Message on tripartite report recomendations

Regional Workshop on Strategic Messaging on Tripartite Report Recommendations Concludes Makeni – 20th August 2024 A regional message development workshop to raise awareness about the findings and recommendations of the Tripartite Committee's Report has concluded in Makeni City, Northern Sierra Leone. The workshop was organized by the International Republican Institute, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Civic Education and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), with sessions held in Makeni, covering the North, Northwest, and Western Rural/Urban regions, and in Bo, bringing together participants from the Southern and Eastern regions. The workshop's primary goal was to develop messages based on the Tripartite Committee's findings and recommendations, focusing on three key themes: Electoral Management, Institutional Reform, and Legal Reform. These messages will be disseminated through various communication channels to target different audiences, from national to local levels. IRI Resident Director, Jimmy Sankaituah, provided an overview of the workshop's purpose, emphasizing IRI's commitment to supporting reforms that align with international best practices. "It is the intention of IRI to support the reforms by bringing in an expert in legal affairs so that the reforms will reflect international best standards," he stated. Representatives from various institutions, including the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC), the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), the Ministry of Information and Civic Education (MoICE), and USAID, also delivered statements during the opening session. Additionally, Dr. Francis Sowa, the workshop's lead facilitator, provided an overview and detailed analysis of the Tripartite Committee's findings and recommendations. In both regional sessions, participants were divided into groups to brainstorm and develop potential messages targeting various audiences, including political parties, women, youth, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and the general population, while focusing on mapping potential partners and audiences for effective message dissemination. Representing the Ministry of Information and Civic Education, Imran Sillah and Marian Magdalene Bangura from the Strategic Communications and Outreach Unit, highlighted the Ministry's commitment to collaborating with IRI and NDI in developing effective messages from the Tripartite Committee's recommendations, citing the Ministry’s efforts to simplify and popularize the Tripartite Committee's recommendations. "The Ministry has simplified all 80 recommendations into single sentences to make them easier for the public to comprehend." She said. Ms. Bangura assured the participants that she would report the program's outcomes to the Minister and the Ministry would ensure the messages align with its vision. "The Minister and his entire team are committed and ready to partner with IRI and NDI to bring together ideas and expertise to develop key themes and messages from the Tripartite recommendations that can be effectively used across various aspects," she remarked. Participants outlined target audiences and communication channels, including MDAs, NGOs, CBOs, PWDs, CSOs, radio, TV, newspapers, social media, town halls, community meetings, and outreach engagements, and outlined the next steps for the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS) partners and associates. The workshop concluded with discussions on the next steps for message dissemination. Overall, the workshop successfully developed key messages based on the Tripartite Committee's recommendations, setting the stage for their effective dissemination across Sierra Leone.