Liberia FPIC Training Materials: 'Communities in the Driving Seat'

This suite of training materials has been developed for communities in Liberia to help increase awareness of the key principles surrounding free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and to improve the implementation of these principles in practice.

These training tools are intended to support community education on FPIC and to help communities to get the best deal they can if they decide to enter negotiations with companies for use of community lands and resources. The materials provide practical guidance on FPIC in booklet and poster formats that civil society organisations can use with communities in Liberia and beyond.

This edition has been amended to be as close to Liberian English as possible for communities to better understand the topics covered, but could easily be used or adapted for use in other countries. A similar set has now been developed in Cameroon French here.

Resources

Communities in the Driving Seat: A Manual on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) provides communities with an introduction to FPIC and best practice guidance on key aspects of community involment in FPIC processes. These include:

• What is Free Prior and Informed Consent?
• Key elements of FPIC
• Suggested steps in the process of respecting FPIC (including community mobilisation, starting negotiations, making decisions as a community, project monitoring and evaluation)
• Getting a fair deal between companies and communities

The manual is intended to be used alongside three instructional posters and together they form a complete training package. The posters are available to download here:

• What is Free Prior and Informed Consent?
• Suggested steps in the process of respecting FPIC
• Getting a fair deal between companies and communities

These tools have been developed with our Liberian partners SDI and SESDev with support from FAO. Please contact us for further information or advice if you wish to adapt versions of these for use in other countries. High resolution and print-ready versions are available on request.

(Communities in the Driving Seat / ISBN: 978-0-9929582-7-5)