Ghana government urged to provide information on voluntary principles
Mr Albert Yelyang, the National Network Coordinator of WANEP, has called on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to ensure that much information on Voluntary Principles (VPs) is provided to stakeholders.
Mr Yelyang said this was important as some stakeholders were not aware of the respective roles they needed to play towards ensuring a peaceful working environment as far as the VPs were concerned.
Voluntary Principles are a set of guidelines to help companies work with local communities and government to improve safety and promote peace in oil, gas and mining affected areas while respecting human rights.
The Coordinator of West Africa Network for Peace building, (WANEP-Ghana) was speaking in Accra at the third dialogue for the extractive industries in collaboration with Fund for Peace (FFP) on the implementation of the Voluntary Principles (VPs).
It was on the theme: “Supporting the Government’s Implementation of the VPs through Dialogue among national stakeholders.”
The dialogue sought to identify a broader strategy for VPs implementation in Ghana to complement the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources’ three-year National Action Plan.
The event which looked at current happenings in the Upper East, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and the Western Regions provided the platform for stakeholders to share experiences in their various communities and adopt best practices, as well as measures in addressing issues in the regions.
Mr Yelyang said even though some institutions had made efforts in incorporating VPs in their policies, the country lacked the will power to ensure an effective implementation.
“There has been low key attention to the plan and I hope that before the three year expiration of the plan, all activities would have been implemented because they serve as the foundation,” he stated.
He, therefore, urged the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, which led the signing of the agreement, to as well as lead the process to enable other stakeholders to follow.
“Initiatives are on-going which is for the good of the people and the nation at large. I urge stakeholders to get on board for peaceful operations,” he added.
Mr John J. Messner, the Executive Director, FFP, said though the VPs sought to protect and ensure harmony between companies and communities, the key instrument stakeholders needed to understand and use effectively was communication amongst them and the people.
He said Ghana and two other countries had been selected to pilot the implementation of VPs, but the non-existence of working groups to play oversight role was affecting the process.
He therefore asked for a working group to facilitate the process and also asked stakeholders to visit www.ghanavps.org to for more information.
All these were to ensure there was stability and peace in the extractive industries and there was an early warning mechanism, he said.
Source: GNA