SACCORD WANTS NATIONAL PEACE POLICY ENACTED

By Lumbiwe Mwanza

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema should start the process of enacting a National Peace Policy for the country which will be the foundation upon which the National Peace Architecture will be formulated, the Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) has said.

SACCORD Executive Director Boniface Cheembe said this methodical approach should allow the country to address other peace related challenges especially those around trauma healing and reconciliation in the country.

He said Zambia must also embrace key regional and continental processes such as the Country Structural Vulnerability and Resilience (CSVRA) that the country was already implementing.

 “We call upon President Hichilema to strengthen domestic peace which should translate into helping the region, continent, and the globe. The world is increasingly becoming a dangerous place for most as many places around the globe seem to be facing troubling and quickly changing conflict dynamics that are posing a challenge to peace,” Mr. Cheembe said.

He said that efforts aimed at promoting peace must be complemented and supplemented by the review of all pieces of legislation that were a source of conflict in the country.

He said that efforts should also be made towards enactment of the Access to Information (ATI) Bill into law and the repeal of the Public Order Act (POA) and being replaced with the enactment of the Public Gatherings Bill which he said needed to be done with deliberate haste.

He said that it was incumbent upon all peace loving global citizens to reflect on the challenging times and launch a genuine effort to address these conflicts and potential conflict lines.

“The duty starts with each and every single member of the international community in attending to fundamental peace efforts within their own country, their region, their continent, and finally the universe,” he said.