Beneficiaries of PAC include under-privileged children, women, youths, schools, community dwellers, and community-based organisations.

PAC’s current ongoing projects include an eight-week capacity building training programme designed to empower local residents on how to establish and successfully run community development projects. Course topics include NGO management techniques, peace education and conflict resolution, teamwork and presentation skills, and basic psychology and counselling. We also offer volunteering opportunities, academic training, and training in life skills such as tailoring and general construction.

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The IRCL has its projects in the troubled northern regions of Liberia, where the civil wars were initiated. The IRCL was instrumental in the resolution of tribal conflicts in two of the northern counties.

The IRCL organises and faciliates peacebuilding workshops for community and religious leaders in four counties of Liberia, and workshops on religious tolerance throughout the 15 political divisions of the country. They also offer training for women in leadership roles.

The IRCL has ten members of staff, including both Muslims and Christians, and the leadership rotates within the organisation.

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The organisation bases its work on three overall objectives: to discover and make public human rights abuses and violations; to promote respect for human rights, democracy, justice, and peace; and to promote dialogue, tolerance, and co-existence among all sections of Liberian society.

In the area of human rights, they have  a programme designed to create a human rights conscious and strong civil society movement to confront the long culture of silence over human rights abuses. The JPC is directly engaged in the monitoring, investigating, documentation and reporting of human rights abuses and violations.

In terms of access to justice, the organisation provides free legal service to the disadvantaged whose rights are violated, but do not have the means to acquire legal redress. Via their prison visitation and assistance program, the JPC reviews the terms and duration of detention, the health and general physical condition of inmates and the overall condition of prison institutions and provides services where needed.

A key part of the work of the JPC is to conduct conflict resolution and peacebuilding training and workshops at a community level, in order to promote non-violence as a method for resolving conflicts.

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New Strategies for Peace ahead of Elections in Liberia

With fears being spread of rigged elections in Liberia in 2011, the JPC has already begun to plan their peacebuilding activities to prevent any outbreak of violence.

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With its large network of local groups, WANEP is able to mobilise huge resources for promoting peace and development. It is able to help build valuable, lasting partnerships between organisations, and strengthen the links between local and national structures. The networked approach ensures limited resources are used effectively, effort is not needlessly duplicated, and projects can be implemented faster.

WANEP-Liberia focuses on three main initiatives: a peace education programme, a conflict early warning and rapid response programme, and the Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET). Of these programmes, WIPNET is the largest and most vibrant.

Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET)

WIPNET was formed in 2002 to energise women in Liberia to come together for peace. WIPNET led the mass, non-violent protests in 2003 against the fighting that swept the country at that time. The mass mobilisation of women for peace was successful in urging Charles Taylor’s government and the Liberians for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebels to cease the and start negotiations to bring peace back to Liberia for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The success of WIPNET showed that women could be powerful, credible proponents of peace in Liberia, and helped created awareness across West Africa of the important role women could play in peacebuilding and leadership.

Following the end of the violence, and building upon their success and credibility, WIPNET continued their activities to promote peace and reconciliation in Liberia. WIPNET was instrumental in a massive election education mobilisation in the lead-up to the 2005 elections which saw the Africa’s first female President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. WIPNET continues to train local people in peacebuilding in order to spread the knowledge WIPNET has learned across the country.

Other projects include the ‘Voices of Women’ project – a bi-weekly radio programme, broadcast in seven countries in the region, which gives space for women to talk about, and get recognition for, their contributions to the peace process – and the Rural Women’s Peace Initiative – which operates in nearly all counties in Liberia, and focuses on narrowing the gaps between rural and urban women.

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Africa Humanitarian – Liberia: Local initiatives for Liberian communities as well as news about the recovery of the country’s social fabric.

Amnesty International Liberia: Reports outlining investigation of war crimes and abuses.

BBC Country Profile – Liberia: An insightful overview of the political, social and economical landscape. Also noteworthy is the extensive timeline feature.

Daily Observer Newspaper: Online newspaper with extensive information about the situation in Liberia. Search for articles related to peacebuilding, justice and reconstruction.

Global Security – Liberia: Provides wide range of information on the conflict and its consequences. Highlights government, rebels, forces and refugees involved in the conflict.

Human Rights Watch: A range of reports and related news from Liberia.

Internally Displaced Monitoring Center: Extensively categorised and comprehensive resource of IDPs in Liberia. Under the ‘Internal Displacement Profile’, search for the specific reports, statistics and maps.

International Crisis Group: A comprehensive resource for information on the instability and ongoing humanitarian challenges in Liberia. Particularly noteworthy is the categorised Africa Briefing Reports.

IRIN – UN Humanitarian News and Analysis: The UN news service IRIN carries news of the latest humanitarian developments, from Liberia and across the world.

Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo Information Services: Provides statistics of population composition and distribution released from the Census 2008.

Reuters Alertnet – Liberia Crisis: Navigate through the extensive categorised sections for a comprehensive overview of Liberia. Includes timelines, statistics and a ‘who works where’ database of local and international NGOs.

UNDP Liberia: Official UN website which provides figures and work made in Liberia for development, reconstruction and social recovery after the civil war.

United Nations Mission in Liberia UNMIL: A complete database of all aspects of the mission’s operations in Liberia. This is an essential tool in understanding the complexities and scale of the UN commitment in the Liberia.

USAID Liberia: USAID have been developing programmes to help people recover from the war through economic opportunities and return of displaced people.

Books

Journey Without Maps, Graham Greene: This journey across Liberia with his cousin Barbara was Greene’s first book

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Posted by Ruairi Nolan, Insight on Conflict, 26 January 2010

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Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution

COPDA’s ‘Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution’ programme promotes peaceful co-existence within the community through mediation and resolution of community conflicts. In collaborations with judicial actors, specifically the police and courts, as an essential component of this programme, COPDA target other surrounding communities and conduct conflict monitoring activities with the aim of ensuring conflicts are prevented through Early Warning interventions.

COPDA carries out free dispute resolution initiatives at the community level. The aim is to peacefully settle common dispute situations which have the tendency to escalate, degenerate and go beyond control. Local citizens, including target beneficiaries, visit the offices on a daily basis in seeking redress to the many conflicts they find themselves in. COPDA has hired a Paralegal Officer who is directly responsible to mediate and resolve cases and other conflict issues.

Human Rights Programmes

COPDA’s human rights programme is based on measures which seek to inculcate basic human rights principles as enshrined in the Liberian Constitution and international human rights statutes and at the same time, seek avenues for the protection of the rights of every person, irrespective of race, nationality, creed, or sex.

COPDA carries out human rights awareness-raising activities through a number of measures which include REFLECT, School Human Rights Clubs, Radio programme broadcasts, Newsletter publications, workshops, etc. COPDA is engaged in monitoring human rights conditions, conducting fact-finding missions to investigate violations and reporting on Human Rights violations perpetrated by community members and other parties in various parts of Nimba County (Northern Liberia) where COPDA is based.

COPDA’s key areas of intervention over the past year has been undertaking programmes which seek to ensure that the rule of law is promoted and right to due process is respected as a means to promote peace. COPDA’s training and consultations with judicial personnel, the police and other paramilitary personnel have helped to ensure that the human rights of accused and detained persons are respected and the right to due process is respected.

Democratic Leadership Program

The role of local leaders in promoting transparent and accountable leadership has become crucial and important to reducing poverty and promoting democratic reforms. The aim of COPDA’s leadership programme is to build good leaders who will serve the good of the local citizens and build democratic leadership, which will put to practice good governance and tolerance. As a result of the civil war, most local leaders were killed or joined the fighting forces. The vacuum that was created needs to be filled as a new breed of leaders has emerged at the grassroots yearning to assume positions of power. COPDA seeks to work with local leaders at the grassroots community level, training them to inculcate principles of good governance and human rights in an effort to build their capacity to perform. COPDA has established within each community targeted a five-member Community Leadership Forum (CLF).

The Forum comprises prominent citizens of the community who are working directly with local leaders and their citizens. The Forum monitors and reports on human rights and leadership performance. Their role is to advocate for the common good of the community and ensure that the rights of all persons are respected as a means for sustaining peaceful co-existence and democracy.

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We are currently in the process of expanding the number of organisations we feature in Liberia – please check back soon for further information. If you are aware of any organisations that you think we should include, please contact us.

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Inter-Religious Council of Liberia (IRCL)

The IRCL is a joint effort of the Liberian Council of Churches and the Liberian Muslim Council to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts in Liberia. The IRCL was instrumental in formulating the framework for the ECOWAS Peace Plan.

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Justice and Peace Commission (JPC)

The work of JPC covers areas such as conflict resolution training, access to justice and human rights monitoring in Liberia.

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Pan African Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution (PAC)

PAC promote peace education, community development, capacity building, training programmes, trauma counselling, human rights issues and volunteering in Liberia.

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The Committee for Peace and Development Advocacy (COPDA)

The goal of COPDA is to promote peaceful co-existence in Liberia through mediation and the resolution of community conflict.

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West Africa Network for Peacebuilding - Liberia (WANEP-Liberia)

WANEP began in 1998 as a response to the decade-long civil war in Liberia. WANEP works with grassroots organisations doing peacebuilding work.

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Women of Liberia Peace Network (WOLPNET)

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The founding goal of WOLPNET was the aim of eliminating violence in Liberia, and in particular violence against women/girls. WOLPNET seeks peaceful co-existence despite ethnic, political and socioeconomic differences, to increase women and children’s economic, and political empowerment, and to promote women’s rights.

WOLPNET is engaged in advocacy, peacebuilding, peace and civic education, vocational/skills training, and economic development through micro credit schemes and the formation of cooperatives.

WOLPNET is an active member of the national SGBV Task Force chaired by the Deputy Minister of Gender. The Task Force has developed a National Plan of Action on SGBV launched by the President of Liberia in December 2006 and is currently working on reporting, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and tools.

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Charles Taylor: Leader of the NPFL and former President, currently on trial for war crimes in Sierra Leone. Taylor supported Doe’s 1980 coup and served as a minister in his government until 1983 when he fled to America after being accused of the embezzlement of nearly $1,000,000. After escaping a US prison where he was awaiting extradition to Liberia, he fled to Libya and received the training and support that allowed him to form the NPFL. Taylor was heavily involved in the Sierra Leonean Civil War, and gave overt backing to the RUF. In 2003 he was indicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone for his part in war crimes. He is currently facing trail in the Hague.

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf: Current President of Liberia, and first female president of an African country. Initially supportive of Taylor’s coup against Doe, she soon went on to oppose him.

National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL): Rebel group led by Charles Taylor that began the first civil war. Estimated to have been around 25,000 men strong. Accused of widespread human rights abuses, including the use of child soldiers.

National Patriotic Party (NPP): The political party led by Charles Taylor. Despite winning the 1997 by a landslide, the party received just over 4 per cent in 2005, and now has only 4 seats in both the House of Representatives and Senate.

Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL): Splinter group of the NPFL. It was the INPFL which captured, tortured, and killed Doe in 1990.

Prince Yormie Johnson: Leader of the INFPL. Johnson briefly claimed the presidency after Doe’s death, but fled to Nigeria when it was clear Taylor had control of most of the country, and played no part in the second civil war. He is now a serving Senator in the Liberian government.

UNMIL: The 15,000 strong United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia. Established in 2003 to support the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in Accra. Its mandate currently extends to September 2010.

Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMAG): Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) peacekeeping force, which intervened in the first civil war, in an attempt to stop the warring factions taking the violence in Monrovia. ECOMOG withdrew after the elections of Taylor. A similar force under the name ECOMIL was sent into Monrovia in 2003.

Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD): Emerged in 1999 in the North west of Liberia, with the aim of ousting Taylor from power. Made up of mostly muslim fighters from the Mandingo & Khran groups. By 2003 it had advanced into Monrovia. LURD initially operated from within Guinea and is alleged to have been supported by the governments of Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL): A rebel group that emerged in the south of the country towards the end of the second civil war. Believed to have been backed by Ivory Coast.

Revolutionary United Front (RUF): Rebel group in Sierra Leone. Received support from Charles Taylor. RUF was involved in widespread, systematic war crimes, including the use of amputation as a weapon of war against the civilian population, the use of child soldiers, and heavy involvement in the illicit diamond trade.

Special Court for Sierra Leone: Set up in 2002 to try those responsible for war crimes committed during the civil war. Charles Taylor is currently standing trial in the Hauge.

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