PREFACE

"The Project is anticipated to build on what has been already achieved and contribute to laying the foundation for good governance in Liberia by producing the country's nationally agreed program for the promotion of good governance, assisting institutions that are critical for good governance to develop their capacity and enhance their systems performance, and by sensitizing various governance key players. The Project will support civic and media sectors in their roles of advocacy and consolidation of rights. At the same time through the diverse non-governmental organizations, both traditional and non-traditional, a national dialogue will be stimulated and designed to contribute to the promotion of human and democratic values and practices."

At the Tripartite Meeting on the Project held in August last year, attended by the representatives of the Government of Liberia, UNDP and UNDESA, it was agreed that the Project for the time being focuses its attention on the following areas, namely, the formulation of a National Framework on the Promotion of Good Governance, Capacity and Needs Assessments of nine designated national institutions, and a development of a Programme on Peace Education. The PCM, which is the Project's steering committee, at its meeting held on 9th September 1999, agreed on a Plan of Action for the implementation of the Project. The Plan of Action included the following:

1) To design and develop a National Framework on Good Governance;
2) To make Capacity Assessments, Strategic Plans and Systems Improvement of nine designated institutions;
3) To formulate National Reconstruction and Peace Studies;
4) To conduct training for Parliament and the Judiciary;
5) To develop Mass Media Campaigns on the issues of Good Governance;
6) To conduct training workshops for Joint Security Officers;
7) To conduct workshops for some targeted groups;
8) To institute Good Governance Forum; and
9) To create a Resource Center.

A number of activities were carried out in the last six months in accordance with the Plan of Action.
We have now contracted the services of nine national consultants to look at the capacity and needs assessments of nine designated national institutions and they are in the process of writing up their reports. These national institutions are: the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs, Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy, Ministry of Justice, Institute of Public Administration, GSA, the Legislature and the Judiciary. Once those reports are submitted to us we will discuss them with the Heads of those institutions, after which we will present them to the UNDP for onward transmission to the Government of Liberia.
UNDESA has subcontracted UNESCO to develop a National Programme on Peace Education. Through this subcontract, the Project will support the strengthening of selected civic groups, including the media, on human rights and principles of democratic governance and non-violent conflict resolution. With this support it is expected that the groups will be able to increase their capacity and be able to develop and deliver high-quality democracy and human rights awareness activities.
A Programme Analyst from UNESCO, Ms Louise Haxthausen, was recently in Liberia where she held discussions with a number of institutions, especially the organizations of civil society and the Ministry of Education, on these issues. It is expected that efforts at developing a National Programme on Peace Education will commence in June 2000.
The Project Office contracted the services of Professor Ahmed Mohiddin from Kenya and Dr Sarr Abdulai Vandi, a Liberian, with the following terms of reference:
1) To collect and analyze the relevant documents that are available concerning the governance situation in the country;
2) To make consultations with key governance stakeholders to verify the information collected and also to fill in gaps;
3) To write the first draft of the proposed National Framework for the Promotion of Good Governance in Liberia;
4) To facilitate participatory design of the National Framework and promoting ownership;
5) To facilitate a workshop of representatives of the key governance stakeholders during which the draft program will be presented and discussed;
6) To write a final draft of the National Framework incorporating the views from the stakeholders' workshop. 
Prof Mohiddin taught political science at the universities of Makerere in Uganda, Nairobi in Kenya and Carleton in Canada. He also worked as a consultant with the IDRC, CIDA, the World Bank, European Union, UNDP, Africa Leadership Forum, and a number of other organizations. He was the one who provided the background papers for the Africa Governance Forum I held in Accra in 1997 and Africa Governance II held in Bamako in 1999.

Dr Vandi is an academic who teaches at the Babangida Institute of International Relations, University of Liberia, was a Cabinet Minister in the past and a professor at Howard University in the United States.
In carrying out their responsibilities, the two consultants met a number of people, and held very useful discussions with them; and apart from Monrovia, they also visited Cape Mount, Grand Bassa and Margibi counties and held discussions with people there. Our Office made available to them most of the papers, resolutions and statements that were made at different conferences, symposia and meetings that were held in the country since the last General Elections. On their behalf, let me thank all those who gave their time to talk to these consultants.

The Report that they submitted was subjected to rigorous discussions, initially at the Project level involving myself and Mr. Harold J. Monger, the National Project Officer, and later at a consultative meeting that was held on 2nd May 2000 and attended by the Chief Justice of the Republic, some Ministers, religious leaders, academics and NGO activists. The meeting was co-chaired by Hon Reginald Goodridge, Deputy Minister for Press and Public Affairs in the office of the President of Liberia and Dr Amos Sawyer, the former Interim President of Liberia during the Transitional Government.
The selection of the group was done very carefully. We had not only policy-makers but also the opinion-makers of the society. Not only are they some of standard-bearers of this nation but its torchbearers too. History at this point in time in Liberia seems to have placed on them the great responsibility of leading in the transformation process in the country.
After the consultative meeting, there was also a special PCM meeting held on 5th May 2000, chaired by Hon Blamoh Nelson, Director-General to the Cabinet, which discussed and endorsed the Report. 

The discussions at both forums were conducted in an honest, non-partisan way with an objective of improving on the document as a basis of understanding where Liberia stands and the steps that should be taken to improve governance. Each of the persons interviewed expressed herself/himself clearly and honestly. Each of the participants at both the consultative meeting and the PCM realized that this was yet another opportunity of contributing towards the betterment of this country and its people. This Report therefore is an outcome of such a collective reflection. 

From pages 79 to 86 of the Report we are provided with a Tentative National Framework. The idea behind this is that having gone through all that history and looking at the current situation, where do we go from here? The experiences of other countries do indicate that it is better first to have a National Framework to act like a compass to direct society. Reforms, like the civil service reforms, restructuring of the armed forces, financial discipline in the public sector, etc., will follow from there and be in accordance with that national framework. 

Every idea, every opinion and every suggestion expressed both to the consultants and at the forums was considered very carefully and was adopted if it was considered to be useful.