Liberia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS)

Liberia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS)

U.S. Framework for Foreign Assistance to Liberia

Pillar 1: Enhancing Peace and National Security

• Restructuring and Reforming Security Institutions
• Strengthening Human and Personal Security
• Building and Maintaining Regional Peace and Security

Strategic Objective 1: Peace and Security

• Stabilization Operations and Security Sector Reform

U.S. funded Activities Supporting PRS Pillar 1:

• Train and equip the new 2,000 soldier army and infrastructure improvements for the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL)
• Provide professional development for Ministry of Defense officials through the International Military Education and Training program
• Train and equip the coast guard
• Train, mentor and advise the Liberia National Police (LNP) officers, including the armed Emergency Response Unit (ERU) through the U.S. UN International Police (UNPOL) contingent
• Support Liberia’s Special Security Service

Pillar 2: Revitalizing the Economy

• Agriculture and Food Security
• Forestry
• Mining
• Land and Environmental Policy
• Stimulating Private Sector Investment and Development in Downstream Production, Manufacturing, Trade, and Services
• Revitalizing Financial Services
• Generating Productive Employment
• Management of State-Owned Enterprises, and Regulatory Agencies

Strategic Objective 4: Economic Growth

• Agriculture
• Private Sector Competitiveness
• Economic Opportunity
• Environment

U.S. funded Activities Supporting PRS Pillar 2:

• Support the Ministry of Agriculture and other Government of Liberia efforts to implement the policy and regulatory reforms needed to improve productivity and market production
• Implement the non-emergency food aid program, which supports agricultural production and food security for vulnerable groups
• Promote private enterprise and expanding trade opportunities through microcredit initiatives
• Work with various organizations to increase agricultural productivity and production through deployment of improved technologies and management practices through the Global Food Security Initiative
• Support community forestry initiatives to establish sound policies that protect Liberia’s forest and other natural resources

Pillar 3: Strengthening Governance and the Rule of Law

• Enhancing Participation in and Ownership of Government
• Building Effective and Efficient Institutions
• Strengthening and Enhancing the Effectiveness and Integrity of Legal and Judicial Institutions
• Expanding Access to Justice and Enhancing the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights

Strategic Objective 2: Governing Justly and Democratically

• Rule of Law and Human Rights
• Good Governance
• Political Competition and Consensus Building
• Civil Society

U.S. funded Activities Supporting PRS Pillar 3:

• Provide financial management capacity building
• Implement a robust legislative strengthening program that will build the capacity of legislators and staff, provide basic functional materials, increase constituency collaboration and push forward key legislation
• Build on the success of the Governance and Economic Management Assistance Program to strengthen major revenue-generating, management, and regulatory institutions through targeted capacity building, aimed at improved collection and management of public revenues
• Promote key anti-corruption legislation, strengthen institutions, such as the anti-corruption commission, and implement anti-corruption measures in public institutions
• Support the Land Commission to facilitate titling and investment
• Provide basic legal services and develop alternatives to formal courts
• Educate judges and other justice sector personnel to build capacity in the formal legal system
• Support the presidential, legislative, and local elections in 2011, including providing support for the National Elections Commission (NEC),
• Strengthen democratic accountability through programs working with civil society, the media, and the legislature

Pillar 4: Rehabilitating Infrastructure and Delivering Basic Services

• Roads and Bridges
• Transportation
• Energy
• Post and Telecommunications
• Water and Sanitation
• Public Buildings and Housing
• Health
• Education

Strategic Objective 4: Economic Growth

• Infrastructure

Strategic Objective 3: Investing in People

• Health
• Education
• Social and Economic Services and Protection for Vulnerable Populations

U.S. funded Activities Supporting PRS Pillar 4:

• Expand access to electricity in Monrovia and rural areas through rehabilitation of infrastructure and promoting renewable energy sources
• Rehabilitate feeder roads in areas with expanding agricultural production
• Provide institutional capacity building, teacher training, and educational materials for basic education.
• Strengthen the Ministry of Education’s ability to manage and monitor the national public school system
• Expand efforts to improve early grade competencies such as literacy, numeracy, arithmetic, basic personal finance, basic scientific concepts, general health, and awareness of malaria and HIV/AIDS
• Support implementation of Liberia’s National Health Plan, which calls for the delivery of basic health care; supporting the training and education of the health workforce; rebuilding health delivery and health management systems, refurbishing and upgrading selected health clinics; and strengthening maternal, newborn, and child health, family planning and reproductive health services, including access to essential drugs and commodities
• Expand efforts to scale up proven preventative and treatment interventions to achieve 85 percent coverage among vulnerable groups in order to reach the Presidential Malaria Initiative goal of reducing malaria-related morbidity by 50 percent
• Support Liberia’s national HIV/AIDS strategy and the goals of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
• Expand access to high-quality, voluntary family planning services and information