Sierra Leone

Lorsqu’il s’agit de la participation politique et de l'intervention dans les sphères publiques, la grande majorité de la population de l’Afrique de l’ouest doit faire face à de nombreux défis. Lorsqu'il s'agit de se faire entendre, les femmes et le jeunes en particulier sont confrontés à des obstacles culturels, économiques ou encore politiques.

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La violence sexuelle et sexo-spécifique (sexual and gender-based violence : SGBV) est l’une des principales séquelles du conflit régional qui a déchiré pendant quatorze ans (1989-2003) les pays de l’Union du Fleuve Mano (UFM). En réponse, International Alert et ses partenaires ont conçu en 2008 une initiative ciblant les communautés affectées par la guerre dans neuf régions frontalières en Guinée, Libéria et Sierra Leone.

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Enhancing Security and the Rule of Law: How can gender be better
integrated into the priorities of the UN Peacebuilding Commission?

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062007EventReportEnhancingSecurity.pdf

Civil society and government representatives from Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Burundi recently gathered in Freetown for training on developing gender-sensitive indicators for the consolidation of peacebuilding programmes. Participants also attended a roundtable discussion on the development of National Action Plans (NAPs) for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

Cette note de synthèse a pour but de faire connaître plus amplement la Résolution 1325, en se fondant sur le travail de International Alert dans la région de l’URM au cours de ces dernières années. Le premier chapitre expose brièvement la nécessité d’adapter la mise en oeuvre de la Résolution 1325 à des contextes particuliers, comme la Sierra Leone et le Libéria en situation de post-conflit, et la Guinée souvent exposée à des situations de conflit.

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In just two years’ time, elections in Sierra Leone will mark a decade since the end of the bloody civil war. Since the war was officially declared over, there have been some notable achievements. The country’s first peaceful and democratic handover of power from one political party to another took place in 2007. Free health care for all pregnant and breastfeeding women has been introduced to combat Sierra Leone’s alarming maternal mortality rate.

The West Africa Programme at International Alert (IA) has been actively working with partners from the region for many years in seeking to transform conflicts in the area through projects that contribute to bringing about social justice and peace. We are very much aware that other actors have also played a role in conflict transformation in the region. This overview is designed to provide an insight into the history of IA’s work there, particularly since the inception of the West Africa Programme in 1998.

Overview

The role of international companies in post-conflict reconstruction is an essential complement to the work of international aid agencies. However, if policy-makers are to secure the maximum benefits from private investment, they need to understand how different companies and sectors view opportunity and risk, and find ways to assess their overall impact in post-conflict settings.

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Based on a series of visits to working diamond mines, interviews with diggers, mine owners, traders, exporters, government officials and NGOs, the report describes the current state of the diamond industry in West Africa, providing both an overview of the sub-region and detailed analysis of each country.

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This conference was convened within the framework of the Diamonds for Development initiative (D4D), which focuses on the sustainable use of revenue from mineral resources for the purposes of development. It was organised by the Government of Liberia in partnership with UNDP Liberia and International Alert with the objective of identifying ways to ensure that the alluvial diamond sector contributes to sustainable peace and development in the Mano River Basin sub-region.

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This publication makes the case that the local business community in conflict-affected countries can and should play a role in building peace. Linking up with other peacebuilding actors, and taking advantage of their own resources and skills, business communities should address socio-economic, security, political and reconciliation dimensions of peacebuilding. Section 1 is divided into 5 thematic chapters, and Section 2 contains 19 country case studies. Executive Summaries are also available in Spanish and French.

Executive Summary

Table of Contents

Introduction

Section 1: Thematic Chapter 1

Section 1: Thematic Chapter 2

Section 1: Thematic Chapter 3

Section 1: Thematic Chapter 4

Section 1: Thematic Chapter 5

Section 1: Conclusions

Section 2: Overview of Case Studies

Section 2: Afghanistan Case Study

Section 2: Bosnia and Herzogovina Case Study

Section 2: Burundi Case Study

Section 2: Colombia Case Study

Section 2: Democratic Republic of Congo Case Study

Section 2: El Salvador Case Study

Section 2: Guatemala Case Study

Section 2: Israel and Palestine Case Study

Section 2: Kosovo Case Study

Section 2: Nepal Case Study

Section 2: Nigeria Case Study

Section 2: Northern Ireland Case Study

Section 2: Philippines Case Study

Section 2: Sierra Leone Case Study

Section 2: Somalia Case Study

Section 2: South Africa Case Study

Section 2: South Caucasus Case Study

Section 2: Sri Lanka Case Study

Resumen ejecutivo: Las empresas locales y la paz: el potencial de construccion de paz del sector empresarial nacional

Résumé: Entreprise Locale, Paix Locale: Le potentiel du secteur privé national pour la construction de la paix

From July 4th-14th 2006, International Alert conducted a mapping of the incidence of GBV and the programmes that are being implemented to address it in Sierra Leone on behalf of Irish Aid. Historically, women have been discriminated against and are heavily under-represented in the traditionally male-dominated political and socio-economic decision-making structures of Sierra Leone.

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Women peacebuilders in various conflict-affected countries face very similar challenges as they attempt to integrate women’s interests in peacebuilding policy processes and civil society actors from different countries can potentially learn a lot from exchanging experiences with each other. This report outlines the findings and recommendations of a workshop with representatives from Burundian and Sierra Leonean civil society organisations working in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment organised by International Alert on 25th to 29th February 2008.

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