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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Saturday commissioned a mechanized water system at the cost of 24,000 Ghana Cedis, for the Changli community in the Tamale Metropolis. The project was implemented under the UN Joint Programme on Human Security, with funding from the Government of Japan through the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security, which ended in August 2013, after four years of implementation. Mr Dominic Sam, UNDP Country Director who commissioned the project, said it will replace the hitherto contaminated wells, and save women and children the long distances they trek daily for clean and safe drinking water. He commended the leading role the country was championing for peace on the continent, by contributing peace-keeping forces to conflict zones in Africa, but urged the Government to take pragmatic steps to deal with the pockets of conflicts in some parts of the country, especially in the three northern regions. Mr Sam said the three Northern Regions recorded 36 violent conflicts between 2007 and 2013, with the Northern region alone recording 27, saying, �It is against this background that the UNDP is supporting the government and local populations in conflict prevention, peace-building and capacity development�. He said the UNDP provided financial and technical support to the Government of Ghana in the formation and work of the National Peace Council, which he said was deploying its staff in all 10 regions, and some selected districts towards sustaining the peace in the country. Mr Hannan Haruna Gundadoo, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, commended the work of the UNDP in the country, which he noted had complemented government�s efforts of improving lives, and stressed that the Assembly was finding it difficult to meet all the needs of the people. He said the Assembly�s doors were opened to all development partners, and appealed to the UNDP to help develop economic empowerment programmes that would enable women to take good care of their families.