The Gola Rainforest, straddling Sierra Leone and Liberia is a lush, green haven. Spanning about 700 square kilometers and stretches across both countries, the rainforest is home to diverse and globally threatened wildlife, including over 300 bird species and endangered species such as pygmy hippos, chimpanzees, and forest elephants.During one of my first visits to the region, as the UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone, I remember being struck by the serene beauty and the abundance of nature all around me.Conserving biodiversity is not just an environmental priority; for both Sierra Leone and Liberia, it is also a peacebuilding strategy between the two countries. A new programme bringing together the two governments, in partnership with the United Nations, called the Resilience, Empowerment, Access and Peacebuilding (GOLA-REAP) project aims to achieve this. The $4 million initiative, funded by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund and led by the International Organization of Migration (IOM) and the World Food Programme (WFP), will work to protect the biodiversity-rich Gola Rainforest while fostering peace and sustainable development.A shared history, a shared futureLiberia and Sierra Leone are more than just neighbors; they share a history of economic cooperation, cultural ties and, regrettably, past conflicts. Both nations endured brutal civil wars in the 1990s and public health crises like the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2015, which claimed tens of thousands of lives. Yet a shared ethnic and cultural heritage means that people on both sides of the Mano River speak the same languages, intermarry and engage in regular cross-border trade. Today, the focus is on development and peacebuilding, forging a sustainable future together. One crucial step toward achieving this goal is ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources. The illegal logging of Gola’s forests not only threatens biodiversity but also disrupts local livelihoods.As UN Resident Coordinators (RCs) on both sides of the border, my colleague Christine N. Umutoni, the UN Resident Coordinator in Liberia and I have had the opportunity to work closely together to help both countries tackle common challenges and find joint solutions. We have continued to work closely with both governments and partners to ensure that the project, which is aligned to the development plans of the two countries, is given the due attention that it deserves. Before the launch, we had extensive engagements with key line ministries, including the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and local authorities to enhance ownership of the project.Fostering peace through forest managementThe GOLA-REAP project builds on past peacebuilding successes, learning from similar cross-border efforts in 2021-2024 that helped reduce tensions between cattle herders and crop farmers, improve border security, and promote conservation efforts in the Gola region. The initiative will enhance resilience in border communities by promoting sustainable land access, empowering youth and women to prevent and address conflicts related to the use and access of the natural resources and improving forest management. It will provide training on conflict prevention and resolution, community-driven land mapping, and border monitoring for key stakeholders, including local leaders, rangers and border officials. By fostering trust and collaboration, the project will strengthen social cohesion, improve border management and promote sustainable resource use.At the launch event held last month, Ms. Umutoni, and I emphasized the urgent need to curb these destructive activities. Deforestation not only destroys flora and fauna but also eliminates a critical carbon sink that helps mitigate climate change and resulting effects including conflicts around shrinking resources.A solid economic caseBeyond environmental concerns, protecting the Gola Forest makes economic sense. The forest has been validated by the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) as capable of generating carbon credits. Reports indicate that about 19 million tonnes of carbon are stored in Gola Forest, and conservation efforts could help reduce emissions by up to half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) annually.This presents a viable opportunity for both nations to secure sustainable revenue while combating climate change. Sierra Leone has a unique chance to establish a transparent, credible, and fair carbon market. This market aims to reduce deforestation, support the livelihoods of local and indigenous communities, provide sustainable long-term financing for the country, and contribute to global biodiversity and development commitments on an international level. 
 
In December 2024, RC Umutoni traveled in the opposite direction, from Monrovia to Freetown, and was equally struck by the verdant forests and the aspirations of citizens for a better life. The scars of war are fading, replaced by a collective vision for sustainable development and peace.Long-standing commitmentThe commitment of both countries to conservation is longstanding. In 2009, they pledged to create the Gola Transboundary Peace Park, recognizing the deep connection between conservation, peace and sustainable livelihoods. This commitment was reinforced in 2011 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Gola Forest management, reaffirmed again in 2020.Liberia and Sierra Leone’s commitment to the project underscores the dedication of both countries to fostering peace, resilience, and economic empowerment for their communities. In both countries, the respective Ministries of Internal Affairs are key actors leading the initiative. Further, local authorities, civil society organizations, and community representatives are actively participating in the implementation of the project. This ensures that the initiatives are tailored to the needs and priorities of the communities involved. Getting it right is crucial—not just for the peace and stability of Sierra Leone and Liberia, but for the broader Mano River Union region and Africa as a whole. With strong government leadership, active community participation and ownership, and support from the United Nations and international partners, this unique initiative is well positioned to transform the lives of border communities proving that conservation and peace can indeed go hand in hand—turning Gola’s green heart into a beacon of hope for the region and beyond.This blog has been written by Seraphine Wakana, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone. For more information about the UN's work in Sierra Leone, click here.
  Courtesy of the UN Sustainable Development Group, which first published this article on https://unsdg.un.org/latest/stories/conserving-gola-rainforests-sierra-leone-and-liberia-unite-peaceful-future?afd_azwaf_tok=eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiJ9.eyJhdWQiOiJ1bnNkZy51bi5vcmciLCJleHAiOjE3NDU1Nzc3MjcsImlhdCI6MTc0NTU3NzcxNywiaXNzIjoidGllcjEtNWQ3NTU3NTc1LWRiNWdjIiwic3ViIjoiNDEuMjIzLjEzNS4zNCIsImRhdGEiOnsidHlwZSI6Imlzc3VlZCIsInJlZiI6IjIwMjUwNDI1VDEwNDE1N1otcjE1ZDc1NTc1NzVkYjVnY2hDMUxJU2dkczQwMDAwMDAwN25nMDAwMDAwMDBieG03IiwiYiI6IjJ4VkgyTGRfR212ZzJzdV9NS2stVzd3QTZubzlxSGlzNGlHOV82bnFaWUEiLCJoIjoiNHVxUl8zNUx2N0tmek50aHVKblMzWlRGUnByRDlYRUliUE10aWpXTzItMCJ9fQ.satJxxRLPZfyrM40JmuxxTKwDgfEdtwrSUp59c1XCawd8Zojr3MssEA-vtbiAS8aSrhRJi-cesiR4bsFJlQ1FipF8PzhmdRvcYQd-ItnEMovvwvQI2aXIm87zxenWP1q2IzHKW2f1fA09DzZPxvxIudi71J-lDMO4nig4JG71faZ7lCbNFULoKoKj_rpO8KFZTOWNFgWTfSCvBKxp2O2m1GF3FIZRw2wlx6cF-pQ4s3W6lFhQvhpUHAznMCaLrQ3nD2KxLIkfeFKf5hhQIhNYdIOnNbweHf3RWzAmHunefoajiLIwk72ATbH2byZh3hCILVodjMmCMbCDj2BKtolfQ.WF3obl2IDtqgvMFRqVdYkD5s 

 A three-day national conference on financing for Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) has taken place in Freetown, uniting women peacebuilders, entrepreneurs, civil society organisations, and innovators. Jointly organised by UNDP, UN Women, World Vision, and the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, the event, held under the theme “Pathways to Inclusive Financing for Women, Peace and Security seeks to develop sustainable solutions for financing women-led peacebuilding initiatives.The conference is part of the UN Peacebuilding Fund's "Localisation and Working for Peace" project, which empowers women-led CSOs to strengthen peace efforts and enhance safety for women and girls across Sierra Leone.Despite representing more than half of the population, women in Sierra Leone face significant barriers to financial inclusion. Since adopting its first National Action Plan (NAP) on UNSCR 1325 in 2009, the country has made strides, including enacting key legislative reforms such as the GEWE Act (2022) and the Abolition of Child Marriage Act (2024). However, implementation challenges remain.UN Resident Coordinator Saraphine Wakana called women as the “architects of peace,” urging all stakeholders to translate policies into real, inclusive action. Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Dr. Isata Mahoi, emphasised the urgency of closing financing gaps to fully realise the WPS agenda.Discussions focused on innovative financing models, including a proposed women’s bank, local farmers’ markets, and public-private partnerships positioning women as co-investors as well as development partners support.

 During her three-day mission to Bo, Southern Sierra Leone, primarily for the inaugural Project Steering Committee meeting of the Gola-REAP project between Liberia and Sierra Leone, UN Resident Coordinator (RC) Seraphine Wakana interacted with beneficiaries and witnessed firsthand the positive changes in beneficiaries and communities. On Thursday, 3rd April, the RC visited the Fistula Surgery Theatre at Bo Government Hospital, a facility supported by UNFPA through a partnership with the Government of Iceland and the Ministry of Health. It is aimed at accelerating progress towards eliminating Obstetric Fistula.She met a 16-year-old fistula survivor who shared her experience of losing her baby after prolonged labour and subsequently dealing with constant incontinence. Following her surgery, she is now on the path to recovery. The RC also met the Hospital Medical Superintendent and Matron for the fistula ward, and they discussed prevention mechanisms and community education to challenge harmful norms of treatment in terms of improving identification, referral, and access to fistula surgery and reintegration efforts like providing psychosocial support, vocational training, and skills development for survivors.  That afternoon, the RC was at an Inland Valley Swamp (IVS) in the Yamandu Community. Through IFAD, the Agriculture Value Chain Development Project (AVDP) has developed 10 hectares of IVS for rice farmers and provided production and processing facilities and machinery to increase productivity and reduce post-harvest losses.Women at the IVS were growing vegetables as a third crop after they had harvested their rice, which will be used not only for additional income generation but also to enhance household nutrition. The RC also visited and interacted with oil palm farmers in the Kalia community supported by IFAD. A female youth contractor explained to the visiting team the agronomic practices they had learnt from the farmer field school on the cultivation and management of their oil palm farms.The RC started Friday, the next day, with a visit to Largo, Kenema District, where UNICEF and UNDP are working with the Defense for Children International (DCI) on the "Promote the Creation of an Enabling Environment for the Conduct of Peaceful Elections and the Strengthening of Social Cohesion in Sierra Leone" project. The UN Peacebuilding Fund project promotes an environment enabling peaceful and credible elections by strengthening national conflict prevention and response systems, building trust, and fostering peaceful civic engagement before, during, and after the electoral process. It includes the involvement of adolescents, youth, women, and the community, as well as religious and traditional leaders, promoting citizens' engagement through community dialogues, raising awareness on peace and youth participation, and tackling misinformation and hate speech. She heard about the project's impact from around 20-25 community members, including traditional/religious leaders, parents, and adolescents/youth. She reiterated that the PBF project has significantly impacted all the communities across the districts involved, including Kenema, Bombali, Port Loko, Kono, Western Area Urban, and Western Area Rural.The adolescents narrated stories of how they got into forced marriages/ relationships with bike riders and older men in the community, which prevented them from going back to school. With the support from the project, they were empowered to return to school. A visibly happy mother explained how the project had also impacted her daughter. "Now, she is back in school, very articulate, and once, she represented the town at the District Council engagement in Kenema, which led to bringing the celebration of the Day of the Girl Child to Largo. I am so proud of what my girl and the rest have achieved," she said. In Kenema town that afternoon, the RC and team joined the bike riders at their parks in the heart of the township. These are beneficiaries of the "Empowering Youth Bike Riders as Sustainable Agents of Peace in the Sierra Leone Project", which UNDP and UNCDF have implemented as part of PBF support.  The youth-driven project used the bike riders as ambassadors of Peace in their communities, preaching the message of non-violence in all its forms, including preventing abuse of women and girls. They explained to the RC that they had previously been in constant conflict with the law – the Sierra Leone police and Road Safety Authority. Thanks to the training, a cordial relationship exists, including a Memorandum of Understanding between the three entities. They also said that they have been involved in spreading anti-rape messages to the communities. A female bike rider explained to the RC the benefits of her training because of the project, but emphasised that they wanted soft loans to own their own bikes. That same day, she stopped at a hairdressing salon and a tailoring community training centre. Afterwards, she had an engagement with beneficiaries of the CRS-implemented UN PBF-funded "Politics and Peacebuilding project." A former gang leader named Capone is now trained to be a tailor. He claims the project has helped him put his acts of violence aside, and he hopes that his peers will also benefit from such projects. A female beneficiary explained that, with the leadership, public speaking, and other awareness-raising exercises on their rights from the training, they could mobilise and, for the first time, elect a female as the Paramount Chief of Small Bo Chiefdom. Before heading back to Freetown on Saturday, the RC was in Pujehun, where female councilors beneficiaries of the "Localisation and Working Together for Peace: Repositioning Women-Focused Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for Sustainable Peace in Sierra Leone" project explained that now, they have been empowered with training on lobbying, resource mobilisation and leadership. This gives them an advantage in competing with men for positions at all levels.  RC also visited the WPS Coalition secretariat, where members discussed the progress and impact of the project being implemented by UN Women, UNDP and World Vision. The visit to Pujehun concluded with a stopover at a Safe Home run by the Youth in Action for Development in Pujehun, a member of the Coalition. Home to orphans and sexual and gender-based violence survivors, the RC emphasised the need for all stakeholders to dedicate more efforts towards not leaving no one behind, especially the victims.

 On Thursday last week, UN Resident Coordinator Seraphine Wakana led the UN Country Team (UNCT) in a meeting with Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh. The UNCT, committed to supporting Sierra Leone’s Development Agenda, discussed global funding challenges, prioritization of development interventions, and alternative financing options.At State House, the RC commended the Government for ensuring prudent public financial management and accountability. She emphasized the UN’s readiness to explore alternative financial windows and innovations to support the country’s priorities.A key submission was for the Government to fully exploit opportunities from the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, regional economic communities, and other intergovernmental institutions to mobilize domestic resources and boost economic growth and revenue generation.The RC informed the Chief Minister of the upcoming mission to Sierra Leone by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Director of the Sub Regional Office for North Africa to support debt restructuring. She underscored the importance of the visit and the need for Sierra Leone's active participation in the upcoming UN International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain, in June.The Chief Minister welcomed the submissions and promised to convey them to the President and Vice President. He informed the RC that his office is leading an initiative on capital investment prioritization in collaboration with capital-intensive ministries. He also mentioned the development project prioritization that the government is adopting, which considers metrics such as impact and percentage of completion.English