From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), in collaboration with Mercy Corps Nigeria and West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), is organizing a significant event called the “Conflict Early Warning, Early Response Systems Strategic Stakeholders Engagement Workshop.”
The workshop, scheduled for Tuesday August 1, 2023, at the IPCR Conference Hall in FCT Abuja, aims to address the pressing need for proactive conflict resolution and peacebuilding in Nigeria.
The workshop’s objective is two-fold: to sensitize security agencies’ top echelon and enhance the capacity of personnel and critical agents to respond effectively to early warning signals of conflict. The participants will include key figures from security agencies and nominated personnel who will form the Proposed National Conflict Early Warning Response Group (EWRG).
The Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Joseph Ochogwu, expressed his anticipation for the workshop’s outcome, stating that the EWRG would play a crucial role in coordinating and facilitating a seamless response to early warning reports, particularly in the PARTNER program states.
The IPCR is leading a consortium of organisations, including Mercy Corps Nigeria, West African Network for Peacebuilding, Plateau Peacebuilding Agency, Kaduna State Peace Commission, Kukah Centre, Katsina State Peace Committee, Kano State Peace Committee, and Mambayya House, to implement the Peace Action for Rapid Transformative Nigerian Early Response (PARTNER) program.
The PARTNER project, sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), focuses on conflict early warning, social cohesion, and peacebuilding.
Under the PARTNER program, an enhanced early warning and early response system will be established in nine states categorized into three tiers: Plateau and Kaduna (Tier 1), Benue, Katsina, Kano, and Nasarawa (Tier 2), and Kogi, Niger, and Zamfara (Tier 3).
The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) was established in February 2000 as a research center and think-tank dedicated to enhancing Nigeria’s ability to promote peace and effectively prevent, manage, and resolve conflicts. Operating under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the IPCR focuses on strengthening the nation’s capacity for peaceful initiatives and efficient conflict resolution strategies.