Liberia is celebrating 16 years of “peace” after emerging from fifteen years of civil war resulting in the deaths of approximately 250,000 people, internal and external displacement of millions and the widespread destruction of the political, social and economic infrastructure of the country. As confirmed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, economic actors and activities contributed to, and benefited from the armed conflict.

Since the 2003 peace agreement, Liberia has witnessed three democratic elections. The most recent in 2017 resulted in the country's first democratic transfer of power from a ruling political party to an opposition party in more than 70 years. Successive governments continued to flag private sector investment as a major vehicle for growth and development attracting between 2006 and 2016, more than USD$16 billion in foreign direct investment covering a third of the country’s land mass in mining, oil and gas, agro and forestry concessions. While such investments may have the potential to accelerate socio-economic development, there are great concerns how these investments would impact poverty, human rights, the environment and the conflict dynamics in Liberia.

In this talk, Mr. Brownell will discuss the current situation in Liberia and the effectiveness of diverse transitional justice measures in terms of dismantling and preventing the repetition of structural conditions that have generated poverty and conflict. He will also share about current strategies to defend human rights and the environment in this particular context.