Published: December 12, 2024
MONROVIA — Integrity Watch Liberia (IWL) and the Women’s NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL) have officially launched a new project titled “CSOs Advocacy to Accelerate TRC Implementation in Liberia.” The six-month grant project seeks to raise awareness, build partnerships, and mobilize support for implementing the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), with a particular focus on promoting gender equality.
In a presentation outlining the project, the Executive Director of Integrity Watch Liberia, Mr. Harold M. Aidoo, disclosed that his organization and WONGOSOL received funding through the Rapid Response Window Grant Initiative under the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund to carry out the project.
“The grant focuses on women’s participation in implementing Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) recommendations. The duration of the grant is six months, from December 2024 to June 2025,” Aidoo stated. He identified Montserrado, Nimba, Lofa, Bong, Grand Bassa, Bomi, and Grand Gedeh Counties as areas of concentration.
Aidoo explained that the initiative will advocate for gender-sensitive measures in establishing Liberia’s war crimes court, mobilize women-led civil society organizations (CSOs) for active engagement with policymakers, and conduct awareness campaigns to empower women in transitional justice processes.
He also highlighted the TRC’s 2009 recommendations, which include 50 provisions addressing gender-based violence, Presidential Executive Order 131, and a parliamentary resolution supporting a war crimes court. “The need for new momentum in Liberia’s transitional justice processes, particularly in addressing critical gaps in women’s participation and representation, cannot be overstated,” Aidoo emphasized.
The project is expected to directly benefit 300 individuals, including legislators, policymakers, community leaders, and members of women’s CSOs, with women accounting for 60% of the participants. Indirectly, it aims to impact approximately 230,000 individuals affected by Liberia’s civil war, with a focus on women and girls.
Key activities under the project include stakeholder engagement with legislative committees and political parties, mobilization of women’s CSOs, advocacy campaigns, public awareness initiatives, and training programs on legal processes, advocacy skills, and transitional justice.
“It is our expectation that this project, over the next six months, will increase women’s representation in Liberia’s transitional justice processes, establish a gender-sensitive war crimes court, and empower women to influence national peace processes,” Aidoo said.
Speaking during the launch, WONGOSOL’s Executive Director, Madam Esther D. Yango, stressed the importance of collective efforts in turning the TRC recommendations from theoretical frameworks into tangible realities for all Liberians.
“Had we recognized earlier that achieving sustainable peace requires addressing the involvement of everyone and the unique impact on women and girls, we would have made significant progress as a nation by now,” Madam Yango stated.
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