IPNEWS: When communities remain peaceful, the efforts of those working behind the scenes to prevent conflict and sustain stability often go unnoticed. Across Liberia, hundreds of community peacebuilders work every day to identify early signs of tension, mediate disputes, and prevent disagreements from escalating into violence. Their success is rarely visible because its greatest measure is the absence of conflict.
To strengthen these frontline efforts, the Liberia Peacebuilding Office, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Liberia Electoral Support Project (LESP), with funding from the European Union, Sweden and Irish Aid, convened two regional Refresher Training and Programme Review Workshops on Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) in Ganta, Nimba County, and Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
The workshops brought together 69 participants, including peace monitors, County Peace Committee members, Youth Agents for Peace, School Peace Clubs, regional coordinators, traditional leaders, representatives of women’s organizations, students, and staff of the Liberia Peacebuilding Office from counties across the country. The sessions aimed to strengthen community-based mechanisms for identifying and addressing emerging tensions before they escalate into conflict.
Beyond technical training, the workshops reaffirmed the critical role local peacebuilders continue to play in safeguarding Liberia’s hard-earned peace. Participants refreshed their knowledge of conflict prevention, mediation, and incident reporting while strengthening skills in nonviolent communication, dialogue, reconciliation, and community engagement.
The training also enhanced participants’ understanding of the Liberia Early Warning and Response Network, a system that enables trained community members to rapidly report incidents that may threaten peace and stability, allowing timely interventions by relevant authorities.
Drawing on lessons from Liberia’s peaceful 2023 General Elections, UNDP Programme Officer on LESP, Roosevelt Zayzay noted that conflict prevention efforts often go unrecognized precisely because effective prevention leaves little visible evidence.
He encouraged peace monitors to document and share their work more consistently so that communities, government institutions, and development partners can better appreciate the value of investing in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
A Partnership Built on Prevention
The workshops highlighted the longstanding collaboration between the Liberia Peacebuilding Office and the Liberia Electoral Support Project, particularly during the 2023 General Elections, when both institutions worked together to strengthen Liberia’s conflict prevention architecture and support a peaceful electoral process.
“Elections can easily trigger conflict if they are not well managed,” Zayzay said. “That is why UNDP partnered with the Peacebuilding Office to strengthen early warning and early response systems.”
Shared Responsibility for Sustainable Peace
The Executive Director of the Liberia Peacebuilding Office, Sheikh S. S. Kamara, emphasized that sustaining Liberia’s peace infrastructure depends on the quality, integrity, and credibility of the work carried out by peace monitors across the country.
“There are many opportunities ahead,” he said. “But how we conduct ourselves, how we report, and how we work together will impact the successful maintenance of peace. The stronger our work, the stronger the foundations for peace and stability in Liberia.”
Kamara noted that continued advocacy by the Liberia Peacebuilding Office, UNDP, and other development partners has helped sustain Liberia’s Early Warning and Early Response System as an important tool for conflict prevention.
He also pointed to progress toward greater national ownership of the system. While resource constraints prevented the Government of Liberia from absorbing all early warning personnel after donor-funded contracts ended, 60 peace monitors and five regional coordinators have since been placed on the government payroll, marking an important step toward institutional sustainability.
“Without you, we cannot continue this work,” Kamara told participants. “Government, national partners, the international community, and community peacebuilders all rely on one another. Every one of us has a role to play in protecting Liberia’s peace.”
Strengthening Communities Before Crisis
Throughout the workshops, participants emphasized that peacebuilding begins in families, schools, marketplaces, places of worship, and communities, where dialogue and mutual respect can help resolve tensions before they escalate.
Their experiences highlighted that early warning goes beyond reporting incidents. It is also about building trust, fostering understanding, and creating opportunities for peaceful problem-solving at the local level.
Regional Coordinator Samuel Wilson called for sustained national commitment to peacebuilding efforts.
“Peacebuilding should be viewed as a permanent national priority rather than a temporary intervention,” he said. “Continued capacity building for traditional leaders, women, and young people remains essential because of their influence within communities and their role in preventing conflict.”
Participants also stressed that sustaining Liberia’s Early Warning and Early Response System will require continued national investment. As the workshops concluded, participants returned to their respective counties with renewed skills, practical tools, and a strengthened commitment to identifying early signs of conflict, promoting dialogue, and advancing peaceful coexistence across Liberia.
The Liberia Electoral Support Project supports national institutions and processes that promote inclusive, transparent, and accountable governance. The project is managed by UNDP and implemented in partnership with UN Women, the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), and the National Elections Commission (NEC), with funding from the European Union, Ireland, and Sweden.
