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SESSION 9: Closing session: partnerships and recommendationson how to better work together – solutions identified and next steps80. The closing session was addressed by Mr. Sunday Ochoche, UNDP Senior Policy Advisor [Bureau forCrisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR), New York], and Mr. Kevin Deveaux, UNDP ParliamentaryDevelopment advisor [Democratic Governance Group (DGG), New York].Mr. Sunday Ochoche (left) and Mr. Kevin Deveaux (right)81. Mr. Ochoche recapitulated the major conclusions and recommendations on how to improveparliamentary support in the area of crisis prevention and recovery at the regional level: Theregional approach was recognized as highly relevant as it provides parliamentarians with an openspace to exchange inspiring good practices and challenges they face on sensitive issues such aspersonal security concerns, independence of the parliament from the executive, corruption whendealing with gender-based violence, independence from political parties’ positions within theregion, etc. Mr. Ochoche acknowledged: The multiplier force of the ECOWAS parliament and its capacity to interface with nationalparliaments on crisis prevention and recovery issues; The importance of mainstreaming peace and security issues throughout the 13 standingECOWAS committees; The launch of the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) as an opportunity tofurther engage on gender equality and gender-based violence issues in the region; The vision 2020 moving from an ECOWAS of States to an ECOWAS of the people as anotheropportunity to strengthen the ECOWAS mandate, visibility, accessibility and role in crisisprevention and issues.37