The Boundary Verification Exercise (BVE) by the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) and partners kicked off on Monday, August 7, 2023, in RiverCess County.
This is part of phase II of the Tenure Facility (TF) support to Liberia and is titled: Keeping the Promise, expanding and Strengthening Community Land and Forest Governance for a Sustainable Future.
Tenure Facility (TF) has funded the piloting of the Community Self-Identification (CSI) steps which culminated in the development of the Community Self-Identification Guide, and the implementation of the LLA’s approved process for Customary Land Formalization (CLF) in 24 communities in eight counties since 2016.
The primary task is to conduct a confirmatory survey for communities that have harmonized their customary boundaries.
To begin this process, a team consisting of the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI), Liberia Land Authority (LLA), Parley, and the Daylight is visiting RiverCess County to assess the readiness of four communities treated under phase I of the project - Ziadue, Teekpeh, Dorbor, and Gbarsaw - for the upcoming confirmatory survey.
The kick-off on Monday, August 7, 2023, saw a combined meeting between Ziadue and Teekpeh in Karchukon town.
The project also supports 15 new communities, bringing the total number of beneficiary communities to 39.
The target communities are located in Bong, Lofa, Nimba, Grand Bassa, Rivercess, Rivergee, and Maryland counties respectively.
The project's overall objective is "to improve land and forest governance in communities that have formalized their customary collective land rights in Liberia".
On Thursday, August 10, 2023, the team was in the Gbarsaw clan. The boundary dispute resolution meeting was also in Sahyah Town organized by SDI in partnership with Parley, The Daylight, and the Liberia Land Authority.
