Policy Advocacy

Centralised government model in Liberia has proven to offer low development trends over the past decades, with potential disadvantages on its citizenry. The developmental and governance trends have posed challenges on the distribution of funds accrued from natural resources and other basic social services to its citizens.

In 2012, a National Policy on Decentralisation and Local Governance was launched as a means of establishing a framework for effective and efficient service delivery at the subnational level to enhance participatory resource allocation and expense decision making processes. To also strengthen local planning, monitoring and management capacity. In 2013, the government of Liberia with support from the UNDP and other development partners, established the Liberia Decentralisation Support Program (LDSP) to serve as a vehicle for resource mobilisation and program support in making decentralisation a reality. In addition to the gains made was the establishment of the County Service Centers, the passage of the Local Government Act (LGA), amongst others.

However, more need to be done especially in creating the avenue for decentralized revenues collection, budgeting and expenditures that will involve the participation of local and subnational structures.

To this end, RHRAP project “Legislative Advocacy for the passage of the Revenue Sharing Bill” seeks to advocate and influence the National Legislature to pass the Revenue Sharing Bill into Law that will enable citizens to have access to revenue at local level which is in addition to the frantic efforts by the UNDP, National Government, and other Civil Society Organizations.

Due to the danger Cyanide poses on human and animal health, this project was designed to expose the dangers and effects of chemicals in the waste product of gold. Using this program, communities’ residents are gradually getting aware of the dangers and effects of working with chemical such as Cyanide (hydrocyanic acid) over a long period of time and are able to make informed decision for accepting such job understanding the “Price of Gold (effects and dangers of gold mining).” Besides, prior to the awareness raising, community residents were still using the water running down from the mountain for washing and cooking, planting agricultural products near the banks of the water, eating dead fish, crawfish from the waters.Because of the learning workshops on the dangers and effects of Gold Mining, community residents are now taking precaution of direct contact with such chemicals.  

To enhance community residents’ ability to contribute to the maintenance of the rule of law, fundamental human rights, that will enable them meaningfully to contribute to justice sectors accountability, RHRAP provides trainings and awareness to community residents including Traditional, Religious, Community Leaders, Youth, and Women Groups on how the Criminal Justice System works starting from arrest to court-detention-parole. This initiative is providing knowledge to community residents to hold justice sectors’ workers accountability on justice malpractices as well as change of attitudes to support the rule of law. It is gradually helping residents especially in rural communities to developed confidence in the court system despite the serious challenges facing Liberia’s justice system

Continues capacity building trainings are provided for Police and Correction Officers that enhanced their knowledge and skills in the application of human rights practices in policing and correction. We monitored the performances of these officers and host engagement meetings them to discuss our findings intended to promote the rule of law, and fundamental human rights of community residents. Continues follow-ups and monitoring exercises are being carryout and used findings for sustained education and advocacy for policy reforms. 

The need for legal counsel and supports, rights to communication with family and lawyers, the rights to requalification, and integrations into communities especially for the most vulnerable detainees, remains key to RHRAP education and advocacy intervention. RHRAP provides awareness education lectures to inmates on their rights to legal representation, to communicate with their families and lawyers amongst. the awareness has improved the understanding of their legal rights concerned with detention, information on access to pro bono legal supports, the rights to reintegration into communities, as well as improved living conditions in prisons, and rights to use phones provided by RHRAP and its partner SHED. The provision of the desk phones has established connection between detainees and their families, while the awareness is providing understanding between detainees and prison authorities thus easing fraction/tension in the prisons.