Peace, democratic governance and chequebook journalism

The National Peace Council is exploring avenues to partner Ghanaian media houses to roll out programmes to enhance professional reporting in conflict sensitivities.
 

As the media provide and facilitate the flow of information, the Council acknowledges that they constitute an important component of the political process in democracies.

Chairman of the National Peace Council, Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante, however says the media must be encouraged to discourage political insults, lies and invectives and facilitate debates on issues bothering on national interest.

“Reporting on conflicts and elections in a way that promotes peace in the country is critical to Ghana’s democratic governance,” he said.

The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have initiated a consultative platform to promote dialogue and build consensus on national policy response to systematic governance issues.

The “Multi-stakeholder Consultative Platform for Peace and Democratic Governance” seeks to build consensus towards developing pragmatic and workable interventions to deal with critical issues of peace and governance in Ghana.

One of the outcomes to be achieved on this platform is to conduct advocacy campaigns to empower citizens with information and knowledge to promote peaceful coexistence and social cohesion.

Among activities is engagement with media editors and reporters to negotiate their partnership for supporting the peace campaign using their various media channels. They will also be educated on conflict sensitive reporting and peacebuilding,

UNDP’s Peace and Governance Analyst, Melody Azinim, says the UNDP will continue to support the different peace actors to ensure that Ghana continues to advance its enviable record as an oasis of peace in Africa.

Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante said “the media’s positive contribution should not blind us to the dangers inherent in mass communication, especially where effective control may be in the hands of a very few, usually powerful individuals who are motivated by pecuniary and political interests”.

He observed media personnel may face moral problems over conflict of interest that might affect their objectivity, neutrality and ability to report accurately and justly.

“Chequebook journalism and gutter press and media can visit chaos upon our democratic good,” he said. “For the sake of national cohesion, we must encourage the media to be fair, responsible and objective in their coverage and reportage of issues”.

‘Chequebook’ journalism is the practice where the journalist buys stories and is in danger of creating much ado about nothing, while pandering to the greed, vulnerability and undiscerning gullibility of people.

These acts undermine the sanctity of the media, said the Chairman of the National Peace Council.

The urgency of tackling climate-related security risk in Africa

The African Union Peace and Security Council has been commended for dedicating its 828^th session to climate change.

During an open session on the theme: “Climate Change Funding in line with the Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI) to Contribute towards Peace and Security”, the Council noted the inextricable linkages between climate change and peace and security, and emphasized the need for collective and holistic approaches towards building resilience and mitigating the adverse effects of climate.

Council underscored the importance of supporting access to cleaner and more efficient, as well as more sustainable sources of energy, sustainable land use practices and other activities that contribute towards building community resilience and thus mitigating competition for access to scarce resources.

The Council also underscored the importance of comprehensive, climate related security risk information, including credible data and analyses with a view to enabling Member States to predict with more precision the frequency of climate change related risks, including natural disasters, and to enhance the resilience of the communities.

African civil society has acknowledged “climate-induced human insecurity is increasing in Africa”.

The move by the Council is therefore welcoming to take the issue to another level.

“As a continent severely impacted by climate change, African should not wait until the 
narrative on climate change, peace and conflict and displacement is defined from elsewhere. This is the move on the right direction,” said Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of the PanAfrican Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA).

The 24^th UN climate change talks (COP24), held at Katowice, Poland, made further progress on the rulebook to operationalize the Paris Agreement.

To examine how the Katowice Climate Package could respond to climate-induced human insecurity, PACJA, together with the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and Oxfam convened a meeting on the margins of the 32^nd Summit of the African Union.  

Participants in the two-day consultations made recommendations that sought to advance the discourse on climate change and migration:

“Taking note of the sparse efforts in addressing the discourse on climate change and migration, African leaders should establish an African discourse on the climate security issue;

There is need for enhanced understanding of the link between climate change, natural disasters, conflicts, displacements, migration, peace and security through strengthening existing institutions, allocation of resources and expanding their mandate;

There is need to strengthen the coherence between climate change, disaster risk reduction and development actions at all levels for durable solutions to forced displacements”.

Researchers at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) have also released a new essay that gives impetus for the African Union (AU) to refocus on climate-related security risks and build a broad support to appoint a dedicated AU Special Envoy for Climate Change and Security.

“The idea of the Special Envoy is apt and an opportunity to pre-empt migration and forced displacement,” says Dr. Florian Krampe. “Moreover, this will provide an opportunity to ‘climate-proof’ the AU’s peace and security architecture”.

The AU Peace and Security Council has reiterated its request for the AU Commission to expedite the finalization of the outcomes of the study on the nexus between climate change and peace and security in the continent.

Emphasis was made on the need for the AU to continue mobilizing a united African front at the global level to mitigate the effects of climate change at both, regional and continental levels.

The Council also reiterated the importance of Member States, Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution (RECs/RMs) and AU partners to actively pursue integrated approaches to boost climate change resilience and to pay particular attention to prevention and further strengthening the humanitarian-development nexus.

“We will continue to work with AU, ECA and other partners to ensure we provide the necessary support to the Council so as to build evidence on the nexus between climate change, conflict, migration, peace and security. We also urge African countries and RECs, and particularly those experiencing instability, to dig deeper into the root causes of conflict," said Mithika.

A session at the level of Heads of State and Government will be organized which will be solely dedicated to climate change.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

Mineworkers champion peaceful election 2016

The Ghana Mineworkers Union says businesses and investors in the country will be protected from any threat of electoral violence when decency in upheld in the political discourse.     

In the run up to Ghana’s general elections in December 2016, there have been increasing calls for peace to prevail in the electioneering processes.

General Secretary of the Mineworkers Union, Prince William Ankrah, says such calls should not be taken for granted.

“As Unions, the necessary condition for work is peace. Therefore, there cannot be work without peace. As working people, it is therefore important to call on all political parties and their commentators to approach this year's election with peace at the centre of the discourse,” he said.

Prince Ankrah noted that intemperate language and any action or inaction detrimental to the peace and security of the country must be eschewed at every stage of the elections.

He expects workers to become ambassadors of peace, whiles drawing on lessons from other African countries like Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, who use to run very vibrant mining economies but suffered devastation from war.

“We therefore wish to call on all major actors, including the Electoral Commission, political parties, civil societies and all well meaning Ghanaians to join the crusade in ensuring we deliver on a successful general election,” said Prince Ankrah.

He was addressing the National Executive Council Meeting of the Mineworkers Union in Kumasi.

Industry optimism

Amidst an unprecedented pace of commodity price slump, rising cost of businesses and startling threats of redundancies starring everywhere, Ghana’s mining industry looked gloomy with predictions of a potential crush of the sector by end of 2015. 

But Prince Ankrah points to a positive outlook with the recent jump in the price of gold on the world market. Gold price has recorded a 22.19% increase the beginning of 2016.

“Even more refreshing, is the latest bullish prediction that gold price may likely hit $1500 by the close of this year. This is certainly good news for industry participants,” he said.

He is hopeful “these emerging trends in the commodity price outlook will continue and get even better going forward, so that a lot more jobs can be created for our teeming young men and women, boost the prospects of the Union and also contribute to strengthening the ailing economy”.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

Asantehene to address Chatham House on threats to global peace and security

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, will address a high-level audience at Chatham House in the United Kingdom on the escalating threats to global peace and security on October 30, 2015.

For over 80 years, the Chatham House has provided a unique platform for statesmen and great thinkers across the world to articulate ideas that contribute to peace and the building of a better world.

Among the icons of history who have been heard from Chatham House are Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and the recent Muamar opposition leader, Ansa Suu Kyi.

“The engagement with Otumfuo signifies the recognition of the role he can play as a global peace maker in a troubled world,” said the statement from the Manhyia Palace, signed by Chief of Staff, Kofi Badu.

As guest of the Cambridge University and the Royal Institute of International Relations, the King will also undertake a number of functions in the UK.

The Asantehene will be the Guest of Honour at this year’s Cambridge-Africa Day, which is celebrated at Cambridge University on October 23, 2015.

“At the invitation of Lord Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury and now Master of Magdalene, Otumfuo will deliver the keynote address at a function to mark the re-launch of an endowment for a full time Nelson Mandela Professor of African Archaeology at the University on October 24,” said the statement.