LIBERIA

OCTOBER 2007

The Journey

When Liberia’s former despotic president, Charles Taylor, was forced into exile in 2003, Liberian democrats seized the opportunity to set their country on a path toward peace and democratic rule. Two years later, in November 2005, they made history by electing the first woman head of state in Africa—President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

The fall 2005 developments planted the seeds of recovery in a country devastated by decades of conflict, corruption, and political discord. In the two years since that historic election, tangible improvements have been made in many sectors of society. These include upgrades to the country’s public sanitation system, newly-built and refurbished schools, the resettlement of thousands of Liberians displaced by war, and the revival of the electricity supply as evidenced by the working streetlights in the once-dark capital of Monrovia.

Soon after Taylor’s departure in August 2003, NDI returned to Liberia to help the country’s war-weary citizens participate more fully and effectively in the transition process. Working with various Liberian partner organizations, NDI:

• Provided financial support and technical advice to 17 Liberian organizations engaged in raising citizen awareness on the provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and conducting civic and voter education in preparation for the 2005 national elections;
• Organized focus groups to gauge citizen attitudes on the transition, and to help local civic organizations better plan their activities and the use of their resources;
• and Co-sponsored international election monitoring missions to the legislative and presidential elections in 2005, in partnership with The Carter Center.

In January 2006, NDI co-sponsored with the Liberian Ministry of Gender and Development an interactive forum with women from across the country on ways to tackle the challenges facing Liberian women in urban and rural areas. In 2007, women leaders from civil society and from the National Assembly joined NDI’s Knowledge Network of Women in Politics, or iKNOW Politics—a global net-working platform that supports women in politics through the sharing of information, expertise and best practices.

Currently, NDI is assisting Liberian legislators working to improve the legislative capacity of the National Assembly and to enhance relationships with constituents. The Institute is providing training on the key functions of lawmaking, representation of constituent interests and oversight of policy implementation. Several town hall meetings have been co-organized by NDI and Liberian legislators to foster better relationships between legislators and citizens at the local level.

In partnership with the U.S. Congress (House Democracy Assistance Commission), NDI facilitated a town hall meeting in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, during which U.S. Reps. David Price (D-NC), Gwendolyn Moore (D-WI) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) joined their Liberian counterparts to discuss education, job creation and community development in post-conflict Liberia. Later, with HDAC sponsorship, seven Liberian legislators traveled to the United States on a parliamentary exchange program. They held meetings on Capitol Hill with members, senior staff and congressional analysts and discussed the roles of committees, congressional oversight activities and the conduct of congressional hearings. They also visited the Arkansas district of U.S. Rep. John Boozman (R) to see firsthand the management of constituency relations.

NDI programs in Liberia have been supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

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