Liberia

International Alert and the Delegation of the European Union to Liberia have announced a two-year initiative aimed at strengthening the voice of Liberia’s civil society organisations (CSOs) in the national reconciliation process.

The project, entitled “Strengthening Civil Society’s Voice in National Reconciliation and Dealing with the Past”, aims to improve communication and understanding between communities and policymakers on the conflict risks and opportunities for long-term peace and reconciliation in Liberia.

This series of three country “Insights” identifies peacebuilding priorities in Burundi, Liberia and Nepal, and discusses the response of the international institutions operating there. The focus institutions are primarily the World Bank and the UN. The insights provide a brief snapshot and analysis of each country’s particular peacebuilding needs, as well as the dynamics that either facilitate or hinder institutional ability to address these needs.

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Jackson W Speare, Head of our Liberia Office, was interviewed by the Newshour programme for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) channel last week. In the programme, during which current Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and challenger Winston Tubman also give their thoughts on the prospects for peace in the country, Jackson talks about the view from the ground among Liberia's youth and those who do not live in the capital Monrovia.

The election, which is taking place today, is only the second election since the end of Liberia's civil war.

Long before UN Security Council Resolution 1325 came into existence, women in Liberia played an important and visible role in bringing an end to the country’s civil war. Women’s organisations and networks in Liberia therefore embody a significant amount of practical peacebuilding knowledge and experience. This report is based on a small study on women’s organisations in Liberia, which sought to document the impact of Resolution 1325 on the strategies and activities of women’s organisations in Liberia.

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Why is development progress difficult in fragile and conflict-affected countries?  International Alert conducted a series of studies in Burundi, Liberia and Nepal to explore this question in terms of how international institutions channel aid to support peace and development progress. The studies focused on two multilaterals: the World Bank and the United Nations.

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For large parts of the population in West Africa, political participation and contribution to public circles is impaired by a number of challenges. Women and young people, in particular, might face cultural, economic or political obstacles when attempting to make their voices heard.

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This briefing paper focuses on Bong County in central Liberia, one of the areas worst affected by conflict in the Mano River Union. It forms part of International Alert’s work to address the current gaps in knowledge and understanding between local actors in the leeward counties and those in Monrovia. Each briefing in this series aims to outline current security and justice needs and challenges in a particular county and advance constructive recommendations for ways in which national and international actors could address these challenges.

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