What's Being Done On . . . Democracy NGO Participation in Formal Peace Negotiations?

Introduction General Resources Women's Organizations Resources Democratic Republic of Congo: A Short History of the Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo Profile of La Ligue des Electeurs Liberia: A Short History of the Conflict in Liberia Profile of the Mano River Women's Peace Network Sri Lanka: A Short History of the Conflict in Sri Lanka An Interview with the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka Chechnya: A Short History of the Conflict in the Chechen Republic An Interview with the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society in Europe

Profile of the Mano River Women's Peace Network
www.marwopnet.org

The Mano River Women's Peace Network (MARWOPNET) is an NGO with headquarters in Freetown, Sierra Leone, that promotes peace and development in the Mano River region (Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea). MARWOPNET was formed under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in May 2000, when a group of women leaders from local NGOs met in Abuja, Nigeria, to promote their participation in the process of restoring peace in Africa, and specifically in the Mano River region. MARWOPNET, whose formation marked the culmination of efforts facilitated largely by Femmes Afrique Solidarité (FAS), an NGO based in Switzerland, is comprised of roughly 30 umbrella organizations. It is a primary example of an NGO that has been actively engaged in both the informal, traditional, grass-roots sphere of conflict resolution, and at the highest levels of government. It has sent representatives on peace tours around the region, participated in over 20 international conferences and summits pertaining to peace and other humanitarian issues, advanced direct political action by state leaders, and participated in the formal peace negotiations that ended Liberia's civil war in 2003.

MARWOPNET launched its first initiative in the summer of 2001, when both Sierra Leone and Liberia were engulfed in interrelated civil wars, and Guinea was experiencing mounting instability. Between June and August, MARWOPNET delegations met with each country's president to convince them of the need to increase dialogue and cooperation with each other. In March 2002, Presidents Taylor (Liberia), Conte (Guinea), and Kabba (Sierra Leone) agreed to start peace talks at a three-day summit in Morocco. In Liberia, MARWOPNET mediated a cessation of hostilities between President Taylor and the leaders of Liberia's rebel factions, the Liberians United for Democracy (LURD) and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL). As a result, ECOWAS, which sponsored the peace negotiations between the Liberian government and the rebel movements, initially granted MARWOPNET observer status at the negotiations. Then, in June 2003, MARWOPNET was officially invited to participate in the negotiations, which were held in Akosombo and Accra, Ghana. A delegation of eight women from the Liberia Chapter of MARWOPNET, led by Mrs. Ruth Sando Perry, former Liberian Head of State, and Mrs. Theresa Leigh-Sherman, former vice-president of MARWOPNET and its current president, participated in the talks. It was the only women's group that received accreditation to the conference and was among the civil society groups that signed the agreement as key signatory witnesses.

Prior to the negotiations, and with the support of FAS, MARWOPNET members were trained on conflict transformation, conflict resolution, and techniques of negotiation to build their capacity as peace advocates at the negotiations. On August 15, 2003, representatives of the various Liberian women's organizations at the peace talks held a one-day Strategic Planning Meeting, chaired by Ms. Ruth Sando Perry, to analyze the lessons learned at the peace talks, and to strategize on the inclusion of women within all existing and proposed institutions and the post-conflict peace process. The meeting resulted in the Golden Tulip Declaration, which was distributed to all delegates at the talks during the last days of the negotiations. The Liberian Comprehensive Peace Agreement was concluded in Accra, Ghana, on August 18, 2003, and signed by the Government of Liberia, LURD, MODEL, and all the 18 political parties. In December 2003, MARWOPNET received the UN Human Rights Award in recognition of its important achievements. Today, the group continues to work for peace and stability, both in the Mano River Region and all of Africa.