International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding slated for Monrovia
By Peterking Quaye – A two-day high level International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding takes place in Monrovia from Tuesday, June 14 to Friday, June 17, 2011 at the SKD Sports Complex. This dialogue is intended to better understand the problems of fragile states, including Liberia, Sierra Leone, Temor Leste, DRC, etc.
A media advisory from the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs Communications office says the Monrovia Dialogue which is the Second International Dialogue on Peace-building and State-building will produce and an International Action Plan (or the Monrovia Action Plan on Peace-building and State-building) as the key output. The first meeting of the International Dialogue took place in Dili, Temor Leste in April 2010.
The release said the dialogue will be an engagement between G7+ nations (a 17-nations coalition of fragile and post-conflict states including Liberia, Timor Lest, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo) and development partners on how partners can support fragile states in their efforts to engage one another, learn from one another and support each other’s development goals.
The cornerstone of this support and engagement will revolve around the issue of capacity building, which is the binding constraint that strangles development processes in most fragile states. The g7+ will propose an action plan or make key recommendations on how remedy the problem of low capacity especially since it stifles peace-building and state-building efforts and undermine state legitimacy. Does peacebuilding bring peace? Fragile states and donors meet in Monrovia to discuss what works and what doesn’t.
Have the populations of fragile states and countries affected by conflict benefited from the money, effort and time devoted to peacebuilding and state building these past years?
Are they any nearer to achieving the Millennium Development Goals?
What lessons can these states and the international community as a whole learn from recent experiences, both positive and negative?
The second global meeting of the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding, in Monrovia on 15-16 June 2011, will take a hard look at the role of developing and developed country governments, aid donors and civil society in building sustainable peace and developing capable and accountable states.
What is the purpose of this meeting?
In an historic joint effort to seek answers to these questions, government and civil society representatives from both developing and developed countries will gather in Monrovia on 15-16 June 2011, hosted by the Government of Liberia, for the second global meeting of the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding. The meeting will provide a one-of-a-kind opportunity to build consensus and put international actors on the right track towards development responses that are both effective and tailored to the context of conflict-affected and fragile states.
At the meeting, participants will discuss the trends in conflict and fragility that are likely to impact on peacebuilding and statebuilding efforts. They will then review progress with the work undertaken on a set of common objectives for peacebuilding and statebuilding, and an international action plan. A concluding session will summarise the key steps to take the process forward.
How will the meeting be organised?
The meeting in Monrovia will take place over two days. Plenary sessions will alternate with parallel break-out session and discussions. The number of expected participants is about one hundred, including representation from developing countries at ministerial level, and from donor agencies at director level.
The meeting will be preceded by a back-to-back meeting of the G7+ and the OECD-DAC International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF).
“This high level conference will increase Liberia’s standing within the community of nations. It will also showcase our development by putting a spotlight on our infrastructural improvements over the last five years. The Dialogue will also emphasize the role that peace-building and state-building play in national visioning; including Liberia RISING 2030 which seeks to raise Liberia to middle income status in 18 years,” the release said.
Over one hundred international delegates are expected from more than 40 countries. It is anticipated that the local economy, primarily the service sector (hotels, restaurants, transportation, etc) and arts and crafts industries will get a boost as a result of the conference.
“The Dialogue meetings are an effort to ensure issues affecting fragile states are on the agenda of the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4) scheduled for November 2011 in Busan, South Korea. In order to prepare for Busan, a group of fragile states are meeting with key bilateral and multilateral partners on how international aid affects state-building and peace-building. To better understand the problems of fragile states, Dialogue meetings take place in affected nations and it is Liberia’s turn to host,” the release said.
