Note to Ms. Alicia Barcena UNITED NATIONS TRUST FUND FOR HUMAN SECURITY I have reviewed the attached project proposal from the Liberia inter-agency project team (UNDP, WFP, FAO) entitled, "Rebuilding communities in post-conflict Liberia - empowerment for change". This project requiring $3,857,867.66 is in line with the guidelines governing the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security and has been endorsed by the Project Review Committee. I hereby request your approval of this project. tf MAY 1 5 2006 PROGRAMME DOCUMENT National Transitional Government of Liberia United Nations Development Programme Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations World Food Programme Rebuilding Communities in Post-Conflict Liberia - Empowerment for Change Project Number: Project Title: Rebuilding Communities in Post-Conflict Liberia Project Site: Lofa, Bomi, Bong, Maryland, Nimba, Gbapolu, Grand Cape, Grand Geddeh, & River Gee Counties. Estimated start date: Estimated end date: Duration: 2 Years Project Execution: UNDP, FAO, and WFP Counterpart Institutions: Local Governments, NGOs & District Development Committees -DDCs Estimated budget: US$ 3,857,867.66: (Phase I = $ 1,981,443.73 and Phase II = $1,876,423.93) Sector: Employment, Social Infrastructure, Agriculture and Reconciliation Programme Brief: Poverty and unemployment were the main contributors to the decade old protracted and violent conflict in Liberia. Provision of basic services like education and health care, and the creation of opportunities for productive and gainful employment are interventions that are expected to positively motivate communities to support the consolidation of peace. The Programme will be expected to lower social tensions and contribute to the creation of a safe and secure environment for local communities enabling them to recognize and benefit from the peace dividend, and constructively participate in the recovery towards peace. The Programme will be operational in nine of the fifteen Counties and will support the replenishment of human resource and human capital (which was lost during the conflict) in areas including farming, civil society capacity development and national non-governmental organizations; support the revitalization of local economies by creating opportunities for productive and gainful engagement, and enhance access to basic social services, the productive sector and local markets. Following the initial rejection by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security, this proposal was newly drafted by UNDP, FAO and WFP, reflecting the latest situation of the country, where the post conflict recovery and safeguarding/empowerment of the rural community are the most urgent concerns for the people, the government (with the newly elected president) of Liberia as well as for the international community including the United Nations system. The proposal is based on the human security concept and focuses on the bottom-up consolidation of peace in Liberia. List of Acronyms CBRP Community Based Recovery Programme CSO Civil Society Organizations DDC District Development committees HDI Human Development Index HSU/OCHA Human Security Unit, Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs NPK Nitrogen-phosphate and Potassium Fertilizer NTGL National Transitional Government of Liberia LTSH Local Transport Storage and Handling -WFP PAC Project Appraisal Committee RBA Regional Bureau for Africa (UNDP) RFTF Results Focused Transitional Framework RWC RFTF Working Committee(s) UNCT UN Country Team UNCDF UN Capital Development Fund UNDG UN Development Group UNMIL UN Mission in Liberia UNTFHS UN Trust Fund for Human Security Political Map of Liberia Sierra Leone Monrov ATLANTIC OCEAN 20 20 40 Miles •^ Hjrpt? Counties benefiting from UNTFHS; Lofa, Bomi, Bong, Maryland, Nimba, Gbapolu, Grand Cape, Grand Geddeh, and River Gee Counties Table of Contents Executive Summary Part I. Liberia, Country Situation: 7 a. Problems to be addressed 8 b. Programme Justification 10 Part II. Goals, Objectives, Outputs and Activities 12 a. Framework for Objectives, Outcomes, Outputs and Activities 15 b. Performance Indicators 17 Part III. Methodology/Implementation Modality 18 a. Roles and responsibilities of Participating Agencies 18 b. Coordinated Programme Implementation 19 a. At the Monrovia level 19 b. At the Field Level 20 c. At the Community level 20 d. At the National Level 21 e. At the UNCT level 21 f. Other Implementation Partners 22 Part IV. Beneficiaries and beneficiary Selection Criteria 23 a. Beneficiaries 23 b. Beneficiary Selection Criteria 24 Part V. Programme Risks 25 Part VI. Monitoring, Reporting & Evaluation 26 Part VII. Programme Sustainability 26 Part VIII. Fund Disbursement Arrangements 27 Part IX. Programme Budget 28 Annexes; 29 Annex 1. Priority Outcomes & Expected Results of the RFTF 30 Annex 2. Structure of District Development Committees 35 Annex 3: Funding Requirements for the Rehabilitation of Basic Social Services 37 Annex 4: Breakdown: International Pest Control 39 Annex 5: Breakdown: Food security commodities 40 Annex 6. Budget Notes: Capacity Building 41 Annex 7: Budget notes, Maintenance and Operation 44 Annex 8. Expected Movement of refugees, IDPs, and X-com 46 Annex 9: Agricultural inputs 47 Annex 10: Annual Output Target 48 Annex 11: UNCT Joint Action Plan 49 Annex 12: ToR, FAO Training Consultant 58 Annex 13. Summary cost-analysis of Project Proposals 60 Executive Summary Liberia is just about emerging from a fourteen year old armed, bloody and destructive conflict that forcefully displaced well over a third of the entire population, and pushed some 300,000 of them to seek protection and security across borders and further a field. The conflict also resulted in the overwhelming destruction of physical as well as social and economic infrastructure. Agriculture, the mainstay of the majority of the Liberian population was abandoned and fields left fallow to be overtaken by overgrowth; access roads suffered from overgrowth and lack of maintenance to the extent of being impassible. Homes and other physical structures, most importantly structures critical for the delivery of basic social services such as education and health, were indiscriminately looted, gutted and vandalized, and effectively destroyed. Traditional social fabric was disrupted by mistrust, disrespect, and resulted into overall sense of insecurity. Human security and safety was totally disrupted in the chaos of the conflict. The economic life and livelihood of those who sought refugee in camps had to be replaced by relief handouts, effectively removing them from productive and gainful engagement. Those who stayed behind where forced to live on meager, hand-to- mouth and unsustainable activities, with no access to the very basic of social services including education, health, and water and sanitation facilities. Central to the destruction and the main fueling agent for the conflict was unemployment. The long-term unemployed an disgruntled youth (which constitutes over 60% of the population), found power, dignity and purpose in the conflict. The barrel of gun empowered them to acquire economic benefits through forcefully misappropriation of private and public property, and they were at liberty to loot, maim, and to rape and kill. The UNTFHS Programme proposes to promote human security and dignity by raising community stakes in good governance through the promotion of an environment for participatory local planning. To this end it will train and equip elected community representatives. It will also address the critical concern regarding problems of access to basic social services including health services, education, and water and sanitation facilities. Thirdly, the UNTFHS Programme will facilitate the engagement of communities in securing sustainable livelihoods by creating opportunities for gainful employment, and by training, equipping and proving farmers with necessary inputs, including arranging for technical support (through the training and equipping of blacksmiths). The Programme will be operational in nine of the fifteen counties of Liberia and they will include Lofa, Bomi, Bong, Maryland, Nimba, Gbapolu, Grand Cape, Grand Geddeh, and River Gee Counties. The Programme will have an implementation life of two years and will have two phases of one year each with budget allocation of $1,981,443.73 and $1,876,423.93 each. The approval of the second phase will depend on the successful implementation of the first, a verdict that is to be decided at the mid term evaluation of the Programme. The funding modality will be a pass-through fund management with UNDP assuming the responsibility to open a project account and disburse to the participating agencies. Following the initial rejection by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS), this proposal was newly drafted by UNDP, FAO and WFP, reflecting the latest situation of the country, where the post conflict recovery and safeguarding/empowerment of rural community are the most urgent concerns for the people and the government (with the newly elected president) of Liberia as well as for the international community including the United Nations system. The country is in the critical stage of consolidating peace and laying the foundation for future development, and safeguarding and empowerment of individuals and communities in rural areas is more vital than ever. As such the current proposal focuses on so far unattended areas of bottom-up consolidation of peace in Liberia through integrated interventions by three