By Stephen Roberts
MONROVIA, Aug. 9 (LINA) – The Liberia Peacebuilding Office (PBO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and the United Nations Development program (UNDP) has launched the Liberia Early Warning Response Network and concluded the training of about 60 Early Warning Early Response members in both Grand Bassa and Nimba counties with the aim of helping to spot, report and stop local conflict.
The training, which took place separately at different venues across the country, brought together participants from the 15 counties for training in early response mechanisms, to verify and report trigger issues that are potential threats to the country’s current stable peace.
The participants were categorized into specific functions like the County Peace Committee (CPC), with specific functions to settle local disputes and work with the local community members on conflict mediation.
Another group trained include the Early Warning Early Response (EWER) menbers. They were trained to detect, verify or analyse and report triggers that are potential threats to society. The Youth Agent for Peace (YAP) is Responsible youth advocacy, school peace club development and peace awareness Creation.
Speaking at the launch of the training, Liberia Peacebuilding Office executive Director Sheikh Kamara urged participants to be serious in the discharge of their duties, noting that the fight to reduce conflict sensitive issues surely depends on the trainees who have been dispatched in the communities.
The PBO Executive Director maintains that Liberians still have a huge role to play in the maintenance of peace and fight against violence in the country.
The EWER and LERN projects were launched by the government of Liberia in the latter part of 2010 with the sole focus of helping to report and mediate conflict in the country.
The platform has been operated by about 23 different organizations in Liberia and has helped during three election periods since 2011 in accident reporting issues in the country.