TRC Delegation Off To S/Africa

Monday, May 29, 2006
http://www.analystnewspaper.com/trc_delegation_off_to_sa_may29.html

The Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), Cllr. Jerome J. Verdier, at the head of a 9-man TRC delegation, is currently on a study tour and capacity program building in South Africa.

A TRC press released issued yesterday said the tour and study were planned in collaboration with the South African Foundation for Human Rights to broaden the perspectives of the commissioners of TRC on issues of transitional justice and the experiences of South Africans and others.

• Cllr. Jerome J. Verdier

“The out-of-country venue of the training will accord the Commission the opportunity to interact with former members and operatives of the South African TRC, and provide a great learning experience for the participants,” the release said.

Due to its importance to the success of the program and activities for truth and reconciliation in Liberia, the release, the TRC was considering it a vital component of strategies aimed at orienting its key officers and enhancing their capacities to effectively discharge their obligations under the TRC Act.

In a related Chairman Verdier over the weekend, returned form the U.S. where he attended a conference on Reparation for Gender-based Violence and the challenges of the Liberian TRC.

The conference was organized by the Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) based in New York. Chairman Verdier’s visit to the U.S. was also aimed at the establishment of direct relationship with potential partners and donors to update them on the work of the TRC and explore funding possibilities, the release said.

While there, he met with State and Justice Department officials in Washington D.C. and discussed issues related to the TRC in Liberia.

He also met with members of the Liberian Community in the U.S. and addressed a town hall meeting in Philadelphia during which the community expressed delight in the TRC and underscored the need for all Liberia in the Diaspora including Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, and Nigeria, to support and fully participate in the TRC process.

RPP Agrees On TRC Draft Document - As IRI Pledges Commitment

Registered political parties have agreed to a new draft document which according to them represents their support and commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), and also say such document is in the spirit and intend of the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA).

The draft document on the TRC by the political parties was adopted last Friday at a one-day Consultative Working Session in continuation of previous meeting with the officials of the TRC.

It was organized by the Pro-American based Democracy Group International Republican Institute (IRI) with funding from the United States Aid for International Development (USAID).

During the meeting which was held at a local hotel in Mamba Point, 30 executives from nearly 15 registered political parties reaffirmed to the document and intend of the CPA upon which the TRC was established.

In the draft document, the parties pledged to take the mandate to members of their respective political parties through series of leadership workshops and also promised to encourage and assist individuals from their parties to appear before the TRC when they are summoned.

The registered political parties also committed themselves to making recommendations from the amendment of any clause in the act creating the TRC that possesses any real and present threats and or objectives to the accomplishment of the work of the commission.

“Protection for all perpetrators against prosecution based on their testimonies whether made voluntarily or induced, providing opportunities for victims and perpetrators of human rights violation to share their experiences are of cancers to the TRC,” it is stated in the draft document.

The RPP agreed that the draft document on the TRC would be circulated to their various parties to make and recommend possible changes that would lead to a final TRC document from political parties as they are major stakeholders to the CPA.

Speaking at the close of the consultative meeting, the new Country Director of IRI, Pete Meachum said it was important for political parties to take the lead in the mandate of the TRC, saying that their role is key and decisive to the success of the TRC in Liberia.

The new IRI Country Director also used the occasion to reaffirm his organization’s commitment to enhancing and building the capacities of RPP for the building of “a real and true democracy in Liberia.”

Parties represented at the meeting include the former ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP), All Liberians Coalition Party (ALCOP), the New DEAL Movement, the Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia (COTOL) and the ruling Unity Party (UP).