Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Prime Minister Dr. Moeketsi Majoro launched the two Publications and Dialogue Forum on Intra-and-Inter-Party Democracy; and Conflict, Peace and Gender
Context in Lesotho in Maseru yesterday. These publications are the culmination of many engagements with different stakeholders within the political and social arenas.
The Ministry of Development Planning has been collaborating with the United Nations on various policies, strategies, programmes and projects; they have joined efforts to come
up with initiatives on ‘‘Party Democracy, Conflict Prevention and Consensus Building in Lesotho’’, which falls under our partnership on the Programme on
Renewal and Enhancement of Governance Architecture (PREGA 2019-2023). Describing what the projects are set out to do, he said they are to enhance local peace making and
mediation efforts, to strengthen intra and inter-party democracy and collectiveness on the consensus within political parties as well as other relevant
social and political actors as well as to ensure an increase in the number and women participation in mediation exercises in the country. “This is an important
initiatives (sic) that complements the national reforms process following the extensive national dialogue process, the adoption the national reforms recommendations and the establishment of the National Reforms Authority, which
is currently engaged in the implementation of the reforms recommendations. It is indeed a good addition in the course of achieving the “Lesotho We Want”, he
said. The Acting United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Betty Wabunoha said; “These publications are
such a contribution to help us, as Basotho, to broaden our reasoning, to better understand our issues and challenges in party democracy, gender, peace, and
conflict, as well as devise measures on how to redress them. ” She went on to further underscore the importance of the national dialogue as an important tool
for conflict resolution and political transformation. “In Lesotho, the national dialogue process we started in 2018 broadened the debate regarding the
Kingdom’s trajectory beyond the usual elite decision makers. Alive to the fact that these dialogues can be misused and manipulated by political leaders, I am
pleased to note that Lesotho was able to agree on mechanisms for implementation of the dialogue outcomes. “We are all aware that the National Reforms Authority Act, 2019 became a legally binding plan of
action. This plan of action will ensure that the resulting recommendations are implemented through reforms in the 7 selected thematic sectors in terms of
constitutional amendments, laws, policies, administrative regulations or other programmes,” Wabunoha noted. For his part, the National Reforms Authority (NRA) Chairperson Chief Pelele Letsoela said the
Authority regards the “sustainable peace” as the “cornerstone” for the reforms realisation. Welcoming the reports, Chief Letsoela said the reports will “come in handy” for the NRA in its quest
of carrying out the implementation of reforms. The NRA Chairperson further disclosed that the leadership of the country along with other relevant stakeholders will convene in a submit slated for July to discourse over the
“Peace Architecture” which is “suitable for Lesotho and that will help us solve political conflicts that may arise from time to time”.
