The former President of Ghana and current chairperson of the Interpeace Governing Board, Dr. John Kufuor yesterday arrived in Liberia on mission to present a nationwide conflict research report that his institution along with CSOs implemented.

Dr. Kufuor, who arrived at 3:00 pm aboard a Kenya Airways flight at the Roberts International Airport at the head of a modest delegation, was received by Internal Affairs Minister, Harrison Karnwea flanked by JPU Director Bernardo Arevalo de Leon and Interpeace staffs under the leadership of Programme Coordinator James S. Shilue.

According to a press release issued yesterday by the Interpeace, their Governing Board Chairperson will today present a 100-page report highlighting the views of citizens and residents to address burning issues of conflict that they perceive may derail peace consolidation if they are left unresolved.

Interpeace is a Swiss originated peace building institution collaborating with eight civil society institutions in Liberia to implement the Platform for Dialogue and Peace in Liberia (P4DP).

The P4DP, with funding from the Peace building Fund, carried out a yearlong research consultation across the country with five CSOs implementing the field work in four regions into which the country was demarcated with specific responsibilities.

Three of the remaining CSOs conducted, including monitoring and training of other members of the collaboration framework in the areas of gender mainstreaming, audio-visual data capture and documentation techniques as well as the production of a customized module incorporating the methodology of intervention endorsed by Interpeace.

Contained as findings in the comprehensive report to be presented today are five key thematic challenges to peace consolidation which include land and property disputes; shortcomings in local governance; problems with the rule of law and security; discrimination in citizenship based on ethnicity or other identities and unemployment and lack of access to resources.

The Chairman, Dr. Kufuor, will firstly pay a courtesy call on the Liberian Chief Executive, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the Executive Mansion during the afternoon hours, where he is expected to present a formal copy of the report to her government.

Later on in the evening, Chairman Kufuor will also host a reception at the Cape Hotel in Monrovia, where invited dignitaries from public, private, nongovernmental, multilateral institutions are expected to be in attendance.

Former President Kufuor, who played pivotal roles in restoring peace and stability in the troubled Mano River Basin and the entire West African region indicated that Liberians need to work together to solidify the current level of peace in the country.

He described the current visit as another opportunity to meet Liberians and reinforce the message of working together to transit Liberia from its critical conflict challenges for durable peace that Interpeace and its collaborating institutions are energetically promoting.

In the meantime, the Programme Coordinator, Mr. James S. Shilue, has expressed happiness over the visit of the Interpeace Chairperson, describing it as a tribute to the importance the institution attaches to Liberia.

Mr. Shilue also indicated that the current research report that covered two of the four phased programme is expected to enter the national dialogue phase, during experts from the public sector, private and nongovernmental institutions along with Interpeace and its collaborating CSOs will fused into working groups to further probe the conflict themes with the view of getting overall consensual policy options to redress the conflicts by all stakeholders. The themes included Identity and citizenship; Local Governance, and Frameworks for peace.

The P4DP project is implemented by Interpeace in collaboration with eight local CSOs in close coordination with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), and the Government of Liberia, represented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). The Project's first phase was funded by the United Nations Peace-building Fund.

After the completion of the report presentation, former President Kufuor is accordingly scheduled to depart for Ghana on Friday, September 10, 2010. It can be recalled that former President John Kufuor led Ghana, immediately following the close of tenure of John Jerry Rawlings.

Dr. Kufuor during his two term presidency of Ghana displayed a highly charismatic leadership role in the sub-region that eventually pushed his rising to the AU chairmanship before the expiration of his constitutional mandate in 2009.

Recognizing his contribution to regional peace efforts, the Interpeace thereafter immediately appointed Dr. Kufuor to replace the former Finnish President and 2008 Nobel Peace Laureate, Martti Ahtisaari, as its Chairman of the Governance Board, the first-ever African to ascend to the post.