaping Peace Together”, held in Accra.

“I make a passionate appeal to all citizens; we cannot underestimate the risks of peace that can emerge from the compounded negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Let us jealously guard the democratic gains Ghana has accrued over the years”, he urged.

According to the 2020 Global Peace Index (GPI) issued by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), Ghana ranks as the most peaceful country in West Africa, placing 3rd in Africa and 43rd in the world.

Ms. Silke Hollander, the Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Ghana, expressed UNDP’s commitment to support Ghana’s continued efforts to advance its enviable record as a beacon of stability and peace in Africa.

She underscored the importance for Ghana to cherish its culture of peace and noted that building a peaceful society is a collective effort which requires the involvement of everyone particularly young men and women as called for in the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, adopted in 2015.

“We must recognize the potential of the youth to contribute positively to peace and development by providing them with the needed resources to build their capacity and giving them the platform to share their ideas”, added Ms. Hollander.

In his solidarity message, Mr. Roland Affail Monney, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), cautioned the youth never to sacrifice their future for violence and pleaded with journalists to do more to sustain the peace of the country.

“Allow people who beat the drum of violence to dance to their own tune”, said Mr. Monney.

Ahead of the country’s election 2020, the National Peace Council has successfully led dialogues between the two major political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to sign a Roadmap and Code of Conduct to eradicate political vigilantism in the country. This followed the passage of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999) passed by Parliament to disband vigilante groups, including political party vigilante groups and land guards and provide for related matters.

This year’s International Day of Peace celebration was organized by the National Peace Council in partnership with the Ghana Journalists Association, UNDP and Auntie Is Merkezi Organization (AIMO) on the theme “Shaping Peace Together: The Role of the Youth in Peacebuilding”.

A peace emblem was unveiled to mark the celebration of the day.