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afrol News, 13 June - The World Bank has concluded a donors' conference on the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) for the Sierra Leone Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Program in Paris. The purpose of the meeting was to update the donor community on the status of the DDR Program and to lay the basis for generating additional resources for its implementation. The Sierra Leone government delegation was headed by Minister of Finance Peter J. Kuyembeh, and included the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Momodu Koroma, and the heads of the two commissions concerned with these matters, the National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (NCDDR) and the National Commission for Resettlement, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation (NCRRR). The meeting was chaired by Peter Harrold, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Representatives from 13 countries and 11 multilateral organizations attended the meeting, including Ambassador Oluyemi Adeniji, the Special Representative to Sierra Leone of the United Nations Secretary-General, according to a World Bank statement. The government updated the donor community on its peace strategy and recent developments on the basis of agreements reached in recent meetings under the auspices of the United Nations and ECOWAS (Economic Commission of West African States). This has led to the resumption of the DDR Program and the disarmament of 3,600 combatants, the release of over 1,000 child ex-combatants, and a resumption of confidence-building measures with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). - These developments raise the prospect for sustainable peace in the near future, the World Bank statement reads. By the end of 2001, the government expects to have completed the demobilization of the estimated total of 28,000 combatants. The government and donors agreed that DDR will be key to the consolidation of the peace process and subsequent resettlement of returning internally displaced persons and refugees, reconstruction of basic infrastructure, the restoration of government authority and elections. The meeting noted the positive impact of the recent events upon the stability of the Mano River Union, refugee resettlement and the restoration of civilian authority in Sierra Leone. This will help pave the way for elections in the near future. The partners agreed that this window of opportunity should be seized and encouraged the government to advance disarmament and demobilization as rapidly as possible. The RUF observer, who attended as a member of the government delegation, affirmed the rebel's commitment to the peace process overall and DDR in particular. The government also presented its strategy for accomplishing the reinsertion and reintegration of ex-combatants, the ultimate objective of the DDR program. The government and donors agreed that the transition from demobilization to reintegration should be bridged by a temporary reinsertion package, and that linkages between targeted short-term assistance for ex-combatants and longer-term support for the resettlement of displaced populations, the reconstruction of basic services and the rejuvenation of the economy would be strengthened. To this end, the government has prepared a three-year economic recovery and poverty reduction program, in consultation with the IMF and the World Bank. It was anticipated that debt relief under the HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) Initiative for Sierra Leone would be in place by December 2001. Donors asked the government to take a strong lead in coordinating reintegration and reconstruction efforts, in order to ensure complementarity among various partners' individual programs. The Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) mechanism administered by the World Bank supports a comprehensive approach and government ownership of the peace process. In support of the DDR program, the government has to date disbursed and committed about US$6 million from the MDTF. The government estimates that the DDR program will face a shortfall of US$31.5 million in the next two years, subject to modification, based on information provided by partners at this meeting. The government projects that the program resources currently available will be exhausted in August 2001 if disarmament and demobilization continues at the current pace. In general, donors expressed their support for the DDR program and the government's efforts to consolidate peace. Several donors congratulated the government, as well as the United Nations Assistance Mission to Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), for the considerable positive progress made since last May. Partners would now, on the basis of the information provided at this meeting, actively consider further contributions to the MDTF. The government of Sierra Leone expressed its strong satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting, and will follow up with respective partners to finalize arrangements for support in the coming months.
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