Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has leveraged the media while unveiling the Policy Brief on Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) systems as a tool for mitigating and preventing conflicts and protecting citizens from danger.
CISLAC’s previous engagement with state and non-state actors observed the critical of initiating EWER systems, especially at community levels as proactive measures to conflict prevention.
At a press briefing held in Lagos with support from the Open Society Foundation (OSF-Africa), Jimoh Abubakar, Program Manager CISLAC shared that the Policy brief, itself is an elaborate and comprehensive document that opens up observations to the challenges surrounding Early Warning and Early Response in Nigeria and also provides a lot of holistic recommendations around the issues.
While explaining that Early Warning is integral to disaster preparedness, which is central to building the resilience of households and communities to disaster, Abubakar said that effective Early Warning systems (EWS) are people centred, ensuring appropriate, applicable, and timely early warning reaches the last mile, including the most vulnerable.
“To ensure that we sensitize the community to raise their consciousness against the threat because that of conflict sensitivity at community level give right to a lot of conflict that happens across the country. Some conflicts could be averted if the community is so sensitive enough to identify potential signals or threats,” Abubakar added.
“It is hopeful that this material will be judiciously utilized by relevant stakeholders in improving knowledge and understanding for more collaboration, communication, coordination and collective support for Early Warning and Early Response systems in Nigeria,” he said.
CISLAC also observed from its engagement across the 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria that communities have not been carried along in terms of reporting and responses to potential threats so Early Warning, Early Response becomes very paramount to ensure that the community is integrated in reporting system, structure and appropriate response.
Some of the recommendations include the formation of a well-informed and formidable community network with coordinating body to complement the intelligence gathering process for accurate information provision on Early Warning signals.
“Mainstreaming gender-sensitivity in Early Warning and Early Response system with adequate consideration for youth and vulnerable groups integration in systematic planning and policy response to Early Warning.”
“Adequate resource allocation to response agencies to enhance operational efficiency in Early Warning system and response process.”
“Maintaining open-doors policy across key responders to Early Warning signals to facilitate accurate information gathering and reporting.”
Given the need for media agenda setting to raise public and policy consciousness against threats has become imperative, to engender proactive actions at community levels as well as enhancing cooperation and communication among response agencies.
CISLAC had also leveraged the media as a partner to ensure that they sink the advocacy down at public and policy level.