P4DP holds consultative forum Wednesday

The Platform for Dialogue and Peace (P4DP) will tomorrow, Wednesday April 29, 2015 host a one day consultative forum to present and validate findings of a nationwide research conducted on assets and capacities that glue Liberians together. 

According to a press release, the forum, which is the first phase of a study conducted by P4DP in partnership with Interpeace, seeks to access the resilience nature of Liberians in overcoming the traumatic stress of conflict and their ability to prevent future relapse in the context of post-civil conflict and recent health crisis – Ebola.

The project “Framework for Accessing Resilience” or(FAR) with funding from SIDA, is an international study that is simultaneously being conducted and coordinated by International Peace building Alliance (Interpeace) in Timor Leste, Guatemala and Liberia endeavors to contribute the development of contextual framework, to assess resilience, through the lenses of local stakeholders from individuals, household, institutions and societal perspective.

The day long exercise will validate the views and findings of 1,100 respondents from all sectors of society in Liberia. Chief amongst the findings are the issues of gender, land, lack of access to public goods, governance issues, and the recent Ebola outbreak. Findings also point out that in the midst of these crises, community initiatives and traditional customs have being highly emphasized as a resilience mechanism in Liberia. 

Following the validation gathering, national stakeholders will be expected to deepen the outcomes of various findings through a process called ‘National Group Meeting’. The latter will see the establishment of a national working group comprising of national experts who will guide and further develop the scope of the study and resilience mechanisms inLiberia. At the same time, National stakeholders are expected to make appropriate policy related recommendations for lasting peace.

The one day session is expected to bring diverse participants from government institutions, civil society organizations, the private sector, foreign missions, academia and representatives of local communities that participated in the consultation process. 

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of P4DPMr. James Shilue has emphasized that his organization is committed to making Liberia become a society based on good governance and civic participation by strengthening the capacities of state and non state actors to prevent manage and transform conflict through collaborative action.