Researchers studied one of Liberia’s largest peacebuilding programs—the Community Empowerment Program (CEP)—for answers. The CEP was an intensive community education campaign that focused on civic education, human rights, and community collective action. Above all, the program attempted to impart knowledge and skills to foster dialogue and non-violent conflict resolution. From early 2009 to late 2010, UNHCR and JPC implemented the program in 67 conflict-prone communities in three Liberian counties, reaching more than 9,000 individuals. This paper reports the results of a two-year impact evaluation of the program using a randomized controlled trial, comparing trends in attitudes, participation, and conflict in these 67 communities to more than 170 control communities. The researchers combined the quantitative study with detailed qualitative research in more than 20 communities. This report summarizes impacts and lessons learned after two years of program implementation. There was little impact on specific measures of civic participation and community cohesion; modest increases in respect for human rights and equality; and large impacts on conflict and conflict resolution though not always in expected ways.
Governance, social development, conflict and humanitarian knowledge services
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