Excerpt
Since the signing of the Lomé Peace Agreement in 1999, the Government of Sierra Leone and its people, with the support of the international community, have made tremendous progress in rebuilding the country and securing peace. Among key achievements are the peaceful and democratic national elections held in 2002 and 2007 and the local government election held in 2004; the establishment and completion of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; the comprehensive reform and restructuring of national security institutions, such as the Sierra Leone Police, the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and the Office of National Security; and the creation of a number of democratic institutions, such as the National Electoral Commission, the Political Parties Registration Commission,
the Human Rights Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission.

3. A number of national frameworks and strategies for peace and development, such as Sierra Leone Vision 2025, the Sierra Leone Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, the Peace Consolidation Strategy, the Improved Governance and Accountability Pact and the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission have contributed to the achievements made thus far and continue to guide the process for recovery and stabilization.

4. Notwithstanding the significant progress made, peace and stability in Sierra Leone remain fragile. The root causes of the conflict — widespread corruption, marginalization and disempowerment of the rural and some sectors of urban communities, lack of economic opportunities and inadequate State capacity to deliver basic services — remain largely unaddressed. The unemployment and marginalization of youth in particular present a serious threat to stability and peace.

5. Sierra Leone’s engagement with the Peacebuilding Commission is aimed at ensuring sustained attention of the international community in providing additional political, financial and technical support to the country’s peace consolidation efforts. The present Framework is a medium-term document for partnership and mutual accountability, with specific actions that the Government of Sierra Leone and the Peacebuilding Commission commit themselves to undertake to address the challenges and threats most critical to sustaining and consolidating peace. It will guide the work of the Peacebuilding Commission and the Government of Sierra Leone by highlighting key peacebuilding gaps in existing national strategies and commitments and ensuring their timely and effective implementation. The Peacebuilding Commission will also use the Framework to enhance dialogue and strengthen the partnerships between Sierra Leone and its international partners.

6. The commitments in the present Framework are identified based on three main criteria: they are critical to avoiding relapse into conflict, they are short-to-medium term in duration, and they require mutual action from the Government and other national stakeholders and Sierra Leone’s international partners. The focus on these elements should not be seen as replacing the commitments in other existing frameworks and bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreements.

7. The present Framework is a flexible document which can be modified jointly by the Government of Sierra Leone and the Peacebuilding Commission in response to developments in the peace consolidation process in Sierra Leone. It has been developed through a consultative process in Sierra Leone and the deliberations of the Peacebuilding Commission.