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| Participants |
National Justice and Peace Coordinators from AMECEA member countries have lined up terrorism, cattle rustling, insecurity, cross-border conflicts and extractive industries as issues of major concern in the region.
This was addressed during the regional conference held in Nairobi Kenya from 26th– 30thJanuary 2015 with the theme, "Towards Coordinated and Concerted Initiatives for Sustainable Justice and Peace in the AMECEA Region."
Addressing the participants, Fr. Ferdinand Lugonzo- AMECEA Secretary General said that the department has organized the conference to give National Justice and Peace coordinators a forum to deliberate on the way forward after the 18th AMECEA Plenary Assembly held in Lilongwe Malawi in July 2014.
“In the Plenary Assembly, the Bishops of the region raised concern on the ongoing conflicts in the region. They resolved to advocate for peaceful resolution of the conflicts in the region and committed themselves to work, as their contribution, for sustainable peace in the region,” he said.
He said that in addition to the resolutions of the bishops in Malawi, the conference was a platform to discuss other issues that are of concern in the region like terrorism, cattle rustling, insecurity, cross-border conflicts and extractive industries.
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| Group Discussion |
He explained that the objectives and outcomes of the conference would include making a follow up of the plenary assembly resolutions on justice and peace issues in the region and within the AMECEA member countries; coming up with regional strategies or strengthening existing policies geared towards addressing cross-border justice and peace issues in the region of AMECEA and sharing and learning from different national justice and peace commissions in the region.
The conference was also attended by Chairmen of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commissions of: Kenya, Most Rev. Zacchaeus Okoth, Archbishop of Kisumu; Uganda, Rt. Rev. Giuseppe Filippi, Bishop of Kotido and Rev. Fr. Seyoum Fransusarepresenting Bishop Chairman of Justice and Peace from Ethiopia.
By Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Online News Reporter