By Bubacarr Gaye
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) in collaboration with the Peace Building Unit (PBU)-UNDP, last week organised training of its staff and the PBU team on conflict sensitivity in peace building and Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention. The Permanent Secretary at MoI, Mr Assan Tangara, speaking at the opening of the training, on behalf of the Honourable Minister of Interior, said the essence of this series of training is to build the capacities of the national vanguards and first responders on peace and peace building efforts. “This need, you will recognise, is borne out of the desire to bridge the capacity deficit associated with new socio-political challenges emerging as a result of the decades-long authoritarian rule of the former government, and the resultant break down of the country’s social fabric, as amplified by the TRRC,” he explained. In his conclusion, he praised the UNDP and the ICT and UNESCO for their support so far, and reaffirmed his assurance that the Ministry will continue to be a valuable partner in the quest to implement the TRRC recommendations and actuate peace, reconciliation, healing and social cohesion.
In his opening statement, the UNDP Head of Governance underscored the importance of the training in the ministry’s understanding of the dynamics between its peace building interventions and the context, and to act upon these dynamics to avoid negative effects, while maximising the positive effects of its interventions. He reinforced that building local capacity for conflict-sensitive peace building will enable state and non-state actors to formulate and implement policies that he said are sensitive to the context in which they operate, help communities build peace and enable institutions address the structural causes of conflict. “Gender inequality is a root cause of conflict. There are numerous evidences to show that unequal power relations and sexual and gender-based violence are associated with increased vulnerability in society that leads to more severe forms of violence and conflict. Understanding these dynamics provides a strategy to transform the root causes that fuel violence and conflict,” he asserted. Finally, he reaffirmed UNDP commitment to their pledge of continual support towards advancing The Gambia’s conflict prevention and peace building agenda.
