Monrovia – Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr., Chairman of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security, and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), is currently participating in a high-level course on dialogue and mediation facilitated by the United Nations and the Folke Bernadotte Academy in Stockholm, Sweden.
According to Ecowasnewsonline.com, the intensive training, which runs from May 18 to 24, aims to strengthen participants’ capacity to engage in conflict prevention and resolution through dialogue and mediation processes. Senator Snowe Jr. is representing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament at the event.
According to organizers, the course focuses on enhancing both conceptual and practical knowledge of mediation and dialogue, rooted in UN principles and best practices. Key objectives include improving understanding of dialogue and mediation as tools for sustainable peace, including normative approaches and UN values; fostering peer learning and exchanges with expert peace practitioners from around the world; and uilding practical skills in designing and facilitating inclusive and trust-based dialogue and mediation processes.
Speaking via telephone, Senator Snowe Jr. described the experience as enriching, noting that it builds on an earlier online phase of the course. He emphasized the value of peer exchanges, particularly in sharing ECOWAS’s unique experiences in regional diplomacy and conflict resolution efforts.
“We discussed the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali from the ECOWAS bloc, the political impasse in The Gambia, and the evolving situation in Guinea-Bissau,” Snowe Jr. said. “I also shared ECOWAS’s mediation models as applied in Sierra Leone and Liberia. These sessions have given us the chance to compare regional challenges and approaches, including lessons learned from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia.”
He expressed optimism that the knowledge gained would directly benefit his committee at the ECOWAS Parliament. “I’ve already engaged the organizers on the possibility of sponsoring a small team for a follow-up session in Abuja, Nigeria,” he revealed. “The materials I’m bringing back will be shared with my colleagues to enhance our collective capacity in peacebuilding.”
The Folke Bernadotte Academy is Sweden’s government agency for peace, security, and development. It collaborates with the United Nations and other international organizations to promote conflict resolution through education, training, and research.
