Monrovia, Liberia–Actors of Liberia’s Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) have participated in an evaluation of the system, assessing its benefits, impact, challenges, achievements, successes, and recommendations, particularly within the context of electoral conflict prevention and mitigation mechanisms, says a UNDP press release.
In 2021, leading to the 2023 elections, UNDP and its partners signed an agreement to enhance and strengthen the early warning system. This agreement aimed to reactivate the Liberia Early Warning and Response Network (LERN Platform), using the findings and recommendations from the European Commission-UNDP Joint Task Force on Electoral Assistance Needs Assessment conducted in 2021. The mission also suggested that the system be maintained beyond the 2023 elections.
Due to historical concerns about potential violence related to elections, the Liberia Peacebuilding Office (PBO) managed the EWER platform. It implemented an early warning system throughout the electoral process, collaborating with other relevant response actors.
On this basis, the PBO organized the evaluation workshop in Ganta, Nimba County, from December 17-19, 2024, with support from UNDP and its partners, the European Union, Irish Aid, and the Embassy of Sweden.
Early warning monitors, situation analysts, members of county peace committees, youth agents for peace, and school peace clubs examined the types of incidents reported through the system during the elections, identified hot spots, analyzed patterns, and prompt responses developed to mitigate and address critical incidents of electoral violence.
The participants explored the effectiveness of the coordination structures and response actions, the sustainability of the platform and identified recommendations on how to take it forward in the future in a cost-effective, nationally owned, and sustainable manner.
The Executive Director of the PBO Sheikh Kamara, said the workshop provided a chance to reflect on past experiences and develop strategies for securing funding and achieving sustainability through partnerships and government support.
Discussing future support, Kamara stated, “We are actively seeking more assistance from donor partners while also working with the government to secure budgetary support for the early warning system.”
Applauding UNDP and its partners’ support to the EWER system during the electoral process, the PBO Executive Director also highlighted the need for increased collaboration and partnerships among key response organizations to minimize duplication of efforts and unnecessary expenses.
The workshop also focused on the activities EWER actors, including reporting and response actions, and a review of the coordination mechanisms among the different situation rooms active during the elections.
Roosevelt Zayzay, the Program Officer for UNDP’s Liberia Electoral Support Programme (LESP), emphasized the effective coordination and partnership between UNDP and various organizations within the EWER architecture.
The engagement covered project support and strategic priorities, addressing the five thematic areas of the Liberia Early Warning and Response Network (LERN) Platform which comprised security, elections, gender, governance and human rights violations, and health and environment.
The workshop sessions also covered topics on the roles, responsibilities, lessons learned, experiences, and recommendations of the Field Peace Structures, and the role of political parties in preventing conflict and enhancing early warning systems during the 2023 elections.
Participants were drawn from the National Center for the Coordination of Early Warning and Response Mechanisms (NCCRM), the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), the Liberia National Police (LNP), the National Elections Commission (NEC), the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) and regional hub coordinators from all 15 counties.
The UNDP Liberia Electoral Support Project (LESP) is co-funded by the European Union (EU), Irish Aid the Embassy of Sweden and UNDP. It aims to support the government and strengthen national institutions in promoting a more inclusive, participatory, and accountable democracy in Liberia.