Posts Tagged ‘liberia’
-
Setting the Stage for Conservation Agreements in Liberia
[caption id="attachment_10798" align="aligncenter" width="576" caption="Liberia currently contains about half of West Africa's remaining forests, yet illegal logging continues to destroy these valuable resources. CI is working with the Liberian government to build a more sustainable economic system. (© CI/Photo by John Martin)"][/caption] I’ve been to Liberia numerous times over the past several years; however, my visit last December promised to be different. I was part of a CI team hosting a workshop on a particular approach to community-level conservation and development that simply would not have been possible until now. When I started working in Liberia in 2004, the country was focused ... -
Liberian President Awarded Nobel Peace Prize
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded today to three remarkable women who have dedicated their lives to promoting peace and gender equality in their home countries. The recipients — Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Yemeni democracy activist Tawakkul Karman and Liberian women’s right activist Leyma Gbowee — are the first women to receive the prize since 2004, when it went to environmentalist Wangari Maathai. [caption id="attachment_7994" align="alignright" width="322" caption="President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (center) with CI staff in 2007. (© CI/ Russell A. Mittermeier)"][/caption] At CI, we are especially thrilled by the recognition of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first female head of ... -
Despite Troubled History, New Hope in Liberia
As I stood in front of our new office in Congo Town this week, just steps away from the sprawling Chinese Embassy complex, I was taken back to my introduction to Liberia in 2005. CI had already been in the country for three years, seeing our partners through the end of war, a transitional government and the election of the first female African Head of State. At that time, the only way to get to Monrovia was with the UN peacekeeping mission or on one of the Nigerian carriers, all of which overbook and work on a first-come, first-serve basis. ... -
Alex Peal honored with Commander, Star of Africa distinction in Liberia
There is a saying in Liberia which says, “A man is never completely satisfied if he is not honored within his own country, regardless of how many honors he receives on the outside.” This was my immediate reaction upon receiving the Commander, Star of Africa distinction from the President of Liberia, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. I had worked directly for my country for over 20 years (1970 to 1990 as a forester and a conservationist) and indirectly for 18 years. During the civil war, I fled and became a refugee in southern California, where I worked with colleagues to maintain ... -
Creating Equitable Livelihoods in Liberia
The challenges the people of Liberia face after 14 years of civil war – a war that left the nation in tatters – are great. But despite these challenges, there is opportunity. Forests once ravaged by conflict have started to heal. And people once crushed by poverty and unemployment are on the mend. The danger is that meeting the immediate humanitarian needs of the country in the short term could sacrifice sustainable development needs over the long term – potentially fueling conflict, as was the case in the past. That’s where CI’s innovative Conservation Growth Poles program comes in. We ...
