Deputy Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu led fellow parliamentarians to adopt a landmark resolution on post-conflict recovery at the 152nd Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey, placing global parliaments at the centre of building just and lasting peace.
Serving as co-rapporteur alongside two other parliamentarians from Jordan and Al-Zu’bi of Jordan the Netherlands, Kalu, who also sits on the 12-member IPU Steering Committee overseeing the World Trade Organisation, presented the draft resolution on “The Role of Parliaments in Establishing Robust Post-Conflict Management Mechanisms and Restoring a Just and Lasting Peace” at the Assembly.
The document commits parliaments worldwide to a five-pillar framework for recovery: strengthened institutions, equitable economic reconstruction, social reconciliation, inclusive political life, and sustained international support.
It also underscores human security and common security as key principles for achieving just, lasting, and inclusive peace, emphasising people-centred and preventive approaches that address the root causes of conflict while advancing trust, dignity, and resilience.
Stressing the core of the resolution, Kalu reaffirmed that post-conflict recovery must be nationally led and owned, asking parliaments to guide recovery through holistic frameworks that ensure reconstruction strategies, legal reforms, and designed and approved via inclusive national processes.
Kalu added that external assistance must align with nationally defined priorities and remain subject to democratic oversight.
The resolution:
● Charges parliaments in countries affected by or emerging from conflict to lead inclusive nationwide consultations and ensure external support adapts to local needs, constitutional frameworks, and international human rights obligations.
● Encourages parliaments to rebalance national and international budgetary priorities in favour of peacebuilding and prevention, prioritize conflict-affected populations in reconstruction and financing, and strengthen transparency and anti-corruption safeguards in recovery funds.
● Charges parliaments to support national and community-level reconciliation through inclusive dialogue and trauma-informed initiatives, promote local dialogue processes that bring together communities and former adversaries, and institutionalize the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and youth across all peace and dialogue processes in line with UN Security Council resolutions 1325 and 2250.
● Asked parliaments to strengthen inclusive political participation by ensuring all affected communities are represented in legislative deliberations, foster constructive political dialogue through cross-party platforms, and work with governments, regional organizations, the IPU, and the United Nations to strengthen international support and funding for peace agreements.
● Proposes that parliaments consider lawful mechanisms to facilitate reparations for victims and mobilize resources for reconstruction, including the use of frozen or otherwise immobilized assets where lawful.
● Requests that the IPU provide targeted technical assistance to parliaments engaged in post-conflict recovery, including advisory missions, capacity-building, peer-learning, and support in mediation and conflict prevention.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
