CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE __________________________________________________________________________ iii. Recommendations of the APR Panel 141. In general, the APR Panel recommends that government and all stakeholders (civil society, political parties, the public and private media, the private sector, and so on) should:  142. pursue and consolidate the policies of peace and social dialogue which are indispensable for entrenching democracy, political governance and economic and social development. Specifically, the panel recommends that government should:  draw up and adopt a legal framework to determine the roles of traditional authorities in society and their duties and rights, and create awareness among them about human rights;  adopt and implement the statute clarifying the status and responsibilities of opposition parties so that they can fully play their roles in, and contribute to the advent of, an ‘emerging Benin’;  draw up and implement the Rural Code so as to avoid conflicts in rural areas, which are inhabited by the majority of the population;  strengthen and re-energise village committees in conflict-resolution skills to ensure the peaceful and amicable settlement of rural conflicts;  continue to work with neighbouring countries to manage and resolve conflict through dialogue, consultation and negotiation; and  provide help and support to the framework for interfaith consultation, which is an exemplary initiative in West Africa, to encourage its stakeholders to continue their roles of fostering peace and interfaith harmony in Benin. Good practice 3.1: Framework for interfaith consultation The framework for interfaith consultation is an original and exemplary initiative whose main objectives are to:  maintain peaceful coexistence among all religious faiths in Benin to promote peace and harmony;  facilitate interfaith dialogue; and  work toward the peaceful coexistence of institutions of state and the various civil society stakeholders in Benin. The framework, which only came into being on 25 May 2007, organised an interfaith national council in August 2007. 73