Mining communities schooled on conflict prevention

West Africa Network for Peace Building , Ghana (WANEP—Ghana ) in partnership with Fund For Peace(FFP) has organised a day’s capacity building training programme on conflict prevention for mining communities in Upper East Region.

The training was on the theme: “Enhancing Local Capacities for Conflict Reduction in the Extractive Industry”. It was sponsored by the Development of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour of the United States.

It was aimed at sensitising stakeholders in the mining communities on the Voluntary Principle and Human Rights Convention Document which Ghana had signed to, and to help in the implementation process.

The Acting National Coordinator of WANEP, Mr Albert Yelyang, said the 18 months project dubbed: “ Voluntary Principle on Security and Human Rights , Peace and Conflict Prevention for the Extractive Industries in Ghana,” would cover other mining , oil and gas communities including the Brong Ahafo , Ashanti and Western Regions.

Mr Yelyang said WANEP is concerned about the spate of human rights abuses and insecurity in many mining communities across the country.

He expressed optimism the implementation of the Voluntary Principle on Security and Human Rights, would help address the problems and make the mining communities and the mining companies live in peace and work in harmony.

The Acting National Coordinator of WANEP took the stakeholders including civil society organisations (CSOs), assembly members, women and youth groups, mining companies and small scale mining groups, among others through topics on Early Warning Signals, Conflict Management and Peace building, and Communication for a Change.

“The Voluntary Principle and Human Rights in Ghana Convention which Government has signed to when implemented would help address the problem.

“At the end of the capacity building training in all selected affected mining communities in the country, a national dialogue forum will be organised to engage more stakeholders including the government, mining companies, CSOs and the affected mining communities to map effective means in preventing and managing conflicts and abuse of human rights in mining communities,” he said.

Ms Hannah Blyth, the Programme Manager of FFP in charge of Sustainable Development and Security, who took the participants through the Voluntary Principle and Human Rights document, explained that it had become a widely recognised industry standard for oil, gas and mining companies to better ensure the human rights of communities affected by their operations around the world, particularly in relation to provision of security.

She said the provision of the document went beyond being a simple statement of commonly accepted standards.

Ms Blyth said the document as well as the plethora of guidelines that had been produced in relations to recommendations for extensive stakeholders’ engagement to ensure that the process is successfully implemented.

She stated that Ghana being the first African country to sign the document, the FFP in partnership with WANEP would complement government’s efforts in the implementation of the National Action Plan.

She said the central goal of the project is to foster more permissive and acceptable environment for the project implementation in Ghana.

Ms Blyth said the project seeks to achieve the establishment of multi-stakeholder dialogue with respect to security and human rights, build the capacity of local CSO’s, increase public education on the understanding of human rights , security , corruption , gender and violence issues , among others.