The
DEX Service Centre is pleased to present its Bulletin. This
Bulletin is produced on a monthly basis with the aim to
provide a summary of the UNDP Programme activities that
are implemented under the Direct Execution modality.
Highlights:
CBRA Project
Approval Committee (PAC) was convened on 10 August. The
purpose of the PAC was to present the implementation of
61 micro projects identified by rural communities of Grand
Gedeh, Nimba, and Bong through the mechanism of the District
Development Committees (DDCs). These projects address
urgent needs in the areas of water and sanitation, construction
and rehabilitation, and road access. See below on approvals
and recommendations by the PAC.
CBRA workshop
was convened for the 14 new NGOs and 21 whom are already implementing for the
CBR (30-31st August 1-2nd September).
More than 100 persons from 35 national NGOs attended the
workshops.
DDRRA (PAC) was convened on 22 July. Six Reintegration proposals
were presented for approval. See below on approvals and
recommendations made by the PAC.
DDRRThere has been a policy decision by the National Commission
on DDRR (NCDDRR) that of the uncovered caseload, approximately
12 to 13,000 ex-combatants will be enrolled in educational
institutions in the next academic year, 2005-2006 under
the Formal Education component of RR.
DDRROf the planned establishment of the 7 Referral and Counseling
Offices, five have been established in Monrovia (9th Street Sinkor
and Somalia
Drive), Gbarnga, Buchanan,
and Zwedru. Staff is already deployed to the Offices in
Monrovia,
Gbarnga, and Zwedru. Two offices are being established
in Harper and Voinjama.
PoliceAcademyThe
US Government has committed additional funds towards the
support for the PoliceAcademy, where training is being conducted
for the new recruits to the National Police Service. To date,
US $ 2.5 million has been reported in expenditures and
a further US $ 1.7 million has been committed. The US
Government has also committed to an additional US $ 600,00
for the rehabilitation of 6 prisons in Monrovia, Kakata, Harper,
Gbarnga, Buchanan, and Zwedru.
Elections (Governance)UNDP's overall financial support to Liberia's
elections is about US $ 536,000. A US $3.8 million contribution
from the European Commission (EC), including US $ 500,000
to computerise voter rolls, is also managed by UNDP. It
is part of a US $ 18.9 million programme from several
donors supporting the National Elections Commission (NEC).
Elections (Governance)Core support has targeted1)Promotion of the national civic and voter education programme
2) Strengthening the capacities CSOs and the media through
training 3) Strengthening the administrative capacity
of the National Elections Commission (NEC) through training
and study tours 4) Procurement of strategic material and
equipment for elections 5) Preparation, printing and dissemination
of a number of voter education materials, and voter education
seminars organised by the NEC.
Elections (Governance)EU Observers MissionThe Mission will be in Liberia for
three months, commencing Aug 26, to observe the presidential
and legislative elections. UNDP is providing technical
and logistical support in the form of local staff recruitment,
transportation and liaising with UNMIL to assist in the
deployment of observers in the counties.
Human Rights and Protection (Governance)Collaboration with
ECOWAS in the training of the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC) selection panel and the selection of
the TRC members.
Human Rights and Protection (Governance)
The project mapping violations during the Liberian conflict
has come to an end. 13,593 statements were collected from
the field and analysed. A final report is being produced.
Small ArmsSmall Arms Control and Community Micro-Disarmament in Liberia
Preparatory Assistance Project Experience from all United
Nations peace-support operations demonstrate the need
for ‘supplementary’ disarmament after the
official Disarmament and Demobilisation (DD). The Programme will focus on 1) Facilitate the Formation
of the National Commission 2) Revise the Arms and Registry
Act 3) Awareness and Public Education 4) Community Arms
Collection for development
DEX Service Centre – What is New A Legal Specialist now supports the DEX Service Centre.
1.Disarmament, Demobilisation, Rehabilitation,
and Reintegration (DDRR) Programme
DDRR General Update
A PAC) was convened on 22 July.
Six Reintegration proposals were presented for approval,
targeting a total of 5,460 ex-combatants by the following
NGOs:
§Grand Bassa Agricultural
Group
(G-BAG) – Titled Rural Agriculture and Vegetable Production for Ex-combatants
and War-Affected Liberians, the project targets 500 ex-combatants
in Joe
River and Central Districts in River
Cess County.The
project was approved.
§German-Liberian Friendship
Vocational Institute (GFVI) – Titled Sustainable Human Resource Development,
the project targets 350 ex-combatants in Paynesville in Monrovia in Montserrado
County.The PAC recommended that the project proposal be re-reviewed
by the TCC given its overall lack of technical feasibility;
FAO to be consulted for the agricultural component; and
to be re-presented to the PAC once it is revised in line
with the PAC and DEX recommendations.
§Rachel E Fay Vocational and
Technical Institute – Titled Vocational and Technical Training
for Ex-Combatants, the project targets 1,000 ex-combatants in Gbarnga,
Bong County. The areas of training are agriculture, building
trades, and home arts. The PAC recommended that the agricultural
component of the proposal be re-reviewed by the TCC; FAO
to be consulted for the agricultural component; and to be
re-presented to the PAC once it has been revised in line
with the PAC and DEX recommendations.
§Organisation for Children
and Adolescent Mothers (OCAM) – Titled Vocational and Technical Training
for Ex-Combatants, the project targets 110 adolescent mothers in OCAM Village, Dwacohn, Margibi County.
The area of training is general home arts including tailoring,
soap making, and tie and dye. The project was approved.
§Young Women Christian Association
(YWCA) – Titled Reintegration of War-Affected Young Women and Girls, the project
targets 500 girls and women in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
The areas of training are brick making, tailoring and baking
and agro processing.The project
was approved.
§Lutheran World Federation/World
Service (LWF/WS) – Titled Apprenticeship Skills and Agricultural
Training, Accelerated Learning and Small Enterprise Development
for Ex-Combatants, the project targets 3,000 demobilised, disarmed,
and discharged ex-combatants in Lofa, Bong, and Nimba Counties;
secondary beneficiaries include communities selected and
the families of the ex-combatants.Given the fact that Lutheran
World Federation has yet to be audited for its activities
during the DD phase, it was recommended to wait for the
audit result before reviewing the proposal by the PAC.
The DEX obtained the
approval from the PAC to reimburse the International Organisation
for Migration (IOM) for its additional expenditures for
the month of November in 2004, for its contracted activities
during the Disarmament and Demobilisation (DD) phase of
the Programme. IOM managed the transportation of persons
from D1 to D2 sites and then, to areas of settlement; cost
extensions were made according to the needs of the Programme
and activities which took place starting April to November
2004. Approvals were obtained from the PAC when it met but
no official cost extensions were made beyond October.
An audit had been conducted (the
draft copy of the Audit was provided to the PAC). The PAC
gave its approval with reservations and indicated that such
retroactive payments should be avoided in the future.
Brief
Information on the PAC: A committee composed of donors, the NCDDRR, UNMIL, UNDP, WFP, and UNICEF,
the PAC meets as required to review and approve any projects
funded by the DDRR Trust Fund. The donors present in Liberia
who attend the PAC are the US, UK, Sweden, and the European
Commission.
During the peak of the Demobilisation activities,
the PAC met frequently to appraise proposals for various
services at the cantonment sites as well as to provide approval
for extensions of various Service Provider contracts –
based upon DEX recommendations – due to the extension
of the time individual D2 camps were operational. The first
Reintegration proposals were approved on 19th
May. The PAC has been convened on the following dates in
2004: 30th January, 24th March,
7th May, 19th May, 16th
June, 24th July, 27th August, 29th
September and 12th November. In 2005, the PAC
has been convened on 14 June and 22 July.
In the call for proposals for both the
Demobilisation and Reintegration components of the Programme,
proposals submitted by both national and international NGOs
were received by the DEX and the JIU, which are reviewed
and selected by the Technical Coordination Committee. Following
selection, technical and capacity assessments are conducted
by the JIU and DEX respectively. While the JIU assesses
an organisation’s ability to deliver the Programme’s
objectives, the DEX assessments are of a financial and administrative
nature and carried out through visits and interviews.
Prior to a PAC meeting itself, detailed documentation containing
NGO proposals, minutes of the previous PAC for approval,
and a comprehensive DEX briefing is circulated to the PAC
members. The DEX briefing includes the latest Trust Fund
status (funds pledged, funds received, funds committed,
and remaining balance for approval of new projects) and
recommendations on the proposed projects.
Formal
Education
There has been a policy decision
by the National Commission on DDRR (NCDDRR) that of the
uncovered caseload, approximately 12 to 13,000 ex-combatants
will be enrolled in educational institutions in the next
academic year, 2005-2006 under the Formal Education component
of RR. The DDRR Trust Fund will also cover the fees for
the second and third academic years; the cost is estimated
to be about US $ 7 million.
Operational Update
RR Partners
UN Habitat
Booker Washington Institute (BWI)
African Development Aid (AID)
Community Empowerment Program (CEP)
Grace Outreach Vocational Training Centre (GOVTC)
Monrovia Vocational Training Centre (MVTC)
Sustainable Development Promoters (SDP)
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)
Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)
Africare
World Vision
American Refugee Council (ARC)
Center for Rehabilitation of the Injured and Disabled (CRID)
Liberia United to Serve Humanity (LUSH)
Synergies International (SI)
JIU
The JIU is now staffed with a Formal Education
Coordinator, Salvator Nkurunziza. Also, three additional
UNV Field Monitors have joined the Programme: Claudia
S. Taylor, Mumbere Zawadi Boyau and Michael Kalilu.
The
NCDDRR Field and Referral Offices are in the process of
being staffed with UNDP Reintegration field officers. Officers
are deployed to Monrovia, Zwedru, Gbarnga and Voinjama.
A staff member will be deployed to Buchanan by the end of
this week. Preparations are under way to set up the offices
in Harper and Lofa Counties and will soon be staffed with
officers.
Preparations are ongoing for the next academic
year – capacity assessments of institutions have been
conducted, including computer schools. Assessment
of schools in rural areas is completed.
NCDRR Referral and Counseling Offices
Of the planned establishment
of the seven Referral and Counseling Offices, five have
been established:
Monrovia, Montserrado County:Officially
open.(Somalia
Drive and 9th Street, Sinkor)
Gbarnga, Bong County: Officially
open.It is located in the city. The building
is 52’x47’ in perimeter and has 5 rooms with
a spacious main room, 2 bathrooms and a garage.A generator house was built for the supply of power
to the building. The approximate cost of the renovation
was close to US $ 9,000.
Buchanan, Grand Bassa County:Officially
open. The office is in Buchanan city, on Tubman Street
opposite St Peter’s Claver School.
Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County:Officially
open. The building is located in Zwedru City, on the
Albert T. White Avenue. This building has 4 rooms, one
kitchen, 1 bathroom, 1 living room and 2 porches. The
perimeter of the Office building is 40’8”
x 42’0”. The approximate cost of the renovation
was close to US $ 9,000.
Harper, Maryland County:Not
yet officially open. Renovation complete. The building
has rooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, 2 porches, a living
room, and a garage. The yard is not spacious for car parking,
however it is 0.5 meters from the main street. The approximate
cost of the renovation was close to US $ 4,500.
Voinjama, Lofa County:Not yet officially open.The lease for the building was signed
on August 25, 2005.The rehabilitation of the building is ongoing.
Brief Information on the NCDDRR Offices These
offices have been established around the country according
to the geographical concentration of ex-combatants. The
offices will accomplish the following:
Create
reintegration opportunities for ex-combatants
Facilitate reintegration activities through collaboration
with traditional and local organs of administration
Facilitate the placement of ex-combatants
into projects and formal educational institutions approved
by the PAC; ensure effective tracking of ex-combatants
enrolled in ongoing programmes; facilitate the project-monitoring
process; and assess the satisfaction and performance of
beneficiaries in programmes including mapping of a sound
exit strategy for those who completed their reintegration
training support
DDRR Trust Fund Update
Below
are details of the latest DDRR Programme budget:
§Total budget DDRR Trust Fund Programme
2004-2006 (revised Budget C): US $ 71.3 million
§Total pledged amounts by donors:US $ 61.1 million
§Total funds received: US
$ 44.0 million
These
figures have remained consistent for a considerable amount
of time, including the funding gap, which is US $ 10.2 million.The available programmable funds amount to US
$ 6.3 million.
The
total number of ex-combatants covered by the RR programmes,
including parallel programmes, is 72,948 out of a demobilised
caseload of approximately 101,000.
The uncovered numbers are 26,052.
JIU
Focal Points
Charles Achodo, Programme Policy
Advisor, UNDP, Tel: 06-530-987, E-mail:charles.achodo@undp.org
Sari Nurro,DDRR, UNMIL, Tel:06-537-992, E-mail: nurro@un.org
2.
Community Based Recovery
CBR General Update
A PAC was convened on 10 August,
attended by UNDP staff and officials from the Ministries
of Planning and Economic Affairs and Internal Affairs. The
purpose of the PAC was to present the implementation of
61 micro projects identified by rural communities of Grand
Gedeh, Nimba, and Bong through the mechanism of the District
Development Committees (DDCs). These projects address urgent
needs in the areas of water and sanitation, construction
and rehabilitation (structures such as schools and clinics),
and road access.
The projects were verified by UNDP, after which NGOs were
invited by advertisements in local publications to declare
interest in implementing these community-based micro projects.
UNDP received letters of intent (attached with documentation
including articles of incorporation, letter of accreditation,
etc) from over 70 NGOs. Less than half were short listed
for capacity assessments. On 24-27
July, 20 NGOs were visited in Zwedru, Tappita, Saclepea,
Ganta, and Gbarnga. A further 10 were visited in Monrovia
on 5 and 6 August. Out of 30 assessed NGOs, 14 were found
to have the capacity to implement the projects:
1.Caritas
- Liberia Cape Palmas Programme (Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County)
2.National
Foundation Against Poverty and Disease (NAFAPD) (Zwedru,
Grand Gedeh County)
3.Multi-Agric
System Promoters (MAP) (Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County)
4.Community
Care (COMCARE) (Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County)
5.Liberian Agro-System (LAS) (Zwedru,
Grand Gedeh County)
7.Women
in Action for Development (WAD) (Ganta, Nimba County)
8.KL Foundation
for Welfare and Development 27 July (Ganta, Nimba County)
9.Liberian
Initiative for Development (LIDS) 27 July (Gbarnga, Bong
County)
10.Plan Action for Rehabilitation Development
and Sustainability, Inc (PARDS) (Gbarnga, Bong County)
11.Concerned Christian Community (CCC) (Monrovia)
12.Community and Human Development Agency (COHDA)
(Monrovia)
13.Church
Relief Service for Apostolic Missions (Monrovia)
14.Community
United for Sanitation Services, Inc (Monrovia)
It was further recommended that current CBR implementing
partners in the other counties, who have performed satisfactorily,
be awarded further projects:
1.Cater
for Women and Children (CATWAC)
2.Society
for the Advancement of Humanity Incorporated (SAHI)
3.Humanitarian
Assistance Services (HAS)
4.Liberian
Community Voluntary Workers Association (LCVWA)
5.Global
Water Supply & Sanitation Services (GWSSS)
6.Concern
Technical Group (CTG)
7.Resource Center for Community Empowerment and Integrated
(RECEIVE)
8.New African Research and Development Agency (NARDA)
9.Zao Development Council (ZADC)
10.Lofa Educational & Agricultural Foundation (LEAF)
11.Liberian Community Voluntary Workers Assoc. Inc. (LCVWAI)
12.Equipping Youths to Help One Another (EQUIP)
13.Self-Help Development and Relief Agency (SHDRA)
14.Nuukili United Construction Enterprise Inc. (NUCE)
15.Rescue Africa
16.Community Development Services (CODES)
17.Development and Reconstruction Agency (DERA)
18.Rural Economic & Agricultural Corp (READCORP)
19.Liberia United Humanitarian Water & Sanitation
Agency (LUHWASA)
20.All Christians Development & Relief Services, Inc.
ACDRSI)
21.Rehabilitation & Technical Vocational Training
Program (RETVOP)
22.New Era Integrated & General Construction, Inc.
(New Era)
The projects and recommendations
on implementation by local partners was presented and approved
by the PAC. The NGOs will soon sign contracts and commence
implementation.
A workshop was convened for the
14 new NGOs and 21 whom are already
implementing for the CBR (30-31st August 1-2nd
September). Three representatives (executive director, chief
engineer/technician and finance officer) from each NGO attended
the workshop. More than 100 persons from 35 national NGOs
attended the workshops. The new
NGOs were provided with a programme and financial briefing,
while the NGOs who had completed micro projects
or are engaged in current ones had the chance to share their
experiences and best practices. NGOs were also trained by UNDP on
participatory development, participatory tools and techniques,
implementation arrangements and monitoring and evaluation
with the purpose of building capacity in our national partners
and Liberia’s war-ravaged communities.
In addition, the CBR team, in partnership with
the Resource Center for Community Empowerment and Integrated
Development (RECEIVE), is implementing a Confidence and
Peace-building Initiative in Konobo District, Grand Gedeh
County, as part of a longer-term effort to engage civil
society partners in peace and development. UNMIL/Civil Affairs,
UNHCR and Save the Children-UK are also collaborating in
the project. The project will mobilise the community to
participate in a round-table conference where a local peace
treaty will be signed, followed by a peace and reconciliation
festival.
CBR
Focal Points
Indu Gautam, Team Leader,
Tel: 06, E-mail: indu.gautam@undp.org
Vincent C. Queipo,
UNV County Coordinator, CBR Bong County, Tel: 05-651-808
Sushil Khanna, UNV County Coordinator,
CBR Grand Gedeh County, Tel: 05-620896
3.
Elections (Governance)
UNDP and the European
Commission (EC) are collaborating to provide support to
systems and processes that would lead to the holding of
free, fair and peaceful elections in October 2005. UNDP's
overall financial support to Liberia's elections is about
US $ 536,000. A US $3.8 million contribution from the European
Commission (EC), including US $ 500,000 to computerise voter
rolls, is also managed by UNDP. It is part of a US $ 18.9
million programme from several donors supporting the National
Elections Commission (NEC).
UNDP Liberia