The Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC) in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will hold a one day stakeholders' conference on the local integration of Sierra Leonean refugees on 13 February 2008, in the conference room of the P. A's incorporated, on the Spriggs Payne Air Field road.

The conference seeks to give stakeholders and local officials a broader perspective about government's responsibility in the local integration initiative as embedded in the universal legal instruments on the status of refugees.

It is also anticipated that the meeting of the minds will derive a unanimous consensus amongst stakeholders on the way forward. Participants will include government officials, representatives of UN agencies, heads of international non­governmental organizations, local government officials, host communities as well as beneficiaries.

The local integration strategy came about following the end of the UNHCR organized repatriation of Sierra Leonean refugees in June 2004, when the residual of 3,563 of the refugees who live at the Banjor, Samukai, and VOA camps expressed their desire to remain in Liberia.

Out of this number, 469 are opting for alien resident status; while 1,964 prefer naturalization. Even though the rest of them (1,130) are indecisive, it is likely that they will also take advantage of the assimilation process.

The local integration strategy will involve several elements such as legal (attainment of rights, status), social (housing, community relations, development, media and sports), economic (enhancement of livelihoods through employment/self employment, agriculture and training), health and the environment.

Prior to tomorrow's conference, LRRRC and UNHCR held discussions with the Bureau of Immigration and naturalization (BIN) and the local authorities of communities where the refugees have opted to locally integrate.