Monrovia, Liberia - In a collaborative effort to promote non-violence and a conflict-free elections, the ECOWAS National Office at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, the National Elections Commission (NEC), as well as the Mano River Union, the Peace Building Office and the Office of the Sustainable Development Goals along with officials of the host counties will be hosting the second phase of civic education and voters awareness exercises from Thursday, December 21-24 2017 in Grand Cape-Mount and Bomi Counties.
According to the ECOWAS National Office, the four days event will target youth’s and students, motorcyclists or pehn-pehn riders, shoes shine boys, civil society & Communities leaders, marketers, among others.
The program will be executed under The Theme “PROMOTING NON-VIOLENCE IN THE 2017 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN LIBERIA”.
The exercise hopes to buttress the efforts of the National Elections Commission to effectively execute its Civic and Voters Education Operation Plan for the 2017 General Elections which focuses on providing voters adequate information needed for effective and smooth voting.
Out of this joint exercise, it is expected that voters would have deeper appreciations of their rights and responsibilities as citizens to participate in the political process, the importance of the electoral process, the concept of free and fair elections and the importance of participation and voting.
It can be recalled that the first phase of this exercise kicked off in Ganta, Nimba County on October 1, 2017. Similar events were subsequently held in Gbarnga, Bong County and Kakata, Margibi County, Buchanan, Grand Bassa County during which young people met with national stakeholders at interactive gatherings and had exchanges on issues that could potentially cause violence during the elections.
Meanwhile, the implementers have emphasized that the overriding objective of the exercise is “to create awareness on ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance relating to the prevention, management and conflict resolution.”