RRI Collaborator Green Advocates has been making headlines in Liberia with its very successful launch of the Legislative Community Rights and Natural Resources Caucus on May 21 in Monrovia.

The formation of this Legislative Caucus on Community Rights is an important step forward for the recognition” promotion and protection of the rights and freedom of local communities in Liberia” especially as regards forest concessions operating on community lands. For the launch” Green Advocates brought to Monrovia more than 50 community forestry leaders who held extensive deliberations on the status of the community rights law” as well as benefit sharing arrangements under the 2006 National Forestry Reform Law.

As part of this event” Green Advocates also facilitated a consultative meeting between community leaders and several lawmakers” which was held at the Joint Chamber of the Legislature.  The meeting then culminated into a major press conference where the caucus was launched. At this launch the community representatives presented a petition to the lawmakers” emphasizing that “socially disadvantaged communities are still depending on forests for their livelihood and those communities which are still depending on forest enterprises cannot grow in the absence of clear tenure.”  In response” the caucus issued a major statement of its commitment to work on community rights issues.

More coverage is to be found in the following articles:

All Africa: Liberia: Protests Over Forest Deals

Heritage: Legislative Community Rights & Natural Resources Caucus Launched in Monrovia 

Public Agenda: Community Right Law Gets Support In House