IRI Africa Director Opens Liberian Leadership Forum

July 23, 2002

IRI participated in the recent Liberian Leadership forum in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, helping to organize the event, fielding a delegation to attend and giving opening remarks. The July 8-11 conference represented the largest gathering of political parties (10), civil society organizations (14), and the armed rebel group, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), since the guerilla fighting recommenced in 2000.

IRI's Africa Division Director Jeffrey Krilla opened the conference, which drew international observers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Amos Sawyer, Ph.D., former president of the Interim Government of Liberia, chaired the conference and moderated the plenary session discussions.

The IRI delegation included Kenneth Brown, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and United States Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Congo-Brazaville, Mary Angellini, IRI's country director in Abuja, Nigeria, and James Viray, IRI's program officer for Liberia.

The goal of the 49 conference participants focused on reaching consensus on recommendations to improve Liberia's current security circumstances, election preparations, reconciliation environment, humanitarian efforts and economic conditions.

Individual conference participants made presentations in plenary sessions, as well as debated the subjects. Participants reached compromises on each recommendation, which were included in the conference's final statement.

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