MONROVIA – After 14 years of recurring conflict that destroyed Liberia’s political institutions as well as much of the country’s basic infrastructure, renewed efforts are being made to encourage reconciliation and avoid the resurgence of armed conflict.
The recently launched National Platform 4 Dialogue and Peace in Liberia (P4DP) aims to increase the capacity of both state and non-state actors to deal with conflict through dialogue and collaborative action. This involves techniques such as bringing together multi-ethnic groups to indentify issues that could spark conflict, discuss procedures to address land disputes and strengthen the capacity of government and civil society organizations to carry on peacebuilding initiatives.
This two-year initiative follows a successful pilot reconciliation project in Nimba County started in 2008 by the Joint Programme Unit for UN/Interpeace Initiatives (JPU). The JPU was created in 2005 by UNDP and Interpeace and is implemented through the Switzerland Operations Centre of UNOPS.
In Nimba, the initiative trained staff to conduct field research and dialogue with the local population on the causes of violent conflict in the county and possible ways to address them. Multi-ethnic teams were hired to work together in the construction of a drainage system on two key commercial streets in Ganta City and legal research was done by a national consultant on the interplay of procedures for the settlement of land disputes. Given the success of this project both the JPU and Peacebuilding Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Liberia have been working closely on rolling out the programme nationwide and following up on the recommendations for Nimba County.
The national programme, P4DP, seeks to achieve a broad national consensus around a strategy for consolidation of peace in Liberia, by developing a strong network of key social and political players engaged in dialogue and collaborative action. It will also work on enhancing the capacity of state and civil institutions to provide technical support to these processes. The programme is currently in its public consultation phase, in which the implementing partners mobilize local communities through interviews and community meetings, identifying local actors and highlighting issues that could spark conflict.
The JPU is implementing P4DP together with a group of eight Liberian civil society organizations: the Liberia Democratic Institute, West Africa Network for Peacebuilding - Liberia Chapter, Initiative for Positive Change, Peacebuilding Resource Centre, Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation, Foundation for International Dignity, Women NGO Secretariat for Liberia and the Inter Religious Council of Liberia. The JPU team working in Liberia is made up 100 per cent of Liberians in order to boost national ownership and ensure the transfer of knowledge.