CPS Liberia: Social Cohesion and Sustainable Development through Networking and Collaboration.

The Civil Peace Service (CPS) Network Liberia is implementing programs that focus on contributing to the achievement of the CPS regional strategy, which highlights three outcomes, which are:  Young women and men find their place in a changing society and assert their interests in a nonviolent manner at local and international levels: communities and initiatives visibly and publicly advocate for a use of natural resources that is stabilizing for society; and Local communities and overarching initiatives work together to integrate marginalized groups and strengthen cultural and religious tolerance.   

The CPS Network Liberia meeting brings together eight national non-governmental organizations to reflect, share lessons and adopt best practices that will help to increase effectiveness and efficiency among member organizations.

In furtherance of this, Civil Peace Service network members which include: the Center for Justice and Peace Studies (CJPS), New Africa Research and Development Association (NARDA), National Adult Education Association of Liberia (NAEL), Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), Lutheran Development Service (LDS), Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Program (THRP), Liberia Opportunities Industrialization Center, and the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) met in Ganta, Nimba County in Liberia in late 2021 with the overarching goal of Strengthening CPS-BFTW Liberia Network Partners through effective collaboration, planning and sharing of experiences and lessons.

The Lead Coordinator of the CPS Network Liberia, Mr. Joseph D. Howard encouraged participants to maximize their efforts and ensure that all of the objectives set for the meeting are achieved.  He further admonished member organizations, especially those working on similar themes to foster collaborations and ensure that they begin to implement joint programs as a way of increasing impact and also avoiding duplications.

With the focus of the Ganta meeting being to provide the opportunity for partners to learn best practices through sharing and implementation of joint programs; access the impact of Covid19 on partners activities, and teach partners coping mechanisms, participants also focused on four thematic issues which include: Access to Justice, Gender Based Violence, Human Trafficking and Youth Engagement and Violence. 

Several attainable activities that the CPS network can embark on were identified for these thematic issues and how these issues could be remedied.

Human trafficking was considered a law enforcement issue, with awareness, advocacy, media statement and press conferences, training and round table discussions with key stakeholders for actions against child labor being the means in addressing human trafficking with CPS engaging law enforcement Institutions.

Gender-based violence which has human rights implications, participants considered awareness, advocacy, advocacy for strengthening of laws, a gender policy for CPS network as well as access to justice by ensuring that victims have redress in a timely manner; strengthen referral pathways, support to survivals, police accountability, noting that the referral pathway is more active in urban communities.

Further on the issue of Gender-based violence, partner organizations said raising their voices to highlight challenges facing the security institutions, engaging men to promote behavior change, following up on cases to ensure that justice is served and visitation to sites to document issues and challenges are also attainable actions.

On youth violence, it was proposed that advocacy and awareness be carried out including the provision of psycho social counselling through the Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Program of the Lutheran Church in Liberia; life skills training programs through the Liberia YMCA and National Education Adult Literacy (NAEL) among others, while also organize meetings with drugs and substance abuse users.

Several challenges were identified, which CPS partners said these challenges are common challenges ranging from poverty among the population, marginalization and exclusion, issue of women, youth issues, the disable, political manipulations, social injustice, corruption, weak involvement of public authorities, church conflict, community opposition and discrimination.

On recommendations, partners at the meeting recommended increased collaborations and networking with BfTW, AGAMONDO,GIZ and other actors organizations in similar countries; increased collaborations with government agencies and line ministries; that the role of churches in peace building be strengthened with focus on transforming the church itself and  engage more women and youth and connect to different CPS organizations. It follows an earlier quarterly meeting held in 2020 in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, with the objective of Strengthening CPS-BftW Liberia Network Partners through Effective Collaboration and Sharing of Lessons.

One major activity at that meeting was the analysis of the country context, which included: security, political, health and socio-economic and cultural contexts.