Liberia: Network on Budget Monitoring & Human Rights launched
By: Augustine N. Myers – A local Network comprising about 40 civil society organizations, including Community leaders, Youth, Women, and Disabled Groups, has been established in Margibi County, the Republic of Liberia.
Facilitators and participants, including Supt. Piah (middle) of the Budget Workshop in Kakata
The Human Rights and Budget Monitoring Network is intended to among other things, ensure the investigation of the County Development Funds and other Social Development Funds for Margibi County, and how they impact the lives of citizens of the County.
Speaking Friday at the official launch of the Network in Kakata, Margibi County, the Junior Senator of the County, Roland Kaine, extolled the establishment of the Civil Society Budget Monitoring and Human Rights Network, describing it as timely and in the interest of transparency and accountability.
According to Senator Kaine, the involvement of the civil society into the use of the County Development Funds, including other Social Development Funds of Margibi County was very important in holding the County Authority, Law Makers and other partners accountable to development projects.
He also commanded the efforts of the Organizer, “the Citizens United to Promote Peace and Democracy in Liberia (CUPPADL) for the farsighted initiative.
Sen. Kaine challenged members of the Network to remain focused aimed at achieving their objectives in the supreme of the County and the State. Sen. Kaine also used the occasion to install the leadership of the Network.
The 2-day Training exercise which was followed by the launch of the Human Rights and Budget Monitoring Network also brought together other personalities, including Margibi Senator, Levi Piah, and the Executive Director of the Liberia Media Empowerment & Advocacy Foundation, Augustine N. Myers, Jr., including UNMIL Authorities of Margibi County, among others, who made speeches and deliver papers, respectively.
The workshop in Kakata followed the signing of a grant of 15,000 United States on May 6, 2011 by the Citizens United to Promote Peace & Democracy in Liberia (CUPPADL) with the World Bank under the Bank’s Social Development Civil Society Funds (CSF). The purpose of the grant is to support CUPPADL support Liberian Civil Society especially youth groups engagement in budget monitoring.
Speaking over the weekend in Kakata, Margibi County, CUPPADL’s National Executive Director, Mr. Prince D. Kreplah, said the project activities among others include investigation of the County Development Funds (CDF) for Nimba, Margibi and Montserrado allocations over the last five fiscal periods 2006/2007-2010/2011.
He said through this project CUPPADL will document and report total amount received per county under the CDF, establish if these amounts were actually spent for the intended purpose and verify projects current status at the county level
Mr. Kreplah, also said the project will train youth groups and civil society in Margibi and Nimba Counties in budget monitoring and tracking techniques and at the same time engage them in budget transparency and accountability advocacy at the county level through the establishment of networks of organizations.
According to him, as part of efforts to involve residents of the three counties to fully participate in the implementation of the activities of the project and deepen their understanding about project social, economic and development impacts, CUPPADL has officially launched Project and Network.
