President Julius Maada Bio has called on world leaders to prioritise conflict prevention and take early action to stop wars, warning that delayed decisions continue to cost millions of lives.
Bio made the call while delivering the keynote address at the inaugural Geneva Peace Forum in Switzerland, held under the theme “Choose Peace.”
In his address, the Sierra Leonean leader cited conflicts in Sudan, the Sahel, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the Middle East and Ukraine as examples of crises in which millions of people continue to suffer the consequences of delayed action.
“Not that we do nothing, but that we act too late,” Bio said, criticising the international community for responding to conflicts after violence has begun rather than addressing their underlying causes.
He urged governments and international organisations to strengthen early warning systems, address inequality and exclusion, invest in resilient institutions and maintain dialogue even during periods of heightened tension.
Bio also called for greater participation of women and young people in peacebuilding, stressing that they must have a meaningful role in shaping decisions that affect their future.
Drawing on Sierra Leone’s experience of civil war, reconciliation and recovery, the President said lasting peace requires both justice and reconciliation. He also highlighted the country’s transition from receiving international peacekeepers to contributing to global peacekeeping efforts.
The President proposed a Geneva commitment to conflict prevention, including increasing the share of international assistance devoted to prevention and publishing annual reports on warnings received and actions taken.
He called on participating delegations to leave the forum with concrete commitments to preventing conflicts and return the following year to report on their progress.
“Both are choices. So let us choose peace before the first shot is fired,” Bio said, urging world leaders to act early, courageously and collectively to prevent future wars.