A one-day forum aimed at evaluating and monitoring projects within the affected communities where National Benefits Sharing Trust Board is operating has ended in Monrovia. The training was conducted by the National Benefits Sharing Trust Board in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The National Benefits Sharing Trust Board is involved with the training of people into forestry across Liberia. The one-day forum which was held on Thursday, December 2, 2021, brought together local government officials, Civil Society Organizations, and different heads of logging companies in the county.
Speaking to a team of Journalists at the end of the forum, National Benefits Sharing Trust Board Head of Secretariat Roberto Kollie said, over the years his institution’s has a partnership with the FAO and continued to train forestry Development committees in Liberia.
According to Mr. Kollie, 96 people across the country have benefited from the training. He noted that those trained are from Grand Bassa, Nimba, Lofa, and Grand Kru Counties.
The National Benefit Sharing Trust in the Forestry Sector of Liberia. The Forest Reform Act- 2006 is built on three conceptual pillars, Commercial Forestry, Conservation, and Community Forestry. Chapter 14 of the 2006 Reform Law provides that 30% of the land rental fees collected by the Government are to be allocated to communities Forestry Regulation106-107, stipulates the establishment of the National Benefit Sharing Trust and The Community Forestry Development Committees as the representatives of the community interests.
Based on the mandate, on April 30, 2009, an ad hoc committee on the community benefit sharing scheme was formed. Stakeholders Composition The following are institutions involved in developing the benefit-sharing procedure: Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), INGO & Partners ( IUCN, FFI, WB, USAID), NGO (GA, SDI, LDI, etc), CSOs Networks, Committee Forestry Development Committee (CFDC).
Composition of the Benefit Sharing Trust Board Constitutes 14 members: 2 Paramount Chiefs; 1 representative of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA); 1 representative of civil society organizations; 1 logging industry representative; 1 representative of the Ministry of Finance; 1 representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; 6 representatives of the Union of Community Forestry Development Committee, 1 Representative of The International donor organizations and the international non-governmental organizations.
The Trust Board shall: Hold in trust, manage, and supervise the land rental fee funds received for the benefit of Affected Communities. Receive and review applications for funds needed by Community Forestry Development Committees on behalf of Affected Communities. Disburse funds to Community Forestry Development Committees for projects/programs approved for the Affected Communities.
The functions of the Trust Board Draft procedures ( by-law) of the Trust Board are; Elect a Trust Board Members, Organize administration, Establish fund manual and templates, including monitoring and evaluation, accounting reporting procedure, Establish the Trust escrow account within the CBL, Ensure CFDCs are in good standing, with Articles of Incorporation, by-laws, elections, and bank accounts; Undertake needs selfassessment, drawing upon resources such as the Forest Land Use Database mandated by Forestry Regulation 102-07.
Initiate public outreach campaign via radio, print media to inform the public of the procedures, opportunities, results. Undertake capacity-building needs and identify strategic partners to assist.
