Conflict Prevention and Peace Preservation Third Quarter Project Board Meeting 1 st October, 2015 Venue: UNDP Conference Room Draft Minute Attendance Name Designation Institution Tel/Email Address Annette Nalwoga Team Leader, Democratic Governance UNDP Annette.nalwoga@undp.org +23278-251407 Edward Kamara Portfolio Manager, Democratic Governance UNDP edward.kamara@undp.org 076-638241 Beamie-Moses Seiwoh Programme Officer UNDP 079-317181 beamiemoses.seiwoh@undp.org Saudatu Jah Programme Assistant UNDP saudatu.jah@one.un.org 079-479415 Mahmoud Conteh Programme Associate UNDP mahmoud.conteh@undp.org Daphne Davidson Programme Associate UNDP daphne.davidson@undp.org +23276-619956 Gloria Thomas Programme Associate UNDP Gloria.thomas@undp.org Abdulai Caulker Director of Admin and Finance Office of National Security abdulaicaulker@yahoo.com +23276637218 Edward K. Jombla National Coordinator WANEP 076-644242 edijombla@yahoo.co.uk John Bangura Executive Director HOPE-SL +232-76-811-136 hopesierraleone@gmail.com Moses Margao Project Officer Advocate Plus moses@advocateplus.org Agenda 1. Welcome Address- Annette Nalwoga 2. Review of last Action Points 3. Implementation progress presentation by IP s 4. Questions and Answers Chair Persons Opening Remarks The meeting was called to order by the Team Lead Governance cluster UNDP, who welcomed all to the third quarter project board meeting for Conflict Prevention and Peace Preservation project board. The 1
Co-Chair (Representative of MIA) who was unavoidably absent, requested a colleague from ONS represent her. The UNDP substantive Chairperson read out the agenda and in absence of any other item to be added, the agenda was unanimously adopted. Upon commencing the meeting proper, the chairperson read out the action points of quarter two project board meeting and the persons concerned provided updates on the relevant actions taken. Using a standard template shared earlier, each IP made presentation on progress made, and was followed by a question and answer session. Presentation on Progress by Advocate Plus- Sierra Leone With technical support received from the Political Party Registration Commission (PPRC), chiefdom, district and national stakeholders A+ reported to have trained hundred (100) mediators and dialogue facilitators one each per chiefdom in 100 chiefdoms from the south, east and part of the north. Out of the 100 trained, 60 are male and 40 female with 49 more to be trained in the remaining chiefdoms in the fourth quarter. The Project Officer also reported that identification and mapping exercises and chiefdom orientation workshop on mediation and dialogue facilitation for 200 (F100, M 100) stakeholders from religious groups, chiefdom elders, law enforcement officers, and local authorities in chiefdoms was in progress and will run into Q4. He also reported on four (4) Regional feedback sessions held in district headquarter towns for trained mediators and dialogue facilitators. The main purpose of these feedback sessions was to give mediators and dialogue facilitators the opportunity to give feedback to representatives from the MIAs, PPRC, chiefdom stakeholders, CSOs and inter-religious council about how the training is helping them prevent conflict and preserve peace in 2
their respective chiefdoms. During the feedback sessions, successes stories in dealing with conflict such as land garbing between and among villages and family members and the challenges they are facing when playing their roles as chiefdom mediators and dialogue facilitators were shared, he reported. A total of twelve successful mediation cases were reported of which ten were family related conflicts and two community land disputes. A total of twenty (20) sample-monitoring visits in twenty chiefdoms in Bo, Makeni and Kenema districts were undertaken in locations where trained mediator and dialogue facilitators are based. The purpose of these monitoring visits was to see how the trained mediators and dialogue facilitators are replicating their knowledge gained from the training in preventing conflict and persevering peace in their respective chiefdoms; see if the resolved conflicts are documented and whether there is coordination among district mediators and dialogue facilitators. It was observed that trained mediators and dialogue facilitators have started mediating between families that had generational land dispute and they are also handling domestic disputes in their respective chiefdoms. Issues/challenges During the rains in July and August, the project team found it difficult to work in riverine chiefdoms, particularly in Bonthe and Pujehun. Political intolerance between and among party supporters selected to be trained as mediator and dialogue facilitators. West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) Sierra Leone 3
The network coordinator informed the project board that WANEP and ONS have had consultative meetings and that both institutions have shown commitment to continue working together. He added that the technical supports provided by ONS, WANEP has been able to achieve the following: Open Community Dialogue Sessions with Community Groups, Security and Health Service Providers on Security and Health Issues Emerging at the Local Levels A total of 8 Open Community Dialogue Sessions (2 per region) held and attracted a total of 160 participants (78 females and 82 males). The participants were drawn from among community residents including women, youth traditional authorities, councilors, Districts Coordinators of the Office of National Security (ONS), the Sierra Leone Police and representatives of the Local Police Partnership Boards, Republic of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces, Civil Society and the media. The meeting discussed key issues of national importance like Ebola as a threat to human security, border communities safety and security, facilitated dialogue and reconciliation of communities divided by the Ebola scourge as well as information shared on conflict risk factors and social accountability. The relevance of the open dialogue sessions scaled down information on the Ebola disease and upstream the preventive measures, safety and security of people. It also contributed to raising awareness and understanding on the defined roles of the security sectors and how communities could support information sharing on threats to peace with the security operatives as well as demand accountability from their service providers. Feedback to Government and Stakeholders on Conflict Drivers and Health Challenges Identified at Community Levels to prevent Further Spread of the EVD and Public Disorder - 24 community feedback sessions completed (2 per district) with a total of 288 participants (90 females and 198 males); 3 press releases and policy briefs produced and 6 radio discussions organised. In the feedback sessions, issues relating to government responses to EVD and public disorder were highlighted. Challenges in reaching out to remote and underserved communities were also communicated to the appropriate authorities. The contents of the policy briefs include: a) Sierra Leone s Ebola Response: Contending Issues on Human and State Security; b) Defeating Ebola: Governance Challenges Present and Beyond; 4
c) Critical Issues in Developing the Agenda for Post-Ebola Recovery. Similarly, two press releases were issued on Communities to celebrate Ebola survivors and end discrimination, rejection and stigmatization with support from the traditional authorities and security forces. The press releases contributed to raising awareness and understanding on the need to integrate more than 1,000 Ebola survivors into their communities without conflict, rejection or discrimination. The relevance of the feedback sessions was to provide regular briefings to communities and citizens with regard to the implementation status of respective pillars in the response to Ebola, and the expectations from these communities and citizens; and also provide a regular forum to continue to raise awareness and build trust among community people, health and security service providers. Challenges Recruitment and salaries for additional chisecs was not part of the budget approved by UNDP for 2015. Delays in responding to some of the reports by MDA s Way Forward To establish Peace infrastructure, Civic education and capacity building and also management of diversity. HOPE-Sierra Leone The Executive Director, was unable to present using the shared presentation template as he informed board members that his computer crashed the night before the meeting, but however he was able to give a summary update on their implementation progress which includes Pre-consultations before implementations in remaining districts-bombali, Port Loko, Moyamba, Kono, and Pujehun districts. 5
The heavy down pour in July and August was also a challenge to their movement across river crossing chiefdoms in Pujehun and Bonth districts. Questions and Answers: Establishment and sustainability CHISEC? The co-chair from Office of National Security, responded by informing board members that the Government of Sierra Leone through the ONS have agreed to have additional 15 CHISEC in January 2016 who will patrol around border areas and has also identified areas that are conflict and disaster prone and they have also recruited 45 new staff to manage these activities and as such the establishment of 15 CHISEC by WANEP will be sustained by ONS once the UNDP project cycle ends. Action Points: Programme Officer to share with IPs what are PBF s interest areas of reporting. Edward and Moses to coordinate capacity enhancement for IP s Mahmoud to train IP s financial persons on reporting for funds used Edward and Moses to train IP s project managers on doing narrative reports, using UNDP reporting template John Bangura to improve partnership with HOPE-Sierra Leone and PPRC 6