Peacebuilders
Community Rights Law in Liberia
13 January 2009
"The Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) has been travelling around Liberia conducting social mobilization and awareness workshops on the current bill of the Community Rights Law (CRL). During these workshops participants selected members of their community to attend a two-day conference on "Community Rights and Forests" hosted by the SDI in Monrovia this month. The aims of the conference are:
- To allow community representatives to interact directly with the legislators
- To support communities to engage in direct advocacy and lobbying with representatives of the international community, donors and civil society
- To bring communities face to face with the Forestry Development Authority to discuss issues surrounding the CRL
The CRL act states that forest land ownership is a legitimate property right that should be upheld and protected under law. If signed into law by the President, it will firmly and unambiguously establish that communities own the lands they live on and the forests on that land; with or without a formal deed or title. Additionally, it will create roles and responsibilities for communities that will fundamentally shift the balance of power, in favour of communities, in the forestry sector. The CRL will give communities greater say in forest management and governance, and provide them fair benefits from forest commercialization in Liberia.
The act, however, faces strong opposition from the executive branch of government, notably the Forestry Development Authority (FDA). The FDA has expressed concerns centered on recognition of communities' ownership and the radical shift in the balance of power. While it may be strategic (and perhaps desirable) to address some of these concerns, to ensure that the FDA is willing to facilitate the transition to community-based governance and management of forests, the fundamental principles on which the act is premised must be maintained. The goal of this intervention is to ensure that these building blocks (principles) for community rights are not compromised."
Jonathan Yiah
Coordinator, Sustainable Development Institute, Liberia