Transcript INTRODUCTION - Diocese of Makeni

STRATEGIC PLAN 2004 - 2007
‘’MAN, MADE IN THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD’’.
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INTRODUCTION
The Justice and Peace and Human Rights Commission is one of the
commissions, established in 1994 by the Bishop of Makeni
Diocese to ensure the promotion and protection of a popular
Human rights culture for a just and equitable society for all.
The JPHRC has focused on working with rural people to realize
their rights, play an acute role in defining, advocating for and
managing community development initiatives as well as
influencing wider strategies and reforms.
Since its inception in December 2003, the JPHRC has embarked on
a lot of activities including the formation and strengthening of
chiefdom Recovery committees, sensitisation of communities on
the local district and town council elections, peace building and
human rights, peace education and reconciliation and women’s
participations in the decision making process and exercising their
franchise.
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With the establishment of the Catholic Radio Station, Radio Maria FM
101.1 the JPHRC now embarks on series of radio discussion programs
to enable communities to understand their rights, know their duties and
responsibilities in society in the development process.
JPHRC is continuing with sensitising communities to participate and
monitor the PRSP, local councils for Good Governance and research
using the GPS/ GIS for publications on issues affecting the
communities. The JPHRC also has Access to Justice for the poor
component, which deals with sensitisation of communities on
challenges to access justice and promoting effective legal advice and
representation.
The commission operates in the five districts (Bombali, Kambia,
Koinadugu, Port Loko and Tonkolili) a total of 53 (fifty three)
chiefdoms in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone.
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VISION
Justice and peace and Human Rights Commission, Diocese of
Makeni, inspired by the Gospel and the Catholic Social Teachings
aims at institutionalising the promotion and protection of a popular
Human Rights culture for a just and equitable society for all.
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MISSION STATEMENT
The Catholic Justice and Peace and Human Rights Commission in the
Diocese of Makeni, fully aware of the Human Rights situation in
Sierra Leone, seeks to analyse and judge human rights issues through
sustainable advocacy, lobbying, campaigning, awareness raising,
sensitisation and networking in the bid to promoting respect for
human rights and good governance.
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OBJECTIVES.
The primary objective of the Justice and Peace and Human Rights
Commission is to help the people of Sierra Leone to engage in
initiatives, which create conditions for peace by working to
improve governance at the regional, district and chiefdom levels.
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To enable youths, community leaders, women and other
stakeholders to participate, monitor and evaluate the Poverty
Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) in the country.
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To capacitate local chiefdom authorities, councillors, different
civil society groups for participation in the local councils.
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Using the lesson learnt from research and field experience to
engage policy and promote publications on the local government
and poverty reduction processes.
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The assumption of the commission has been to improve governance
at local level enabling local communities to participate in the Poverty
Reduction Processes in the country which aims at addressing the
causes of poverty in the country and improving the poor access to
basic social services.
Furthermore, building civil society’s capacities will strengthen local
communities’ opportunities to manage resources and respond to local
needs. In this way, JPHRC will help in the process of continued
decentralisation and devolution of power and responsibilities of local
communities. The JPHRC will also strengthen its research and
analytical capacity in order to engage in policy decision-making
processes in the country.
The target beneficiaries will be the rural local communities, which
include Local Councillors, Chiefdom Authorities, Community Based
Organisations, Women, Youths and Religious Leaders.
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SPECIFIC PROGRAMMES INTERVENTION /
PROGRAMMES DEVELOPED – 2004 –2007.
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Training of community animators to serve as peace agents in
target communities in the Diocese of Makeni.
Community sensitisations in all the chiefdoms of the region on
community participation in local decision making with
reference to local Government Elections.
Organised workshop for traditional leaders on skills at Binkolo
in the Safroko Limba Chiefdom – Bombali District.
Conducted advocacy on conflict resolution in chiefdoms of
Kalasongoia and Safroko Limba in the Tonkolili and Bombali
Districts respectively.
Monitored and observed the Local Government elections in the
Northern region.
Organised a sensitisation campaign on the roles and
responsibilities of paramount chiefs, District / Town
Councillors and community members in the northern region.
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7. Radio discussion programmes on Local Governance, women’s forum, the
convention on the rights of the child and peace building issues were
organised
8. Conducted a survey and focus group discussions with 5000 community
members including Councillors, Paramount chiefs on the role and
responsibilities of stakeholders with respect to local government /
decentralisation in the Bombali District.
9. Seminars were organised to sensitise people on the DRP and IPRSP
(District Recovery Programme and Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy
Paper)
10. Organised rallies in all the Headquarter towns of the Northern region on
awareness raising on the rights and responsibilities of women and at the
same time, encouraging the women to participate in local decision
making process, especially the Local /government elections.
11. Network with other human rights organisations to address human rights
issues in the northern region
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PUBLICATIONS
To empower citizens to participate in local decisionmaking, the JPHRC has produced the following
publications:
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From Peace Making to Peace Building
Monitoring Hand book for JPHRC social Operators
Hand book on Local Government
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Simplified Version of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone
Magazine of events of JPHRC from January to December 2004
Research documents on:
Participation of civil society organisations in the PRSP
The impact of NaCSA and RRI activities on the rural communities in
the Bombali District.
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ON GOING PROGRAMMES
A. GOOD GOVERNANCE
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1.
Massive Sensitization for Councillors, Paramount chiefs and Community members for
them to understand, to be able to interpret and work in accordance with the Local
Government Act of 2004. Part of the benefits will be to avoid conflicts and
misunderstandings between Paramount chiefs and Councillors.
2.
Sensitization of Communities in the region on their participation in the
democratisation process.
3.
Monitoring and offering services to councils to improve their financial management
systems as a prerequisite for proper records keeping and good reporting.
4.
To sensitise, educate and monitoring the General Elections of 2007.
5.
Evaluation of the PRSP, RRI & NaCSA projects in the northern region and do
publications on issues of the communities.
6.
Financial Management training for the Local Councils, Chiefdom Administrations and
Community members in the Northern Region
7. To create an efficient database for the Commission
8.
To make visible, the activities realised as support of decision making analysis and
research publication
9.
To start the process by introducing GIS/GPS (Geographic Information System/ Global
Positioning System) to JPHRC operators in analysing data
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B. PEACE BUILDING
• Promotion of peace education in schools,
institutions and communities in the Northern
region
• Formation of Peace clubs in schools, institutions
and communities in the northern region
• Psychological / Trauma healing in the Northern
region
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C. HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES
• Capacity building of JPHRC staff in monitoring and
recording Human Rights abuses and violations
• JPHRC to focus on the education of community leaders/
members on the effect of domestic violence against
women and children in the region
• To undertake the challenge in educating the boarder /
internal communities on the hazards of child trafficking
and abuses.
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D. RESEARCH
The Commission has taken the challenges to:
• Assess the participation of the civil society organisation
in the decentralisation process in the region
• Assess the impact of the activities of social organisations
in reducing poverty in the rural communities – case
study, four towns in each of the chiefdoms of Bombali
District of NaCSA and RRI interventions
• Create an efficient data base for the Commission
• Make visible the activities realised as support of decision
making analysis and research publication
• Introduction of GIS to JPHRC operators in analysing
data
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ANALYSIS OF JPHRC CAPACITY
STRENGTHS
OPPORTUNITIES
AND
WAEKNESSES
CORRECTIVE MEASURES FOR
WEAKNESSES
Committed and willing staff
Limited staff experience to implement
integrated programmes
Evaluate Human resources and develop
staff and organisational development plans.
Staff to exchange programmes with other
agencies for experience shearing
There has been and still remains a good
donor funding source overseas
Very limited funding source at local level
Diversify funding source and fund raising
mechanism at local level
JPHRC has a very good relationship with
beneficiaries, parish committees, donors
and other NGOs
Inadequate responses to public expectations
due to lack of limited funding
Need to do more sensitisation for public
awareness on the roles of JPHRC in
communities
Fairly good networking and collaboration
with other organisations
Need to build stronger alliance with other
organisations
Get more time and other resources for
alliance building
Limited transportation and communication
facilities
Improve
on
transportation
communication facilities
Limited use of information and technology
and staff capacity building.
To improve on IT use and build staff
capacity
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and
Sierra Leone: Brief Economic and Political
Background
In the last fifteen years, Sierra Leone, the smallest West African country, with a population
of about 4.5 has suffered a long civil war for eleven years. It is still ranked amongst the
poorest in the world even though rich with both human and natural resources. Its human
development and social indicators are amongst the worst in the world.
The country continues to face unsustainable large external and domestic debt service
payments are estimated at about 47.8% of export goods and non- factor services. External
debt, including areas, is estimated at about 1.2 billion US Dollars.
The cause of the war in Sierra Leone has largely been attributed to failure in governance
and governance institutions. Successive regimes diminished the state’s capacity to meet
critical challenges as the security and livelihood of its citizens, let alone to provide for
democratic participation in decision-making practices.
Governance institutions, which include laws, institutions and processes that promote and
protect fundamental human rights, were inefficient and effectively.
Decentralization, as a governance structure was intended to ensure that political power and
the activity of government should positively impact on all levels of society.
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The rationale is that a decentralisation system of government allows for better delivery of
public services and facilities constant interaction between politicians, administrators and
those who govern. Over centralisation generally translates into inequity, particularly due to
poor service delivery to peripheral regions and the vulnerable sectors of society.
Before independent in 1961 councils and decentralised local government structures
functioned efficiently and continue to deliver vital services in education, health and
agriculture, as well as small-scale construction of community facilities. However the
councils had a number of weaknesses that placed them at the mercy of officials of the
central government. Primarily, since their very existence was not entrenched in the
constitution, they depended on the passing mood of the executive and the central
legislature. Moreover, their establishing laws subjected them to administrative and political
dominance of the minister and his officials in the ministry of Internal Affairs. Thus they
were ultimately accountable to the Central government rather than to the people of their
various local bases.
Other weaknesses include the reliance of the councils on central government for up to 70%
of their operational costs, their sub-ordination by paramount chiefs and the ease with which
district council finance could be mismanaged and misappropriated. These weaknesses were
ripe for exploitation by the over – centralising tendencies of successive governments.
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In 1972, the APC regime dissolved local governments all over the country. Whilst town
councils were replaced by committees of management, the district councils were not revived
during the entire rule of the APC up to the out break of conflict.
Governance was clearly over centralised during the regime of the APC. Provincial and rural
areas were left to their own devices and their inhabitants become disenchanted with the
political system.
“ The abolition of local government system and its replacement by officers appointed by the
centre (Freetown) led to marginalisation of the rural people. This, couple with the centre’s
co-option of the traditional chiefs, increased the alienation. These two acts amounted to
marginalisation and made many rural people to be receptive to the propaganda of the rebels
and more tolerance to their presence.”
From 1972 onwards, socio – economic development in the provinces was handled by central
government agencies far removed from the people. The only alternative development
assistance came from local or international NGO’s who instigated their own activities at
district level. Despite their many weaknesses, District Councils had at least supplied water,
roads, health care, agricultural services and rudimentary communal facilities during the
1960s. It would have been eminently more prudent to institute measured reforms of local
governance rather than dissolving the councils out right.
As it was, the dissolution of district councils gradually stifled the flow of service to the
people in most of the provinces. Riverine district like Bonthe and Kambia, as well as remote
once like Koinadugu, Pujehun and Kailahun, received no electricity or pipe borne water.
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Bridges and roads were in a state of disrepair and few schools of centres survived. The
whole of the North had neither running tap water nor electricity by the end of the 1980s.
These were facets of regression rather than underdevelopment, as previous governments
had apparently left several such facilities intact.
The management committee system introduced into towns and municipalities effectively
ensured that appointed individuals were more accountable to their political patrons than to
the people they serve. The decline in service such as sanitation, as well as maintenance of
roads, streets, markets, slaughter houses, cemeteries, fire stations and public toilets were
rooted in the abolition of elected municipal and town councils.
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Decentralisation and the role of civil society in PRSP
and local election process.
Decentralisation represents the way to decentralise politics, economics and other decisionmaking away from centralised government to rural areas.
In the case of Sierra Leone political decentralisation is seen as a key pillar of the poverty
reduction drive. The first local elections in 32 years were successfully held in May 2004.
Nineteen Local Councils were installed and a comprehensive plan prepared for devolving
central function to the local councils
After decade of trying different approaches to development, it is now the dominant view that
poverty reduction becomes the focus of national development plans of developing countries,
donors and financial institutions. Moreover government has recognise in PRSP document,
that the major contributing factor to the ten years civil war was the marginalisation from the
political process of a large number of people on the one hand and few people who controlled
resources.
As such decentralisation is seen as the solution towards alleviating poverty and the resolution
of conflicts emerging from the civil war. According to the PRSP programme of the country,
the key elements of the decentralisation and empowerment strategy include:
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a.
Political decentralisation through democratic election of local councils. This has opened
up space for political participation and inclusiveness in public decision-making process.
Eventually this will reduce the tendency to resort to violence in the resolution of
conflicts.
b.
Empowering the local councils with substantive expenditure and revenue generation
responsibilities. This will improve efficiency and accountability and public spending as
well as the spread and quality of services.
c.
Using a transparency and equity based formula grant system to allocate government
transfers across councils will improve equity and resources allocation and improve
people’s trust in the state
d.
Promoting a healthy competition among the local councils to encourage better
performance in service delivery as well as innovation and learning. This will create
more job opportunities at the local level and in the medium term lay the foundation for
effective community development and transformation.
e.
It’s worth noting that in the document one reads that the devolution of responsibility
from central line ministries to local councils commenced in 2005. This will guarantee
the delivery of services to the people. However, the capacities to the councils to deliver
are expected to be weak in the short time. Government will therefore focus on capacity
building of the local council delivery mechanism. Within this context, the role and
responsibility of the paramount chiefs will also be clarified.
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Security
With the withdrawal of UNAMSIL in December 2005, the police and the national army have
been restructured and trained to take over the security of the nation.
Following the successful implementation of the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
(PRSP) and the National Recovery Strategy, government prepared a full Poverty Reduction
Strategy Paper to address the poverty and development challenges in a more systematic
manner. The Sierra Leone PRSP clearly articulates the medium term vision of our country.
This vision is anchored on three main pillars. The promotion of good governance, peace and
security constitutes the first pillar.
The second pillar focuses on promoting sustainable economic growth for food security and
job creation whilst the third pillar highlights the need to promote human development.
The main challenge we are now faced with is how to translate this vision into actual poverty
reducing policies, programmes, projects and long-term development strategies. Our poverty
trap is particularly manifested in low agriculture productivity and environmental degradation,
a very high diseases burden, high fertility rate, high illiteracy rate, poor roads, inadequate
electricity supply, poor market facilities, inadequate water and sanitation facilities. Given our
structural weaknesses, we are seeking to partnership with our development partners.
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A consultative group meeting for Sierra Leone was held in London in November 2005,
organised by DFID. The meeting focused on deepening the partnership between Sierra
Leone government and its development partners around the Sierra Leone Poverty
Reduction Strategy and harmonization for aid effectiveness
13 countries and several international agencies attended this meeting. A total commitment
of support including new pledges for 2005 – 2007 amounted to US$ 800 million.
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JPHRC / ACCESS TO JUSTICE STRUCTURE
CHAIRMAN
DIRECTOR
PROGRAMME COORDINATOR
FINANCE / ADMIN. OFFICER
RESEARCHER
SECRETARY
OFFICE ASSISTANT
DRIVER
SECURITY
PROGRAMME MANAGER
ASSIST PROGRAMME MANAGER
FIELD OFFICERS
PARA LEGALS
VOLUNTEERS
FINANCE / ADMIN. OFFICER
OFFICE ASSISTANT
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OPERATIONAL AREAS
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