UNIOSIL Hosts TRC Workshop in Sierra Leone

UNIOSIL Human Rights and Rule of Law Section will today Wednesday 11 April commence a two day Consultative Workshop for officials from government ministries and/or agencies on the Findings and Recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Report. The Workshop will be held at the Staff Club, UNIOSIL Headquarters, Mammy Yoko.

The forty participants will be drawn from ministries and agencies to which specific recommendations are addressed. Each ministry/agency will be expected to designate two representatives at a senior policy level who will act as focal points and will form the basis for future consultations between the UN and the government on the TRC.

This workshop will create the opportunity for the focal points to have a comprehensive understanding of the findings and recommendation of the TRC, what responsibilities are assigned to their respective ministries/institutions and enable them to explore avenues for the full implementation of the recommendation addressed to them.

It could be recalled that the Human Rights and Rule of Law Section has already been involved in the dissemination of the report and has so far conducted a number of sensitization sessions for local government officials and civil society groups in all of the 149 Chiefdoms in Sierra Leone. Notwithstanding these efforts, there still remain gaps to be filled in terms of the implementation of most of the key recommendations addressed to specific government ministries and/or agencies. Taking inspiration from the mandate of UNIOSIL, which inter alia is to assist state institutions in the implementation of the TRC recommendations, it is imperative that the concerned government ministries/agencies are sensitized on specific recommendations relevant to their respective mandates and their capacities enhanced to facilitate the implementation of these recommendations.