Mr Emmanuel Bombande, Executive Director of West Africa Network for Peace building (WANEP), on Thursday said the promotion of
the culture of tolerance and non-violence in society would make it easier to prevent conflicts.
"We live in an environment where Ghanaians are becoming increasingly intolerant of one another. Over the last decade political and ethnic polarizations have divided us but when we live in an environment where there is peace and respect for each other's views, it becomes easier to handle wars and conflicts," he said.
Mr Bombande was speaking at a forum organized by Hero Productions and NuWorldAfrica.com as part of activities to mark the United Nations International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in Armed Conflict, which falls on November 6.
It was on the theme; "Safeguarding the Environment is one of the Foundations for Peace and Security."
He said failure to exhibit good behaviour and attitudes towards each other was likely to generate conflicts.
"When we look at our environment, we can see the causes of violence but we have not done enough to correct the wrongs in society in order to promote peace. You can pray for peace but if your prayer contradicts your behaviour, it would not bring peace because peace is not necessarily what we say but what we live."
Mr Bombande said compatriots who should be seeking the welfare, peace and development in the country normally generated the conflicts.
"Conflicts do not fall from the sky but they are things that we generate ourselves so we need to pay attention to the underlining root causes of conflicts."
Mr Bombande urged the youth to take the mantle of leadership now and contribute their quota towards peace building and socio-economic development.
He called for unity among Ghanaians to ensure peaceful and successful elections in December.
Mr Amoh Antwi-Boasiako, Programme Officer at Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), called for the sustenance of the environment in order to preserve livelihoods.