Accra, July 28, GNA - The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) on Wednesday said its Northern Sector Office had been collaborating with various stakeholders in the Bawku East and the Dagbon areas to build relationships that would bring about lasting peace there. The Reverend Dr Fred Deegbe, General Secretary of CCG, said there was an acute intolerance that was affecting the relative peaceful situation in the Bawku area.

"A lot of shuttle diplomacy, education and advocacy for peace still needs to continue," he said, while presenting the Council's 2003 Activity Report.

Rev. Deegbe, who was speaking at the annual general meeting of the CCG in Accra, said the Council had organised a series of meetings with various groups including Dagomba Christians, Muslim Leaders, political party representatives and school children to bring peace to the Dagbon Traditional Area.

There is a plan to work with the youth and active groups in towns; Non-Governmental Organisation Consortium and Ghana Network for Peace Building and other stakeholders in Dagbon to find a lasting solution to the problem there.

He said the Northern Office was also working with the Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative Watch (Ghana) to assist in monitoring the use of resources from the HIPC Fund in their area of operation.

This, he said, was to ensure that the HIPC fund was not misapplied. He said there was the call on churches to be more pro-active on socio-economic and political issues.

The Council, he explained, was also working with FIDA, Ghana, Institute of Local Government and National Commission for Civic Education to improve the participation of women in governance and development.

Rev. Deegbe also touched on work done by the Council in the areas of HIV/AIDS, compassion campaign support and responsible parenting among other things.

The Reverend Dr Sam Prempeh, outgoing Chairman of the Council, said the it was guided by its mission and vision as approved by its Governing Assembly and in line with its approved programme of focusing on promoting religious tolerance, good governance and responsible parenting, advocacy and human rights.

The meeting elected The Rev Kofi Fynn of the Lutheran Church and Mr C.C. Bruce as the new Chairman and Honorary Treasurer of the CCG, respectively.