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Please join us for afternoon tea with Liberian peacebuilder Nat Walker to hear about his work on
Community-Based Early Warning and Response: Lessons from Liberia
Monday, August 19
4:00pm
Conference Room 5138
Since 2010, the Liberia Peacebuilding Office with support from Humanity United and other partners have been working for the development of a conflict early warning and early response system in Liberia. The Liberia Peacebuilding Office (LPBO), which is also the United Nations peacebuilding Fund Secretariat in Liberia, developed a twofold strategically linked approach to EWER in Liberia.
Firstly, the creation and support of a network comprising civil society, government and United Nation organizations that are collaborating and sharing information related to issues that could lead to violence while formulating recommendations for policy makers on ways of addressing those issues that threaten peace and national security. Secondly, the development of a community based early warning and early response system involving county peace committees that are helping to identify conflict factors at their level, and helping to resolve and transform these local conflicts through mediation, dialogue and other community initiatives.
The presentation will provide an overview of the evolution of this initiative and highlights of relevance of a community based EWER system in Liberia, achievements to date, key challenges and identified ways forward.
About Nat:
Nat B. Walker is a Liberian and a permanent resident of the United States. He is currently an independent peacebuilding and development consultant with over twelve years of experience working in Liberia with local and international organizations including the Catholic Relief Services, Mercy Corps, Conservation International and United Nations Development Program. He was hired in 2011 by Humanity United as a long term consultant to provide support to the development of a network of conflict early warning and early response actors and to help the LPBO develop a conflict EWER system in Liberia. He is a graduate of the Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding where he earned his Masters of Arts degree in conflict transformation with dual concentrations in international development and organizational leadership