At an informal meeting of the Liberia configuration on 16 March, Member States heard a briefing from the Chair, H.E. Amb. Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeud Al-Hussein of Jordan on his latest trip to Liberia, as well as an update on recent peacebuilding activities from the Special Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG) to Liberia and head of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), Ms. Ellen Margrethe Løj.

In addition to an update on the status of the PBC’s engagement in Liberia, the Chair shared details on recent meetings held with the U.S. Defense and State Departments, USAID and the World Bank, as well as with the International Center for Transitional Justice, UNODC and Interpol, based in Brussels. Notably, the SRSG and the Chair commented on the impact of the crisis in Cote d’Ivoire on the Peacebuilding Commission’s work and role in West Africa.

Chair’s Briefing

Priority Plan and Programming Workshop
At the outset, the Chair informed configuration members that the final draft of Liberia’s Priority Plan, drafted by the Joint Steering Committee, has been completed and submitted to the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), where it is currently under review. (There is no indication on the release date, as of yet.)

Working from this final draft of the Priority Plan and Liberia’s Statement of Mutual Commitments (SMC) members of the UN country team and the Liberian government convened in Monrovia last month for a programming workshop focusing on the implementation of the priority actions identified in both the SMC and the Priority Plan. At the conclusion of the meeting, a drafting team prepared a formal document that is currently being reviewed by the government of Liberia.

Chair’s Visit to WashingtonD.C.
On 10 and 11 February, the Chair visited Washington D.C. to meet with senior U.S. Defense Department officials to discuss the progress of U.S.-led training of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL). Later, he met with representatives from USAID and the U.S. State Department to discuss areas of convergence in the U.S. and PBC’s approach to peacebuilding in the country. Finally, the Chair made particular note of the World Bank’s proposal to create a “Special Court for Serious Economic Crimes” for Liberia.

Note: (Special courts dealing with specific economic crimes have been piloted in several African countries including Nigeria, where the “Economic and Financial Crimes Commission” for the country was created in 2004. Another example is the “Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa” (GIABA), a sub-regional group established in 200, with the help of ECOWAS, which is “responsible for the prevention and control of money laundering and terrorist financing.”)

Chair’s Visit to Brussels
The following week, the Chair traveled to Brussels where he met with the NGO, International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) to discuss Liberia’s national reconciliation process.  Other discussions with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Interpol focused on the security and rule of law situation in the country – with an emphasis on the potential threat of transnational organized crime.

Chair’s Visit to Liberia
Amb. Zeid’s visit to Liberia began in Nimba County, the region worst affected by the crisis in Cote d’Ivoire.  (Recent estimates place the number of refugees from Cote d’Ivoire currently in Liberia, at approximately 90,000 people.)  Though he noted that the dire humanitarian situation resulting from the ever increasing number of refugees in Liberia is not within the PBC’s mandate to address, the Chair emphasized that the dangerous security situation resulting from this influx poses a serious threat to the progress of peacebuilding in Liberia.  If the number of refugees escalates beyond 100,000 the international community must act responsibly in providing assistance, as the precarious security and peacebuilding process in Liberia may become more strained than the national government may be able to cope with on its own.

Upon leaving Nimba County the Chair met with several high-ranking officials in the Liberian government.  He was particularly interested in the government’s proposal to create a historical commission on Liberia. In an effort to build national unity, a concept that has largely eluded the country in its ongoing peacebuilding efforts, the Chair encouraged the creation of a well-structured and balanced historical commission to explore the root causes of Liberia’s divisions, and above all to foster a sense of shared past.

The Chair’s briefing concluded with an update on the construction process of the first Security and Justice Hub, first proposed in Liberia’s SMC. Progress is going well, the Chair reported, with Liberia’s Justice Department in the final stages of planning, determining how many personnel will staff the hub.

SRSG Løj’s Briefing

In anticipation of the next day’s Security Council briefing on Liberia, the SRSG provided a brief summary of recent developments in Liberia and UNMIL’s latest projects. Her briefing focused on preparations for the autumn 2011 elections and the situation along the Cote d’Ivoire border.

Refugee Situation and Elections
SRSG Løj linked Liberia’s refugee crisis with nascent election preparations in the country. With over 90,000 refugees in Liberia (the number growing larger every day) and without additional support from the international community the SRSG warned that consequences for Liberia could be dire. Added to escalating tensions within the country due to impending elections (and troublesome record of recent elections in the region), tensions could detract from Liberia’s recent peacebuilding gains. 

UNMIL’s Role in Refugee Crisis
The SRSG informed Member States that UNMIL military and police presence have been increased in the border region, yet UNMIL’s capacity to effectively patrol a 700 kilometer long border remains a struggle. Problems of capacity plague both the Liberian government’s ability to respond to the crisis, yet the PBC’s strict mandate in Liberia largely prevents it from being able to assist in addressing these issues.

Funding Refugee Crisis
In response to Liberia’s question about the status of appeals for international aid to respond to the refugee crisis, the SRSG noted that little progress has been made on the initial January funding request  of $55 million (USD) (when the refugee count estimated only 50,000 people). The original appeal has only garnered approximately $18 million (USD), as the number of refugees in the country looks to soon surpass 100,000. Further concerns include the target of these funds.  The original appeal only factored in the needs of the refugees themselves, and do not include the host communities, nor the costs of infrastructure capacity to deal with a crisis of this scale.