By Sirrah Touray
President Adama Barrow has been invited to serve in the Global Council for Political Renewal, a platform bringing together political leaders from around the world to promote cooperation, ethical governance, and civic discourse, at its 4th meeting in Cape Town, South Africa over the weekend.
The meeting brought together political leaders and diplomats from multiple regions to discuss governance, diplomacy, and strategies for strengthening peace and democratic institutions worldwide.
The body is led by senior international figures like Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini of Eswatini, as president, and comprising Jordan Senate President and former Prime Minister Faisal Al-Fayez and Italian academic and former mayor Prof Furio Honsell. It aims to promote ethical leadership, political cooperation, and global peace.
President Adama Barrow was represented by the Gambian ambassador to South Africa Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay.
In her speech, Ambassador Ceesay articulated that peace is far more than just the absence of war because it is intrinsically linked to the presence of justice, the protection of human dignity, and the conscious choice to resolve conflicts through dialogue. She highlighted that in an era plagued by division, political instability, violent extremism, economic inequality, and eroding trust, diplomacy has become an indispensable tool.
Drawing on The Gambia’s own journey of democratic transition, she underscored the truth that reconciliation can triumph over revenge, and that institutions built on justice and accountability are vital for societal healing. Ambassador Ceesay asserted that peace is an ongoing process demanding patience, courage, humility, and decisive leadership.
She characterised diplomacy as the “architecture of peace,” defining it as the language of restraint, the discipline of listening, and the courage to engage even in the face of difficult conversations. Furthermore, she stressed the intertwined destiny of African nations, where instability in one region inevitably impacts the entire continent’s economic growth, migration patterns, security, and social cohesion. Peace, she argued, is a collective African project requiring unity, political will, and a shared commitment to principles like sovereignty, non-interference, dialogue, and mutual respect.
The High Commissioner reaffirmed commitment to the African Union’s peace and security architecture, advocating for preventative diplomacy, early warning systems, mediation, post-conflict reconstruction, and inclusive governance. She called for strengthening institutions that protect civilians, uphold human rights, and empower youth and women as “architects of stability” in peace processes.
Recognising the evolving nature of conflict, Ceesay noted that modern challenges like climate change, resource competition, digital misinformation, transnational crime, and economic exclusion necessitate multidimensional diplomatic strategies. These strategies must involve governments, civil society, the private sector, traditional leaders, faith-based organisations, and young people, as “peace cannot be negotiated in closed rooms alone; it must be built in communities.”
She concluded by emphasising the importance of South-South cooperation, regional solidarity, and strategic partnerships rooted in mutual respect and sustainable development. Following her speech the council formally proposed for the Gambian leader to be elected into the body.
