Civil Society and Media Leadership Program Quarterly Report April-June 2015

The program, implemented by IREX, aimed to sustain peace in Liberia through greater inclusion, giving a voice to, informing and engaging Liberian citizens. The quarter marked a unique period for the CSML program, with a No-Cost Extension (NCE) awarded in September 2014 extending the program to May 31, 2015, and a second NCE extending it through June 30, 2015. An anticipated Cost Extension (CE) was expected to allow CSML to remain in Liberia through November, with CE activities focused exclusively on promoting transparency and accountability around Ebola-related funding. However, a delay in finalization of the CE due to a congressional hold-up coupled with the indefinite nature of this hold led IREX to focus on two important but opposing activity areas: initiating program close-out activities and planning for the CE. The Media Team conducted extensive planning meetings internally and with various stakeholders to prepare for the establishment of the Situation Room and trainings for commercial and community radio outlets in Liberia's 15 counties. The Civil Society Team worked with key partners to plan for trainings in Community Leaders' Forums (CLF) and Accountability, which will be rolled out in 11 counties to civil society organizations and communities. This focus on working directly with communities was born out of IREX's development of CLFs during the Ebola crisis, and these activities during the CE period will provide an excellent opportunity to further that engagement and ensure that accountability is understood and promoted at the local level. IREX's Senior Management Team expressed gratitude to the partners for the sacrifices and commitments they made to hold Community Leaders' Forums, and ensure that the media covered the crisis responsibly, despite risks and fears and in the face of personal loss. The team also reflected on their accomplishments and challenges, and built upon those lessons learned to improve and enhance their efforts and impact. On April 8th and 9th, the IREX team met with Social Impact, USAID, The Carter Center, and representatives of nine civil society and media partners to review their activities from Year Five, and present and discuss their plans for the expected CE period. The CSML program's management faced an unusual and challenging time period this quarter, with the anticipated Cost Extension likely to be delayed and potentially not finalized. In response, IREX moved forward with Close-Out activities in anticipation of a close-out date of May 31, 2015. IREX received confirmation from USAID of an extension of a No-Cost Extension for an additional 30 days, to June 30, 2015. In light of the impending potential closing date of June 30th, the need to reduce costs, and reflecting the reduction in program activities, IREX gave termination letters to seven employees by May 31, 2015.