Inaugural Meeting Of The Multi-Stakeholder Working Group On The Implementation Of The Vancouver Principles In Ghana
The National Peace Council (NPC), in collaboration with the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security, is taking important steps to strengthen Ghana’s approach to protecting children and young people from recruitment and use in armed violence. The journey began in March 2026 through the Youth Peace Ambassadors Programme in Ayawaso East (Nima) and Gushegu Municipality (Kpatinga).
Young people from identified hotspots participated in dialogue and practical learning on conflict prevention, child protection, the Vancouver Principles, and Early Warning to Early Action (EW2EA). This community-level engagement was followed by the EW2EA Stakeholder Engagement Workshop held in Accra on 30 April 2026, which brought together government institutions, security agencies, civil society organizations, academia, international partners, and peacebuilding practitioners.
The focus then moved from community voices to coordinated institutional action, validating community informed early warning pathways and exploring how early warning signals can be translated into timely and coordinated responses.
The process has now taken another significant step with the Inaugural Meeting of the Multi-Stakeholder Working Group on the Implementation of the Vancouver Principles in Ghana.
Opening the meeting, the Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council, Dr. George Amoh, emphasized the importance of establishing a sustained mechanism that links community level early warning signals to national policy and strategic action.
He noted that protecting children must become an explicit and integral part of Ghana’s peace and security architecture and highlighted the need to internalize the Vancouver Principles through an institutionalized mechanism that strengthens prevention and protection.
Chairing the engagement, Hon. Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, MP, underscored the importance of a forward-looking and practical approach that anticipates emerging threats, strengthens prevention mechanisms, and ensures that children are protected from violence, exploitation, violent extremism, and terrorism.
During the inaugural engagement, Arsene Mukendi Tshidimu, Project Director at the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security, emphasized the importance of strengthening prevention efforts and ensuring that young people and communities are equipped to recognize and respond to risks before they escalate.
His message reinforced the importance of moving from reaction to prevention, while strengthening collaboration among institutions and stakeholders to protect children and young people from recruitment and use in armed violence.
The progression is clear:
From the voices of young people…
To community-based early warning…
To coordinated stakeholder action…
To institutionalizing the Vancouver Principles in Ghana.
Together, these engagements are contributing to a prevention-focused and child-sensitive peace and security framework one that recognizes young people not only as individuals who require protection, but also as essential partners in building safer and more resilient communities.
From dialogue to early action.
From early action to national systems.
From protection to prevention.
Building a safer Ghana where every child and young person can grow, thrive, and contribute to peace.
