Liberia – NIMD

"Democracy flourishes when every voice is heard, every perspective is valued, and governance reflects the aspirations of the people"

Oscar Bloh, NIMD Liberia Director

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NIMD in Liberia: At a Glance
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Objectif principal

To strengthen the quality of democratic governance by promoting a more inclusive, participatory, and accountable democracy in Liberia.

Liberia: Political background

Over the past two decades, Liberia has progressively developed towards a well-functioning and vibrant multi-party democracy. In 2005, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected as Liberia’s and Africa’s first female president, marking a historic moment. Since then, there have been two peaceful transfers of power. However, despite democratic progress, the country still grapples with challenges such as corruption, weak institutions, and limited access to essential services for its citizens.

Despite the active participation of women and youth at the local government level, there is a considerable gender gap in the legislature for both women and youth. Discounting the reserve seats, Liberia’s House of Representatives holds just eight women, 11% of the total representatives. We find even fewer young parliamentarians in the bicameral legislature, even though three-quarters (74.6%) of the population is under 34 years of age – according to the 2022 national census.

Notre action

In January 2024, NIMD started working in Liberia, focusing on inclusive and accountable democracy. We are working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Women to promote a more inclusive and responsive democracy in Liberia.

The project’s primary goal is to strengthen the quality of democratic governance by promoting a more inclusive, participatory and accountable democracy in Liberia. The project responds to the challenges that face democratic governance in the country, including weak institutions, underrepresentation of youth and women in political processes, electoral system challenges and marginalization of vulnerable groups.

Specifically, NIMD is responsible for activities with political parties, civil society and the legislature aimed at increasing women’s and youth participation in decision-making and politics.

Comment nous procédons

La jeunesse en politique

NIMD supports various young women and men in political parties and civil society as they identify issues that affect them at national and sub-national levels. We will the identified issues as a point of engagement to link youth and women to political parties who are represented in the legislature on how the identified issues can be addressed. Further, NIMD supports the youth wings of political parties to be more responsive towards the needs of youth.

""Have you ever sat in a room to discuss the politics of the issues that interest you?" A resounding no was the answer that Samuel Kpartor, from the Federation Of Liberian Youth (FLY), received from the youth present in a joint session by FLY and NIMD Liberia."

Politique Responsable

NIMD focuses on increasing parliamentary accountability and transparency by bringing citizens closer to their elected representatives. We support strengthening the institutional capacity of legislative committees and the secretariat. This will contribute to transparent, inclusive law-making processes and improve public access to information on legislative activities and political accountability.

Further, NIMD will support political parties in strengthening their internal decision-making processes and practices to reflect the principles and values of participatory democracy.

Dialogue

NIMD facilitates political party and multi-stakeholder dialogues. These dialogues will involve political parties, members of the National Legislature, the National Elections Commission, and civil society actors. The aim of these dialogues is to shift from polarizing political discourses to inclusive public discussions, focusing on finding solutions to issues that affect various sectors of society.

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Oscar Bloh

Country Director, NIMD Liberia

Oscar Bloh is the Country Director for the NIMD office in Liberia. He has over 15 years of experience in Democratic Governance, election observation, strategic engagement with political parties, and civil society strengthening. He is a researcher and has knowledge and skills in media development and strategic communication. He is the former Country Director for Search for Common Ground office in Liberia. He has consulted for the UN and a number of international organizations in Liberia and the sub-region.

Floortje Klijn

Conseiller en programmes et connaissances

Floortje Klijn is the focal point in the Hague working with the Liberia team with over two decades of experience in international cooperation, working on a variety of themes in Africa, South-East Asia and MENA. Her commitment to gender-related issues has stood central into her numerous work experiences around the world and she is currently NIMD’s lead thematic advisor on Women’s Political Participation.