Monrovia, Liberia — Naymote Partners for Democratic Development is currently hosting a landmark conference, centered around the theme “Building Civil Society Organizations Resilience and Protecting the Civic Space Ahead of the 2023 Elections in Liberia.”
Naymote stated that the electoral period often brings immense pressure as politicians and political parties strive to maintain or acquire power at any cost; while election practitioners are deeply concerned about fostering electoral accountability and ensuring the credibility and integrity of the electoral processes.
These crucial aspects, it added, are shaped by the prevailing political environment, which greatly influences the outcomes. Owing to this, Naymote, through its Executive Director Eddie Jarwolo said the conference is aimed at bringing together 60 representatives from civil society across Liberia’s 15 counties, creating a platform for prominent civil society actors and stakeholders involved in the upcoming elections to thoroughly examine the current state of the country’s civic space and its potential impact on their efforts to safeguard the credibility of the electoral process.
At the end of the conference, civil society will identify areas where strong collaboration is necessary and develop a unified approach to address challenges that may hinder their endeavors to ensure that the votes of Liberians truly count. Through this collective effort, civil society actors will establish mechanisms to enhance their resilience and proactively respond to any threats that may arise. Their voices and perspectives will be heard, allowing for transparent management of the forthcoming elections, and bolstering their credibility.
Speaking on day one of the two-day event on Thursday, Peter Speyrer, the Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy in Liberia, lauded the organizers of the conference, saying, “As we gather here today, let us reaffirm our commitment to fostering and deepening an environment for CSOs to operate freely in a democratic space in Liberia ahead of the election.”
Speyrer entreated the CSOs to continue upholding the standard of transparency and accountability for Liberia’s progress.
Mr. Jarwolo, said protecting the civic space where every Liberian including CSOs will thrive and make their voices heard is crucial in promoting Liberia’s fledgling democracy.
Jarwolo’s institution is often subjected to all forms of criticisms over its stern determination to hold public officials’ feet to the fire in terms of promoting transparency and accountability.
Through the President’s Meter Project, Naymote tracks the promises made by President Weah before and after the 2017 election.
Jarwolo said although, Naymote’s and other CSOs’ works are pivotal to the promotion of accountability, public officials and their supporters will not appreciate them, especially leading towards the October 10 crucial elections. He noted there was a need to sit as CSOs and strategize on ways to go about doing their work without any form of intimidation and hindrance.
Meanwhile, the conference is supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH through the ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and Operations (EPSAO) project, which is co-financed by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
It is expected to end today, Friday.