U.S. Provides US$47, 000 for citizens’ participation in Gov’t

The United States Ambassador to Liberia, Madam Deborah Malac has signed two grant agreements, totaling US$47,000, for Liberian civil society organizations that will enhance Liberian citizens’ participation in government.

The agreement with the Institute for Research and Democratic Development or IREDD for US$28,000 will promote legislative openness and stimulate wider civic consciousness and responsibility among citizens by monitoring and documenting the performance of the national legislature and making this information widely available to Liberian citizens through a publicly accessible website.

According to a press release issued in Monrovia over the weekend, the agreement with Actions for Genuine Democratic Alternatives or AGENDA for US$19,000 seeks to improve citizens’ understanding of the budget process, analyze the impact of various projects in the budget on women, and enable citizens to advocate for more responsive programming.

These grants are provided through the Democracy and Human Rights Fund or DHRF of the U.S. Department of State.  The DHRF program provides grants for small, short-term, highly-focused projects that promote and defend civil and political rights, strengthen democratic institutions and civil society, and foster democratic values and practices.