The National Peace Council has engaged some community level stakeholders in the Upper East Region as part of measures to bridge the communication gap between the communities and the district assemblies. This is to enhance collaboration and understanding between them, to drive the needed development and cooperation for improved livelihoods. The engagement was part of the 'Enhancing Social Cohesion and Social Contract through Empowering Women and Youth in Northern Ghana Project.' The project, being rolled out in the Bongo, Bawku and Garu Districts, is funded by the United Nations (UN) Peacebuilding Fund through the UN Development Programme, and the UN Population Fund and implemented by the National Peace Council. It aims to equip the stakeholders with conflict management and resolution skills, techniques to detect activities of violent extremism, political vigilantism among others to resolve and prevent conflicts as well as build resilience of border and hotspots communities against violent extremism. The engagement brought together traditional and religious leaders, the Assembly members, women and youth leaders, security services and other state institutions among from selected communities. The stakeholders were also taken through the linkage between human rights, responsibilities and conflicts and how the denial of one's right could lead to conflict. Madam Felicia Fordjour Oppong, the Manager for Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, National Peace Council, said the project was part of the conflict preventive measures with the tendency to build community resilience to drive development. She said strengthening communication channels between the communities and the district assemblies would not only enhance participation and inclusion but help to identify and address the most pressing needs of the people. 'We are engaging the communities to bridge the communication gap so they can come together and resolve any issues that might come up,' she added. Madam Oppong advised the participants to promote peace bef ore, during and after the 2024 elections, to ensure sustained development. She said instability in the neighbouring countries had forced people to relocate to Ghana as asylum seekers and Ghana should not experience the same fate. Dr Sabina Appiah Boateng, a Research Fellow with the Department of Peace Studies, University of Cape Coast, who took the participants through the linkage between respect for human rights and conflict prevention, advised them to ensure inclusiveness to prevent conflict. She called for modification of some of the outmoded cultural practices to eliminate discrimination and exclusion and give respect and dignity to women. Naba Azaare Anyenaba, the Chief of the Feo, commended the National Peace Council for the project and said it had broadened his knowledge on peaceful coexistence and peacebuilding mechanisms. He pledged to extend the training to his people to ensure the vulnerable, particularly women and children, lived in dignity. Source: Ghana News Agency