Archive for the ‘Country Chapters’ Category
04 | 11
What are the potentials and challenges for free, fair and democratic elections in Liberia in 2011?
By: jyarsiah
Participants discussed some of the potentials as follows: National Elections Commission (NEC) has system in place to conduct general and presidential elections across the country; Liberia has an elected government in place; international community is heavily focusing on assisting Liberia; roads are being rehabilitated by Government and international partners, and more Liberians are involved in political activities.
Some of the challenges discussed included: Credibility or neutrality of NEC is being questioned by some political parties; Inadequate funding and logistics for conduct of elections; the Security environment; still poor road network in the country; impact of the ongoing post-election conflict in neighboring Cote d’Ivoire; More training needed for media personnel; lack of proper dissemination of information; and lack of respect for the rule of law in certain quarters.
Deliberating on the way forward in face of the challenges, participants at the meet up proposed as follows:
- Constitution should be fully adhered to;
- Increase incentive for security personnel
- Improve on road condition to make transport of election materials possible and timely;
- NEC and authorities should do all to ensure that elections are credible enough
- Address the critical issues of transportation and logistics;
- Improve efficient information delivery around elections;
- All parties should ensure that the conflict in Cote d’Ivoire is solved.
democracy, Liberia, meetup, Voting | Country Chapters
12 | 10
UNSCR1325 on its 10th Anniversary: Update
In October and November 2010, I had the opportunity to travel to the United States of America and take part in a series of events around the 10th Anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325. I am one of six women that assessed six countries (Indonesia- Aceh, Colombia, Liberia, Israel-Palestine, Sri Lanka and Uganda). The study, which examines efforts by key actors to address women’s participation in peace processes, was commissioned by the International Civil Society Action Network and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The final report was launched as one of the key events at the 10th Anniversary celebration.
Women activists from around the world gathered in New York and Washington, DC to celebrate and show case the gains made by civil society on Resolution 1325 and create more awareness on its full implementation. They shared challenges and lessons learned from their countries and suggested strategies for improvement in the implementation. Themes discussed at the workshops and panel discussions included but were not limited to female police peacekeepers and their role and impact in peace operations; women’s involvement in reconciliation and healing processes in post conflict societies; the obstacles to human security posed by the militarized security system that perpetuates global patriarchy and the potential of feminist security perspectives to overcome them. read more ->
10 | 10
Cerue’s August Meet-up
How can we manage tension between citizens returning to post conflict countries and citizens who remain in country during conflict period?
This was the topic of discussion when seven development practitioners met on October 15 in Monrovia. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss setting up a task force to respond to emergency calls from victims of sexual and gender based violence. But it was dominated by a look at how Liberians returning home in this post conflict era relate to other Liberians – those who stayed and lived through several stages of the civil war.
Conflict, Liberia | Country Chapters
Cerue’s September Meet-up
In recent years, there have been rapid developments in international law and human rights instruments that address women issues and in particular on gender and all the terminologies. It has aimed to promote, inspire, and support development policy and practice, which furthers the goal of equality between women and men. This concept is very new in Liberia and there has been lots of training offered to different stakeholders on gender to make them appreciate and except this new idea. July 15, 2010 over 12 practitioners for central Liberia gathered at the invitation of Cerue Konah Garlo to discuss under the theme”How do local community dwellers understand gender dynamics?” read more ->
gender, Liberia | Country Chapters
10 | 10
August meetup in Monrovia
By: Boima
One of the biggest problems facing Monrovia is poor waste management. The main reasons behind this problem are inadequate legislation, weak enforcement, lack of appropriate technologies and the lack of an effective mechanism to coordinate stakeholders.
The meetup in Monrovia on Barnes Beach discussed the topic “The challenges facing waste management in Monrovia”. read more ->
environment, meetup, waste | Country Chapters
July meetup in Foyah
By: Boima
The meetup discussed the topic “The traditional approaches for conservation and use of biodiversity in rural Liberia”.
Liberia’s plant and animal life is greatly diverse, with high rates of biodiversity and high populations of species that are nearly extinct in other countries. Much of this rich biodiversity is found in the forests, making them important landscapes to the country. read more ->
biodiversity, environment, meetup | Country Chapters
09 | 10
Impact of Liberia’s Free and Compulsory Primary Education
By: Ted Johnson
Local school administrators are becoming increasingly worried about the fate of Liberia’s Free and Compulsory Primary Education Policy. The Free and Compulsory Primary Education Policy was instituted by the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Government as a means of achieving progress towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG 2) which calls for universal Primary Education for all children by 2015. Certainly, the policy is achieving its primary objective which is increased enrollment; for the past three years school enrollment, especially at the primary level, has increased by 50%. Parents also seem to be appreciating the policy since it has reduced the burden of paying school fees; families of low income status can now use their meager resources for uniforms and note books. However, a challenging and troubling indication is the question of quality delivery; this includes adequate physical space for learning to accommodate the growing number of enrolled students and adequately trained instructors who are available to teach on a regular basis. Additionally, school administrators think that parents do not have adequate information on the policy and the actual role they need to play for the overall achievement of the policy goal; the word “Free” has created a stubborn mind in parents to make any efforts with school administrators in addressing these challenges. read more ->
09 | 10
Women and Forest Governance
By: Musu
The August meet-up brought together participants from the forest region to discuss women’s involvement and roles in forest management. The discussion was based on women sharing their experiences from the level at which they are working, and looking at the barriers excluding them from forest governance in the county. The meet-up brought together women attending a conference organized by the Foundation for Community Initiative (FCI) in forest development. read more ->
08 | 10
An Evolving Concept: From Chapters to Networks
By: David
The Forum’s experiment with the “chapter model” in Liberia this year has produced some very interesting results. Blogs from meetups held at rural locations in the north and west of the country appear on the “chapters” page of www.devprac.org. The five Liberian Fellows, all of them practitioners with deep roots in Liberia’s development community, have demonstrated the value of informal meetups in creating horizontal communication channels among front-line practitioners who would not otherwise be connected. read more ->
08 | 10
Role of Microfinance in poverty alleviation
By: jyarsiah
Participants felt that following the civil war in Liberia with all productive services broken down, MFIs do enhance capacity of people to regain their values and assure their survival.
Another issue discussed was that it is not the amount of funds loaned by MFIs to the poor (whether US$100.00 or $US50.00 per head) that makes them succeed. But rather any funding given out must be backed by business training, guidance and accompaniment by the MFI staffs, whether in a sole proprietorship or partnership. read more ->
