Sierra Leone
Enabling Effective Citizenship
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.
A toolkit for those working to facilitate the participation of women and youth in public circles in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Implementing Resolution 1325 in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone
This briefing note seeks to contribute to the knowledge on Resolution 1325, building on International Alert’s work in the MRU region during the last few years. The first section briefly discusses the need to adjust the approach to implementing Resolution 1325 in challenging contexts such as post-conflict Sierra Leone and Liberia and conflict-prone Guinea. Based on a brief discussion of salient issues and thematic priorities across the three countries, the subsequent section sketches the contours of a comprehensive agenda for implementing Resolution 1325 in the MRU region.
This briefing note contributes to knowledge on Resolution 1325, building on International Alert’s work in the Mano River Union (MRU) region during the last few years. It gives four recommendations to sustain and enhance work on the Resolution in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Human Security in the Mano River Union
Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) has been one of the major legacies of the 14-year (1989-2003) regional conflict in the Mano River Union (MRU). In response, in 2008 International Alert and its partners designed an initiative targeting war-affected communities in nine border areas of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
This report aims to capture the experiences of the Human Security in the Mano River Union (MRU) project in the context of three interlinked but quite specific country contexts: Guinea Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Enhancing Security and the Rule of Law: How can gender be better integrated into the priorities of the UN Peacebuilding Commission?
Enhancing Security and the Rule of Law: How can gender be better
integrated into the priorities of the UN Peacebuilding Commission?
Indicating peace
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.
International Alert in Sierra Leone
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.
Strategising for Peace and Social Justice in West Africa
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.
This is an overview of International Alert's work in West Africa.
International Companies and Post-Conflict Reconstruction
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.
In development circles, the debate about the role of business in conflict-affected regions has tended to focus on petroleum and mining. This paper begins with a review of the extractive industries, but then broadens the discussion to discuss three other sectors: mobile phones, construction and commercial banks. It cites examples from Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Somalia, Sierra Leone and Timor- Leste.
The Current State of Diamond Mining in the Mano River Basin and the Use of Diamonds as a Tool for Peacebuilding and Development
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.
This report describes the current state of the diamond industry in West Africa and possible ways of using diamonds as a tool for development, rather than a fuel for conflict.
Report on the proceedings of the Diamonds for Development Sub-Regional Conference
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.
Report on the proceedings of the Diamonds for Development Sub-Regional Conference.
Local Business Local Peace
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.
The local business community in conflict-affected countries can and should play a role in building peace by linking up with other peacebuilding actors, and taking advantage of their own resources and skills.
Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Sierra Leone
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.
Addressing gender-based violence, which has affected tens of thousands of women and children in Sierra Leone, is a critical element of building peace there. This briefing paper explores the issue, and identifies strategies to enhance prevention and response to gender-based violence in Sierra Leone.
Integrating women’s priorities into peacebuilding processes
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.
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 in February 2008.
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