BOARD OF ADVISORS

The Liberia Democratic Institute (LDI)

The Liberia Democratic Institute (LDI) is a nonprofit and nonpartisan pro-democracy and human rights organization working to promote socio-economic justice and good governance in Liberia . These activities target primarily rural inhabitants, students and averaged citizens and are also geared towards greater democratization, tolerance and peaceful co-existence between and amongst various strata of the populace.

LDI was founded on June 11, 2000 and incorporated under the corporation laws of the Republic of Liberia . It was founded predominantly by former employees of the U.S-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) who decided to fill the vacuum created by the shutting down of the activities of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in October of 1999 in Liberia . Citizens saw the civic forum program that was then been conducted by NDI as a major medium through which they would find answer to burning constitutional issues that affect their daily lives such as governance, human rights and citizen participation in public policy amongst others. Meanwhile, in response to the numerous calls from participants to continue the program, the need to establish LDI therefore became necessary if not indispensable.

As a prime focus, the Liberia Democratic Institute conducts democracy forum, in the form of town meetings, campus-based intellectual discourses, research, workshops and symposia that permit participants to discuss constitutional issues (i.e. human rights, governance, advocacy for transparency, citizens duties and responsibilities) and relationship building between government and citizenry and civil-military relations, amongst others.

Since the last five years of its existence, LDI has embarked upon a number of program areas and has been working with a cross-section of the Liberian populace including school authorities, local and traditional leaders, women groups, religious-based organizations amongst others.