Monrovia - On 16 March 2017, UNMIL supported the Security Sector Reform (SSR) Think Tank of the University of Liberia to convene an open dialogue to discuss the democratic governance of the security sector.

Around 35 participants including representatives of the security institutions, civil society groups, ECOWAS and UNMIL attended the meeting.

The participants exchanged ideas on how to strength the democratic control and civilian oversight over the security forces in Liberia, including the swift implementation of the new Police Act, which called for the establishment of an independent oversight body; the enhancement of the capacity of the Legislature to effectively exercise its oversight role over the security institutions; the adoption of a holistic and human security approach for the reform of security sector, including the support to the Fire Service and other public safety agencies; the need to build dialogue between the security institutions and the communities; and the economic recovery as a basis for a sustainable security sector apparatus.

Through supporting the engagement of civil society and security sector actors at the SSR Think, UNMIL is working to ensure that the perspective of the general Liberian population is factored into security policy-making and governance processes in the country.