By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Hon. Sidie Mohammed Tunis, has called for the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized groups in decision making.
He said inequality is a major factors causing rising crisis, including military coups and insecurity in the West African subregion.
He said engaging the groups in decision-making and democratic processes of the societies is key to continued peace, security and sustainable development.
The Speaker stated this at the opening of the delocalized meeting of the Joint Committee of the ECOWAS Parliament Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and the African Peer Review Mechanism, the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights and the Committee on Social Affairs, Gender and Women Empowerment holding in Monrovia, Liberia.
He acknowledged that every meeting of the Parliament is an opportunity to analyze and make proposals to better understand and control political, economic, and social developments in West Africa.
He noted that the meeting will focus on one of the priorities of ECOWAS Vision 2050, which is to promote good governance and consolidate irreversible peace, security, as well as development in the region.
“As we all know, inequality has been one of the bases or causes of subversive acts in our region.
“The marginalization of vulnerable groups from important decision-making processes, particularly ethnic or religious minorities, women and young people, provides fertile ground for conflict of violent extremism.
“We must convince ourselves that supporting the participation of people from vulnerable and marginalized groups in the decision-making and democratic processes of our societies is imperative for peace, security and sustainable development.
“Political inclusivity has the advantage of enabling all points of view to be expressed and taken into consideration, and of enhancing the representation of every segment of the population, including women and young people.”
