30 May 2011
The Alliance for Rural Democracy (ARD) a network of local communities (rural, urban slums and squatter dwellers), emerging and independent labor unions and pro poor informal sector in Liberia is recommending that government address the issues of land ownership in the country through a national referendum.
The Alliance at the closed of its 2nd bi-annual meeting in Grand Bassa County on Thursday resolved that the issues of landownership be decisively addressed and not evaded by ensuring that it is included and voted in the pending National Referendum.
The 2nd bi annual gathering of ARD member organization attracted representatives from several advocacy groups and the Funds for Global Human Rights based in the United States.
However, ARD in a position statement dubbed as the Gbehzohn Declaration said that the referendum provides the most attractive opportunity for the entire nation to vote on the approaches to land ownership and tenure security as forces likely to inform the next civil war in Liberia.
ARD expressed disappointment and noted that it is deeply worried over the large scale land grabbing and large scale appropriation of local community lands to large scale agriculture, forest and mining concessions without the free prior informed consent of local communities.
The group further noted that it is also deeply worried about the increasing levels of threats posed by land conflicts, across the country and the patch work of interventions that are exacerbating and not reducing land related conflicts in the country.
The Alliance reiterated that the awarding of vest track of community based lands and resources, outside the prior-informed consent of community members, is not only a recipe for future resource-based conflicts but, also deepening poverty and coping strategies required of community members in confronting the challenges faced by climate change.
The Advocacy group observed that it is troubled that community rights are being grossly affected, defaced and that in the absence of secure tenure, Liberia communities risk being left out of any meaningful national and international interventions and benefits including support for forest-rich and mineral rich communities.
The Alliance noted that it was is also embarrassed that despite the enormous wealth of the people of Grand Bassa, such wealth like iron ore, gold, and a large virgin forest are yet to be translated into appreciable employment opportunities and improvement of public services.
Grand Bassa County has about four concessions including Mittal Steel, Buchanan Renewable, Liberia Agriculture Company but citizens of the area are still living in abject poverty without safe drinking water and electricity and other social services.
Unemployment is high among citizens of Grand Bassa County.
ARD comprises of institutions struggling at the “bottom of the economic pit, yearning for legal and economic empowerment and collectively advocating for the advancement of the economic, social, cultural, human and environmental rights of rural and urban poor communities in the country.
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Taken from:
‘Address Land Ownership Through Referendum’