UNMIL FOCUSUN Secretary-General Kofi Annan wasted no time to deliver his message to the leaders of...

Vol. 2, No. 04UNMIL FOCUS

Annan Pledges ContinuedSupport to Liberia

Got a Job!Homecoming On Refugee Day

June - August 2006

2 UNMIL FOCUS June - August 2006

Message From the Special Representativeof the Secretary-General

Alan DossSpecial Representative of theSecretary-General and Coordinator ofUnited Nations Operations in Liberia

As Liberia cel-ebrated its159th inde-p e n d e n c eanniversary

this year with dignity andpride, the air was unmis-takably full of hope andoptimism. While the coun-try embarks on a longjourney of recoveryamidst mounting aspira-tions, the sentiment amongthe international commu-nity is one of goodwill andconfidence in the new

government’s agenda of reconstruction and develop-ment.

The visit to Liberia by Secretary-General KofiAnnan early July was a sign of the importance theinternational community attaches to Liberia’s transi-tion to peace after decades of conflict. He held talkswith President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, members of theCabinet and the UN Country Team and alsoaddressed a joint session of the Legislature. Whilepaying tribute to the courage and resilience of theLiberian people, he stressed the importance of goodgovernance and rule of law and the need to fight thescourge of corruption. He also urged the parliamen-tarians to act as peacemakers and display the spirit oftolerance and mutual respect.

While pledging to stand by Liberia as the countryconsolidates peace, the Secretary-General also high-lighted the challenges that lay ahead -- the reintegra-tion of war-affected populations, restructuring of thesecurity services, extension of state authoritythroughout the country and restoration of basic serv-ices as well as job creation and revamping of thehealth and education sectors.

The two-day visit to Liberia a few weeks later ofthe President of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, wasyet another strong signal of support to the countryfrom the international community. He witnessed first-hand the enormous reconstruction needs of the coun-try as he visited, together with President Johnson-Sirleaf, some parts of the capital, includingMonrovia’s dilapidated port. He pledged continuedsupport to Liberia’s reconstruction and highlightedthe US$68 million grant the Bank has provided to

help rebuild roads, ports, the airport, schools and torestore water and electricity.

Beyond the high-level visits, Liberia in July host-ed a two-day donors’ partnership conference aimed attaking stock of the achievements during the first sixmonths of the new government and to develop theright strategies for recovery, development and recon-struction. During the conference, President Johnson-Sirleaf presented the government’s vision for themedium-term development of the country to theinternational community and outlined the priorities infour strategic areas of security, education and health,economic infrastructure, and governance -- an “ambi-tious agenda” in her own words.

As part of the Humanitarian Mid-Year Appeal for2006, Liberia has sought assistance from donors tobridge the gap in funding for humanitarian projectsamounting to US$104 million as only 28 per cent ofthe requests in the 2006 Consolidated AppealsProcess has been met so far. The priority projectshighlighted in the appeal, the majority of which is tobe implemented by UN agencies, include provision ofbasic social services to vulnerable populations, revi-talising communities, strengthening the capacity ofcivil society and local authorities, rehabilitation ofroads and bridges and fighting HIV/AIDS.

In recognition of the acute unemployment prob-lem facing Liberia today, the United Nations Missionin Liberia committed US$1 million in July towardsthe creation of employment opportunities during thelaunch of the Liberia Emergency EmploymentProgramme, an 18-month programme aimed at creat-ing labour-intensive job opportunities for the youth.This effort at job creation, supported by Liberia’spartners, is vital to the country’s stability during thisperiod of consolidation.

As Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted duringhis visit, Liberia has made a promising start in thedirection of economic recovery and consolidation ofpeace. As Liberians strive to rebuild their nation,UNMIL will continue to stay fully engaged inLiberia.

June - August 2006 UNMIL FOCUS 3

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IN THIS ISSUE14 Annan Pledges Continued Support to Liberia17 Nane Annan Opens Market18 Photo Gallery10 Wolfowitz Visits Liberia12 Homecoming on Refugee Day14 Building a New Partnership16 Transitional Recovery Programmes End17 Liberia Seeks Additional Funds18 Got a Job!20 Interview: Kofi Annan22 UN Labour Agency Returns23 Settling Land and Property Disputes24 Battling Tetanus26 UNICEF Donates School Benches27 Training Begins for New Army28 Human Rights Clubs30 TRC Work Set to Begin31 Revamping the Justice Sector32 Small Business, High Hopes33 Longing for Water34 Timber Sanctions Lifted36 Sweden Contributes to Peace in Liberia37 Towards Durable Peace38 Liberians Speak

Visiting World BankPresident Paul Wolfowitzapplauded Liberia'sremarkable progress inpromoting fiscal disciplineand witnessed firsthand theenormous reconstructionneeds of the country.

On World Refugee Day, UNHigh Commissioner forRefugees António Guterresreceived Liberian refugeesreturning from SierraLeone.

UNMIL committed US$1million towards the creationof employment opportuni-ties during the launch of theLiberia EmergencyEmployment Programme.

4 10

12 18

Visit us at www.unmil.org

During his visit to Liberiaearly July, Secretary-General Kofi Annanpledged UN’s continuedsupport for Liberia as thecountry recovers from pro-longed conflict and consoli-dates peace.


By Yuko Maeda

His three-day whistle-stopvisit to Liberia was nothingshort of an unequivocalreassurance of the UnitedNations’ continued engage-

ment in the nation’s reconstruction. UNSecretary-General Kofi Annan wasted notime to deliver his message to the leadersof the war-ravaged West African country,ordinary citizens, peacekeepers and inter-national partners.

“It is the people of Liberia whodeserve the credit for where we are today.It is their courage, their perseverance, theirresilience that brought us here,” he said,paying tribute to Liberia’s transition fromthe cycle of brutal violence to peace andbudding democracy in just under threeyears. Annan was in the country for thefirst time since the UN Mission in Liberiawas established in 2003 following theAccra Comprehensive Peace Agreement.“It is for them we must stay the coursewith Liberia for the long term. The United

Nations looks forward to building furtheron our partnership with the Liberian peo-ple on the road ahead.”

After touching down in the capitalMonrovia late in the day on 3 July, hespent the next day reassuring UnitedNations’ commitment to Liberia on everysingle occasion, starting from his discus-sions with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleafand her Cabinet Members, an address tothe joint-session of the NationalLegislature and the inauguration ofUNMIL’s new headquarters, to discus-

Annan Pledges ContinuedSupport to Liberia

Secretary-General KofiAnnan meets PresidentEllen Johnson-Sirleaf


sions with the UN Country Team, a briefencounter with the media and an interac-tion with national and international part-ners at a government-hosted reception,before heading to neighbouring Côted’Ivoire early next morning.

“It was an honour and a duty to workwith the Liberian people to get to wherewe are today,” Annan told reporters at theExecutive Mansion, the presidentialpalace. He said he was impressed by theperformance of the new government ledby Africa’s first female elected head ofstate, and reaffirmed the UN’s engagementas the country moves forward. “The inter-national community has a great deal ofconfidence and goodwill towards this gov-ernment,” he assured.

Welcoming the UN’s top official,Johnson-Sirleaf described his visit as “a

vote of confidence” in Liberia’s develop-ment efforts and reaffirmed her adminis-tration’s commitment to the recoveryprocess. “This visit is a demonstration ofthe support for all that we are doing torespond to the needs of the Liberian peo-ple.”

The Secretary-General’s visit came afew weeks after the Security Councilendorsed his 11th progress report onLiberia and allowed the integrated peace-keeping mission to stay on course forsome time until peace prevails. “TheUnited Nations will continue to providesecurity and assist in consolidating thepeace so that the government can get onwith the job of national recovery, reconcil-iation and development,” Annan toldreporters at the press conference.

In his address to the National

Legislature earlier that day, the Secretary-General outlined daunting challengesahead on the path of nation-building after14 years of vicious violence. “The manyyears of instability and armed conflicthave left Liberia with scars,” he said of theunfortunate legacy. “Your institutions

were destroyed, your infrastructure wasdevastated, your country was torn apartand your people were traumatised.” Torecover from such a state of failure, hesaid, Liberia needs to take the healingprocess forward, reintegrate war-affectedpopulations, restructure the security serv-

By Sulaiman Momodu

At the seaside Executive Mansionin Monrovia, office of Liberia’sPresident, cabinet ministers,

senators, diplomats, senior UN officialsand other distinguished guests had allcome together on 4 July evening.

Soon walked in the guest of honour -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan - and hiswife Nane, to a standing ovation as thetraditional trumpet sounded. Annan wasreceived by his host, President EllenJohnson-Sirleaf. The occasion was aninvestiture ceremony to honour theSecretary-General with Liberia’s highesthonour -- the Grand Order of theKnighthood of Pioneer.

Conferring the honour, Johnson-Sirleaf said the event was an occasionfor quiet and sober reflection and forgratitude and appreciation. LaudingAnnan for his exceptional contributionsto the nation, she said the Secretary-General’s “singular and selfless act of

thoughtfulness has given Liberia arebirth.”

Paying tribute to his exemplary life,Johnson-Sirleaf described Annan as oneof the world’s greatest leaders in the past60 years. At the UN, the world had beenhis stage and come December when heretires, Annan will leave the world a bet-ter and more peaceful place, she said. “Itis Liberia’s turn ‘in our own small smallway’ to thank Annan by giving him thehighest award in the country,” thePresident added.

“I am indeed moved and humbled,”Annan said soon after he was decoratedwith the honour. He said the relationshipbetween United Nations and Liberia haspaid off, as evident by the peaceLiberians enjoy today. He told thePresident that the Liberian peace process,which led to her election, was an inspira-tion for the entire world and will thrive ifher government succeeded in reconcilingthe people by ensuring good governanceand maintaining the rule of law.

Highest Honour for Kofi Annan

Annan recievesLiberia’s highestcivilian honour

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ices, reform public services, strengthen thejudicial sector and restore economicgrowth, among others. “It is only if all par-ties work together that Liberia can meetthose goals,” he stressed, highlighting theneed for national unity.

While he called on the government andall Liberians to take collective responsibil-ity in nation-building, the Secretary-General particularly urged the internation-al community to stay engaged to help con-solidate the achievements Liberia hasmade. “For the international community, itis imperative that it stay with Liberia in thelong term,” he stressed. “Too many times,we have witnessed the same weaknesses in

international responses to post-conflict sit-uations -- in the shortage of funds, in thelack of international coordination, in thetendency for international actors to leavetoo hurriedly,” he noted. “This can reversehard-won results and weaken the attemptswe are making to build solid societies…We cannot allow those weaknesses to takehold again in Liberia.”

The international community’s earlierattempt to stop Liberia’s civil war in themid-1990s was only partially successful.Once the 1997 national elections wereover, the UN Observer Mission in Liberiawas reduced to a peace-building supportoffice to facilitate national reconciliationand reconstruction, but factional fighting

continued to escalate, which brought theinternational community back into peacebrokerage in 2003. “We have given you achance, a second chance, to have peaceand to stabilise the situation in the coun-try,” Annan told the journalists, referringto the UN’s current intervention to supportthe recovery. “The UN member states arenow beginning to accept that nation-build-ing is a longer term proposition, and Iexpect that they will stick with Liberia forsome time to come.”

In his discussions with Johnson-Sirleafand other national leaders, the Secretary-General touched on the pressing issue oflifting the UN sanctions on timber and dia-

mond trade. Prior to his visit, the UNSecurity Council partially lifted the sanc-tion on timber for three months on the con-dition that the government passes legisla-tion, a Forestry Reform Law, to guarantee“transparent management of the country’sforestry resources for the benefit ofLiberians,” and renewed the diamondembargo for another six months to give thegovernment “sufficient time to establishan effective certificate of origin regime fortrade in Liberian rough diamonds.”

Those natural resources used to be abackbone of Liberia’s economy, account-ing for a significant per cent of the nation-al Gross Domestic Product, but the rev-enues from the diamonds and timber

became a lucrative source for warring fac-tions to finance the war inside and outsidethe national boundary. Now that a demo-cratically elected government is in placeand reforms are under way, Liberia ishopeful to get both the embargos lifted topave the way for accelerated economicrecovery.

Annan said the lifting of the sanctionsis a matter of time. “I have no doubt that,in due course, in a reasonable period, thesanctions would be lifted because we andthe Security Council would want to seeLiberia move on, exploit its resources forits own development and for the benefit ofthe people.” But he cautioned: “There arecertain conditions which will need to befulfilled.”

Annan will step down from the topposition at the end of 2006. “I’m proud tosee you, this noble son of Africa, in theUN for 10 years, having transformed itsimage to one of credibility, respectability,responsiveness to the needs of the world,”said Johnson-Sirleaf, referring to Annan’sstewardship of the United Nations. “Wethank you, the UN family, for all that ourcountry has received in supporting us toachieve this transition from conflict topeace and set us on a path to sustainabledevelopment.”

Later that evening, the President deco-rated the Secretary-General with the Orderof Knighthood of the Pioneers of theRepublic of Liberia, the country’s mostprestigious civilian award. Accepting thehonour, Annan said the Liberian peaceprocess is an inspiration to the entireworld, which will closely watch the coun-try’s reconciliation and reconstruction inmonths and years to come.

The international community and theLiberian government will sit together at adonor conference in October inWashington DC, where the governmentwill present its comprehensive develop-ment agenda while the donors are expect-ed to pledge financial support. Annan saysthe consolidation of peace is a process thattakes time. A serious, patient and collabo-rative effort will be required of allLiberians to rebuild the nation emergingfrom such a devastating war, he reiterated.“Change will not happen overnight. TheUnited Nations will be at your side as youcontinue on your journey.”

Annan with his SpecialRepresentative, Alan Doss


By Sulaiman Momodu

“We are veryhappy todaybecause theroof of ourmarket does

not leak any more, and the rain will nomore soak us and spoil our goods,” a visi-bly elated marketer, Nancy Kromah, saidas groups of market women passionatelysang gospel songs and danced enthusiasti-cally. The sounds of drumming from abrass band echoed all around as the crowdwelcomed their guest of honour, NaneAnnan, wife of UN Secretary-GeneralKofi Annan.

Located on Bushrod Island inMonrovia, scene of fierce fighting andheavy shelling between government forcesand rebels during the war, the rehabilitatedmarket was dedicated on 4 July by Mrs.Annan, who was accompanied byKartumu Boakai, wife of Liberia’s VicePresident, and government ministers.Shouts of “women, oh women!” rent theair.

Visibly overwhelmed by the enthusi-asm of the women marketers, Mrs. Annansaid it was a great joy and honour for herto open the rehabilitated market, describ-ing it as a sign that peace and stabilityhave returned to Liberia. The renovationof the market, one of UNMIL’s QuickImpact Projects, was implemented byLiberians United to Serve Humanity, alocal non-governmental organisation.

Mrs. Annan hailed the market womenfor their contribution to the economy andencouraged them to continue their effortsin rebuilding their lives and their country.She said she was very pleased thatUNMIL was also building a playground atthe school for the children of the marketersand presented the approval documents ofthe project. The inauguration was fol-

lowed by a tour of the market facilitiesduring which Mrs. Annan interacted withthe marketers who symbolically displayedtheir wares, including fish, palm oil andvegetables, and competitively tried to cap-ture her attention.

The Minister of Commerce andIndustry, Hon. Olubanke King-Akerele,remarked that UNMIL was not only per-forming peacekeeping functions but wasalso contributing to poverty alleviation byresponding to the needs of the civilianpopulation. “The dedication of this mar-ket building is expected to create securityand safety for both pedestrians and themarketers themselves and their children,”she said.

Expressing hope that the occupants ofthe market would make the best use of itand ensure their children attend the schoolnext door, the Minister said that such afacility was an important feature of whatthe government would like to promote in

terms of a model market. “We look to theUNMIL initiative as setting the pace forwhat we want to see in terms of a newmarket and the opportunities for our peo-ple.”

Visiting the Children’s AssistanceProgramme (CAP) in Congo Town, a childrights advocacy organization establishedin 1991, Mrs. Annan affectionately spoon-fed some of the children who were havingtheir lunch. Proceeding to the vocationaltraining facility for ex-combatants in thecomplex, she had animated discussionswith some of the girls who were busy withtheir working tools, and also visited thecooking, carpentry and cosmetologydepartments where she encouraged thegirls to continue to work hard in the inter-est of peace and development.

Mrs. Annan thanked CAP andUNICEF for facilitating the skills trainingcentre and supporting the girls to put thepast behind them and start life anew.

Nane Annan Opens Market

Nane Annaninauguratesthe market


Kofi Annn Photo


an’s Vis i t Gal lery


By Sulaiman Momodu

To most people the WorldBank (WB) means money,and Liberians desperatelyneed money to rebuild theircountry devastated by 14

years of conflict. So the importance of thevisit to Liberia of Paul Wolfowitz, the firstever visit by a President of the WorldBank, was not lost on anyone.

Wolfowitz was in the country from 21-22 July as guest of the government duringwhich he held high level talks with

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, seniorgovernment officials, members of the civilsociety, the United Nations Country Teamand development partners, and visitedsome WB financed projects. He acknowl-edged the progress Liberia is making tojoin the ranks of African nations comingout of long-running wars and conflicts.

Addressing a joint session of theNational Legislature, Wolfowitz remindedthe lawmakers that they were representingthe voices of Liberia’s three million men,women and children. “They, too, have theexpectation of walking into a brighter

future -- from children, eager to learn inthe classroom to mothers seeking healthcare for their infants, from youth whowant jobs to aging parents who want tofeel safe in their homes and communities.

“Today, the average Liberian surviveson just US$120 a year. That is barely 30cents a day. This is well below theextreme poverty line of US$1 a day, and itpaints an alarming picture of deprivationand suffering. For every 1,000 babies bornin this country, 157 die before their firstbirthday,” he said, highlighting the hugechallenges facing the country. Wolfowitz

Wolfowitz VisitsLiberia

DEVELOPMENT


said half of Liberia’s children are out ofschool and noted that four out of fiveLiberians are out of work, calling it “astaggering unemployment rate.”

“Unless these needs are addressed, itwill be impossible to sustain the fragilepeace this country has worked and prayedso long to achieve,” he cautioned.

Visiting Liberia as part of a five-nationtour of Africa after attending the G8 sum-mit in Russia, the WB President said forthe first time in a quarter century Liberiahas a real budget that was drafted to pro-vide for the needs of all the Liberian peo-ple.

He applauded the efforts of the gov-ernment for what he described as “remark-able progress” in promoting fiscal disci-pline and praised the establishment of theIMF Staff Monitoring Programme inrecord time that will help accomplish acomprehensive debt relief for the country.Rebuilding a nation cannot happen

overnight and cannot be achieved by oneindividual, he stressed, and encouraged thelegislators to ensure that every tax dollar isspent in the wisest, most responsible way.

“We have provided US$68 million inemergency grants to rebuild roads, ports,the airport, clinics and schools and torestore water and electricity to the

Liberian people,” Wolfowitz said, describ-ing the Bank’s support to Liberia on itsjourney towards durable peace and devel-opment. Following his rendezvous withthe legislators, Wolfowitz launched theLiberian branch of the World Bank’sParliamentary Network. The goal of the

Network is to engage parliamentarians inthe dialogue on development and offersupport to strengthen the legislativebranch of the government. He said some800 parliamentarians representing morethan 100 countries are already part of theParliamentary Network.

In a meeting with local authorities inMonrovia, the WB head hailed the deter-mination of Liberian women to contributeto nation building. He witnessed firsthandthe challenges of reconstruction when hevisited a dilapidated hospital, the run-down port of the capital and an elementaryschool, the roofs of which leak when itrains and students sit on bare floor whilelearning. Accompanied by senior UNMILofficials, Wolfowitz also visited CampClara on the outskirts of Monrovia wherehe had discussions on security issues withUNMIL’s Irish and Swedish troops whoform the Quick Reaction Force.

At a joint press conference held at theExecutive Mansion, President EllenJohnson-Sirleaf said her government wasvery much appreciative of the visit by theWorld Bank President. She said the visithad brought the government and people ofLiberia renewed hope and expressedappreciation for the support the Bank con-tinues to give Liberia in areas that she saidare vital to accelerate the country’s devel-opment agenda.

Wolfowitz confers withFinance Minister AntoinetteSayeh

Paul Wolfowitz with PresidentJohnson-Sirleaf at Monrovia’sFree Port

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By Annette Rehrl

For most refugee children,“going home” is almost alwaysa fearful but adventurous expe-rience. Born in a refugee campoutside their home country,

they are one day told by their parents thatit’s time to leave. They see their parentsfrantically packing their belongings andsuddenly realize that they are about toleave their friends behind. For older chil-dren, returning home may mean goingback to a place from which years ago theyhad to run away, bringing back sad or eventerrifying memories.

Finally, the day comes. Trucks arriveat the refugee camp. The often meagrebelongings are carried in, families stepinside and the journey home, a known-and-yet-unknown destination, begins.

António Guterres, High Commissionerof the UN agency for Refugees, UNHCR,decided to commemorate this year’s WorldRefugee Day (WRD) on 20 June by spend-ing time with returnee families who hadjust decided to repatriate. He did not wantto endure hours of official speeches tocommemorate the brave, but instead want-ed to visit remote villages in a post-con-flict zone or a recovering war-torn country.In the end he chose Liberia.

It was Guterres’ first visit to WestAfrica since he took office as HighCommissioner in June 2005. And he gotwhat he wanted.

On arrival in Monrovia on the eve ofthe Refugee Day from Côte d’Ivoire,Guterres stepped down from the airplaneand was welcomed by two returnee chil-dren. Christian and Ruby had been quitenervous, rehearsing their little speech. Theflower bouquet they were supposed topresent him turned out to be too big for

Refugee DayHomecoming on

REFUGEES


their little hands. Standing at the airfield,waiting for the head of an agency mostfamiliar to them since they literally grewup with UNHCR in a refugee camp inNigeria, they truly represented what WorldRefugee Day’s 2006 theme stood for:HOPE.

Guterres approached the children,embraced them and talked to them like afather would. The two were delighted,overcame their shyness and smiled tooth-ly. Flanked by Ruby and Christian,Guterres addressed the media and camestraight to the point: “Liberia needsdonor’s support and help now. Investmentsmust be made now, because in two years itwill be too late.”

As a former prime minister ofPortugal, and having founded thePortuguese Refugee Council in 1991,Guterres displayed a very direct and openapproach towards people, an attitude thatwon hearts and opened the doors of theLiberian Government, with whichUNHCR cooperates closely in order toreintegrate its displaced population.

“We greatly cherish the dynamic andgenuine democratic spirit demonstrated byLiberians to restore peace and stability,”he said, “but we are also aware that Liberianeeds massive support during the transi-tional period to maintain peace, sanity anda conducive environment for allLiberians.”

To mark the Refugee Day, Guterrestravelled to Bo Waterside to receive a con-voy with 123 returnees from Sierra Leone,most of whose final destinations wereeither villages in Grand Cape Mount or thecity of Monrovia. Children, dressed inoversized WRD T-shirts inscribed HOPE,were led into their new life by the HighCommissioner himself. “We are veryhappy that you are here. Now you are inyour own country. We wish you lots ofhappiness in your new life and I wish youto be very active, building a democratic,strong and prosperous Liberia,” he wel-comed the returnees to their new home.

Immigration formalities completed,the convoy was handed over to “teamleader” Guterres. He decided to accompa-ny the returnees on the 45-minute ride inthe truck to Sinje Transit centre, sittingnext to them. It is one thing to decide overthe fate of UNHCR’s 19 million benefici-

aries worldwide sitting in a comfortableNew York or Geneva office and another toexperience muddy roads filled with pot-holes in remote post-conflict zones, inter-acting with real people and being able toshare their emotions. The returnees gothrough an array of feelings -- joy, fear,hope, nervousness, curiosity and fatigue --as they journey home or stand in line at thetransit centre to receive their return pack-ages, transport allowance, hot meal, med-ical screening, WFP food ration and coun-selling.

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf later inthe day joined Guterres at the WRD cele-bration at Sinje High School. “People ofLiberia have decided to move away fromwar, to embrace peace and to movetowards a future of hope and promise,” shesaid. “We take the return of a high numberof people as a sign of confidence.”

Guterres, whose own country Portugalhad endured decades of dictatorship,stressed the vital importance of achievingdemocracy in order to walk towards apeaceful and prosperous future, but alsoadmitted that it is a challenge for everynewly elected government to meet theexpectations of its people.

After interactions with seniorGovernment officials, dozens of Liberianreturnees and former internally displacedpersons, a group of beneficiaries whoseneeds worldwide are taken very seriouslyby UNHCR, Guterres expressed his satis-faction of having witnessed the agency’sbiggest repatriation operation currently inthe world: “In less than two years, morethan 500,000 Liberian refugees and inter-nally displaced persons have gone home.323,000 IDPs have been assisted byUNHCR and over 70,000 refugees havebeen repatriated with our support.”

In view of Liberia’s total population of3.3 million people, this is a major move-ment within Africa, he noted. “However,I’m fully aware of the enormous develop-ment challenges Liberia is facing today.That’s why I’m strongly advocating for thedevelopment partners to be much moreactive in creating sustainable conditions inLiberia,” Guterres said, concluding hisvisit.

The writer is a Public InformationOfficer, UNHCR Liberia.

António Guterres recievesrefugees returning from SierraLeone


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By Yuko Maeda

“Liberia needs almosteverything, every-thing all at once.”The remark by visit-ing World Bank

President Paul Wolfowitz was spot-on,symbolising the country’s devastation, alegacy of the long political instability andcivil war. From undelivered basic socialservices and collapsed infrastructure todysfunctional public institutions and cor-ruption, the list of areas that cry out foreffective, urgent remedy is long. “Donorsmust step up assistance to help Liberiarecover.”

His call echoes a sense of urgency feltby the scores of delegates who welcomedthe development agenda and strategyPresident Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf laid out ata donor conference held in Monrovia inmid-July. The conference, calledPartnership Meeting, pulled together topofficials of the Liberian government andrepresentatives from a wide spectrum ofthe donor community to assess the coun-try’s readiness for initiatives to reconstructthe war-ravaged nation. Through open dia-logue on previous emergency recoveryprogrammes, fiscal performance underboth the transitional and the new govern-ment, a blueprint of Liberia’s economicdevelopment agenda and major con-straints, the two-day conference succeededto build a renewed sense of partnershipamong the participants.

“We had a great beginning of the meet-ing with the President giving us a vision ofwhere she wants this country to go. It’s avision that’s very consonant with the val-ues of the United Nations,” commendedJordan Ryan, Deputy SpecialRepresentative of the UN Secretary-General and Resident Coordinator of the

UN Country Team, who took part in theconference for the entire two days. “It’sgreat to see a country like Liberia comingout of war and heading in the right direc-tion towards peace and development.”

The conference was a stocktakingendeavour to review Liberia’s achieve-ments, especially under the leadership ofJohnson-Sirleaf who took office barely sixmonth ago, assessing the government’s“implementing capacity” and its “pace” tobring the results on the ground. It was aprelude to a larger donor conferencescheduled for 16-17 October inWashington DC where donors are expect-ed to make financial commitment to sup-port Liberia’s development agenda.

On 12 July when they first gathered inMonrovia, the international partners werekeen to know which path Liberia wouldtake from now on. “The benchmarks setout in the Accra Peace Agreement havebeen largely met,” said Alan Doss, SpecialRepresentative of the Secretary-Generaland Coordinator of UN Operations inLiberia, in his opening remarks. “So wheredoes Liberia go from here? And how canLiberia prepare for a better future whileguarding against the evils of the past?”

Johnson-Sirleaf presented a clearanswer to that question. She outlined hergovernment’s development priorities inthe coming months and years, portrayingthe stark realities of the country’s socio-economic situation. She said her adminis-tration aims to complete the security sectorreform by restructuring the national armyand police to protect the nation and thepeople, to reverse the situation where 85per cent of the population is illiterate andonly 5 per cent of the 300 pre-war healthfacilities are operational, and to improvethe livelihood of the people by rehabilitat-ing national road networks, restoring elec-tricity and running water and giving finan-

cial incentives to villages to initiate com-munity development projects. She alsovowed to fight corruption, “right-size”civil services by eliminating ghost andcorrupt staff and increasing salary,improve fiscal management performanceand create a foundation for the rule of law.

“Overall, this is an ambitious agenda,”she admitted. But by setting identifiabletargets and benchmarks in each prioritizedarea, she said her government will be ableto deliver visible results, at least partially.“We will try to focus on specific goals,estimating our capacity limitations… Weaim high to whatever we can to get Liberiaback on its feet; to get Liberian people achance to have decent education andhealth care and to be able to live and workin a stable and safe environment.” Torealise her vision, she vowed to accelerateher efforts in national reconstruction andappealed to the international community togive her a helping hand. “We will continueto promote democracy, transparency,accountability, hard work and the encour-agement and support of our partners.”

The delegates embraced her vision andexpressed staunch support for her develop-ment agenda. They commended thePresident’s ability to deliver what shepromised in the last six months and herunwavering determination to bring moreimprovements in the lives of Liberians.

“In six months, they’ve got much fur-ther than any of us could expect what they

Delegates at the donorconference

DONORS MEET


could accomplish when they started inJanuary,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield,US Deputy-Secretary for StateDepartment for African Affairs, who rep-resented the single largest donor countryto Liberia. “They got a fast start, a verypositive start.”

Since the end of the civil conflict in2003, the transitional government togetherwith the international partners includingUNMIL worked out priorities in emer-gency recovery programmes under a two-year coordinated framework known as theResults-Focused Transitional Framework(RFTF). With more than US$692 millionpoured in the RFTF emergency pro-grammes, Liberia succeeded in demobilis-ing more than 100,000 ex-combatants,assisting hundreds and thousands ofuprooted people to go home and conduct-ing the free and fair national elections lastyear. However, much of the work waspractically done by the internationalhumanitarian and development actors,who widely accused the transitional gov-ernment of inability to own the nation-building efforts and of gross mismanage-ment of the state funds. That led to theestablishment of the Governance andEconomic Management AssistantProgramme (GEMAP), a three-year anti-graft mechanism to ensure fiscal disciplinein economic governance, a year ago.

The situation reversed after Johnson-Sirleaf took office in January. Her admin-

istration took a number of new initiativesin collaboration with the internationalpartners, outlined in the 150-DayDeliverables in the four strategic areas ofpeace and security, economic revitaliza-tion, infrastructure, and governance andrule of law. Security sector reform is nowunderway, a part of the city has got elec-tricity and running water for the first timein many years, revenue collection hasincreased, the Truth and ReconciliationCommission has begun its work and emer-gency jobs are being created to absorbunemployed youth by involving them inrepairing roads and cleaning the capitalcity. Having drawn up its first nationalbudget for the fiscal year 2006-2007, thenew government is now developing ashort-term recovery strategy linked to theMillennium Development Goals to reducepoverty and revitalise the country’s ruinedeconomy.

“This is a very convincing forum,”said Mats Karlsson, World Bank’s CountryDirector based in Ghana, after listening toall the presentations of the past achieve-ments, the national vision, and a previewof the Interim Poverty Reduction StrategyPaper (IPRSP) currently being prepared.The IPRSP will be a roadmap of the coun-try’s development initiatives for the nextone year. “There’s no doubt that you willhave very energized partners’ encourage-ment and support.”

However, beyond the immediate

recovery and reconstruction needs,Johnson-Sirleaf’s government mustresolve an estimated US$3.7 billion indebts acquired during the previousregimes. The debts, including US$740million to the International MonetaryFund, US$530 million to the World Bankand US$255 million to the AfricanDevelopment Bank, now account for 800per cent of the Gross National Product and3,000 per cent of the country’s exportearnings. “Simply there’s no way we canpay our debts back,” said Johnson-Sirleaf.

There is a silver lining, though.Multilateral institutions and bilateraldonors are working out a way to write offthe debts and give more financial aid tospeed up recovery.

“We’re very optimistic about this. I’mhopeful the donors will come up withresources to do so,” said Foday Mansaray,Executive Director of the AfricanDevelopment Bank. “There’s a lot ofdonors’ goodwill towards this country,which has gone through so much in thepast 10 years, and now has got a new seri-ous government which is committed toreform. So I’m not surprised the donorsare really keen to assist in the (reconstruc-tion) process to contribute as much as theycan to new programmes.”

Antoinette Sayeh, Minister of Financewho co-chaired the conference togetherwith Planning Minister Toga McIntosh,was pleased to see the renewed partner-ship. “It was a very good dialogue withpartners… Discussions we had were veryproductive around the poverty reductionstrategy and what we need to do,” she saidafter the conference. “We had a verystrong support from them (the partners),who were clearly expressing their inten-tion to continue their support.”

The government is now tasked to pro-duce a complete version of the povertyreduction strategy paper with a matrix ofbenchmarks in every strategic area and aproper monitoring and evaluation mecha-nism to trace the prioritised projects andactivities to be presented at the pledgingconference in October.

UNMIL and the UN Country Team arein the frontline of Liberia’s partners. “Welook forward to donors responding to thecall—now is the time to do more forLiberia,” said Ryan.


By Yuko Maeda

Despite a widely sharednotion of the transitionalgovernment’s alleged cor-ruption and mismanage-ment of state affairs,

Liberia has actually made noticeableprogress in a number of areas such asrestoration of peace and humanitarianservices, says the final report on theResults-Focused Transitional Framework(RFTF), a two-year emergency recoveryand reconstruction package which official-ly ended in March this year.

The RFTF, jointly set up by the thenNational Transitional Government ofLiberia (NTGL) and its international part-ners including the UN Mission in Liberiaand presented at the first post-conflictpledging donor conference held inFebruary 2004 in New York, was aroadmap for emergency assistance forrecovery. The report, released during anassessment donor meeting in mid-July,reviews the major activities under theRFTF initiative and details how thoseactivities made positive, even small,impacts on the lives of Liberians.

“The picture coming out of it is veryinteresting and positive,” said MatsKarlsson, World Bank Country Directorfor Liberia based in Ghana, after a presen-tation of an overview of the RFTF by TogaMcIntosh, Minister of Planning andEconomic Affairs. The Bank, along withother members of the UN family, played amajor role in formulating the framework,leading the socio-economic recoveryactivities under the package and evaluat-ing the achievements. He said NTGL’slack of ownership of the programmes andalleged misappropriation of state fundsoften overshadowed the collaborativeefforts in Liberia’s reconstruction, and theinternational partners fell short of appreci-ation and overlooked the real impacts theemergency recovery initiative made on theground. “In fact, we also had lots of suc-

cesses.”As the transitional government was set

up in late 2003, the focus was on securingpeace, providing basic services to the war-ravaged Liberians, assisting refugees andinternally displaced people to return homeand restoring ruined infrastructure, amongother priorities. With nearly US$700 mil-lion in financial assistance actually dis-bursed by donors in the transitional period,the country completed the demobilisationof more than 101,000 ex-combatantsincluding women and children, gave morethan 65,000 demobilised former-soldiersopportunities to enhance their skills andknowledge, assisted over 500,000 dis-placed Liberians to return home, graduallybegan restoring state authority across thecountry and held democratic elections thatproduced the first female elected head ofstate in Africa. “There has been noticeableachievement in key RFTF areas,” thereport says.

Although school enrolment increasedand people became healthier as a result ofimprovements in education, nutrition,health care and sanitation services throughjoint efforts, the socio-economic situationand the livelihoods of ordinary Liberianshave not reached the level initially expect-ed, however. The slow establishment ofthe Truth and Reconciliation Commissionand the Independent Human RightsCommission denied earlier opportunitiesfor national reconciliation and the protec-tion of human rights. Agriculture, themainstay of the economy, still remains topick up, even though efforts were made toprovide seeds, tools and training to farm-ers in some strategic areas, according tothe report.

Insufficient government ownershipand low institutional capacity are the firstto blame for such a slow progress in thesocio-economic situation, but unevenfunding and slow disbursement of thecommitted funds to the strategic areas alsocontributed to the sluggish progress, thereport says.

Overall, donors’ response was over-whelmingly positive with more than US$1billion in pledges for the RFTF initiative,nearly twice the initial pledge of US$522million, and actually disbursed US$692million, exceeding the initial request ofUS$667 million. The speed of disburse-ment has been relatively slow, however,especially in the areas of security andinfrastructure which only received lessthan one third of the pledges. Agriculturalactivities, economic management, rehabil-itation of physical infrastructure and cross-cutting issues such as human rights, gen-der and HIV/AIDS were under-funded andmet only partial targets.

The collaborative work under theRFTF mechanism also led to the realisa-tion that the country must strengthenaccountability, integrity and transparencyto win donors’ confidence and build upindividual and institutional capacities todeliver tangible results.

“When we move forward from emer-gency recovery to sustainable develop-ment, we have to develop strategies tomeet the long-term development agenda,”said McIntosh. To achieve the long-termtargets, though, massive internationalassistance is needed, especially as the gov-ernment’s national budget is limited to amere US$120 million.

The new government, in collaborationwith international development partners, isnow finalising a one-year economic devel-opment strategy linked to the MillenniumDevelopment Goals, the Interim PovertyReduction Strategy Paper (IPRSP), whichis expected to serve as a roadmap to guidefurther nation-building efforts. Donorswill scrutinise the strategy at the nextpledging conference slated for October inWashington DC. “Lessons learnt from theRFTF are mainstreamed into the structureand function of the IPRSP,” McIntoshsaid. “We have to consolidate all theprogress we’ve made so far. We have toexpand our own programmes to move intothe next phase.”

Transitional RecoveryProgrammes End

STOCK - TAKING


By J. Wesley Washington

Having reassessed prioritiesto address humanitarianneeds, Liberia is seekingadditional US$104 millionto fund humanitarian assis-

tance initiatives in the areas of basic socialservices, community revitalisation andcapacity building of civil society and localauthorities for the rest of 2006.

Liberia’s Humanitarian Mid-YearAppeal for 2006 is a revised reminder ofthe initial 2006 Consolidated AppealsProcess (CAP), in which the Liberian gov-

ernment, the UN family on the ground andboth local and international NGOs jointlyappealed to donors to fund urgent human-itarian activities and requested US$121million in December last year. Liberia hasreceived US$40.6 million altogether as ofmid-June, but the country’s humanitarianactors say Liberia still requires more thanUS$104.1 million to meet the needs afterreviewing the ongoing urgent activities,revising the total financial requirement toUS$144.7 million for this year’s pro-grammes.

“We have looked at funding chal-lenges. Liberia’s humanitarian actorsworked hard and identified urgent human-itarian needs,” said Jordan Ryan, DeputySpecial Representative of the UNSecretary-General and UN HumanitarianCoordinator in Liberia, at a press confer-ence held in Monrovia on 19 July.

According to the mid-year appealreport, since the launch of 2006 CAP, thecountry’s humanitarian situation and polit-ical climate have improved significantlywith a new government installed, formerPresident Charles Taylor taken into cus-tody and transferred to The Hague and

more than 314,000 internally displacedpeople assisted to return home, leading tothe closure of all the 35 IDP camps in thecountry. However, the longer-term reinte-gration and rehabilitation of the returneesis still in progress as many of their basicneeds remain unmet, the report says. Thehealth and education sectors stay problem-atic due to an overall lack of capacity, andsexual and gender-based violence contin-ues unabated across the country, accordingto the report. Liberia still has the world’sfifth highest level of mortality rate, it

states.Highlighting only 9 per cent of rural

Liberians are food-secure and only 26medical doctors among 400 qualified doc-tors trained in the pre-war period are nowactive in healthcare services, Ryan saidthese urgent vulnerable situation shouldreceive donors’ attention before moving tofocus on long-term economic develop-ment. “Needs are dramatic and clear.Urgent humanitarian needs should beaddressed before development needs to beaddressed,” he said.

With the revised priorities, the coun-try’s humanitarian actors will focus onactivities that provide more basic socialservices to vulnerable people in countiesof Bomi, Lofa and Nimba where a majori-ty of refugees and IDPs returned and in theneglected south-east region. The efforts topromote community-based projects torevitalize rural Liberia also continue whilerehabilitation of infrastructure such asroads and bridges carries on. The humani-tarian actors also continue to work on thecapacity building of local authorities anddeal with the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

“The effectiveness and efficiency ofhumanitarian assistance is depending onfunding from donors,” said DennisJohnson, Chief of the UNMIL’sHumanitarian Coordination Section.“We’re making sure the needs of the peo-ple are met.”

The money appealed for is being chan-nelled through the UN agencies andNGOs, not the government. These human-itarian needs, priorities and activities arenow being mainstreamed into a govern-ment’s short-term development strategy,the Interim Poverty Strategy Paper, cur-rently in progress. “As we move to themid-year appeal and move forward to thedevelopment stage next year, we have tomainstream and harmonise the efforts inresource accountability,” said TogaMcIntosh, Minister of Planning andEconomic Affairs.

Liberia Seeks Additional Funds

Jordan Ryan withToga McIntosh atthe launch of themid-year appeal

HUMANITARIAN AID


By Yuko Maeda

For over a year and a half, EmilyBrooks, 21, knocked on thedoors at many places, fromrestaurants and shops to smallenterprises, to find a job, any

job. Without a high school certificate, anyspecial skills to offer or influential connec-tions, however, she met with rejectionafter rejection until her self-esteem driedout. “I tried so many places, differentplaces, to apply for a job, but never gotone. They simply turned me down.”

That was then. The miserable joblesslife is now over for the high schooldropout as she recently got a sanitationwork to clean the capital city of Monroviaalong with other 200 temporary workers.Her temp job is one of 500 start-up jobscreated under the Liberia EmergencyEmployment Programme (LEEP) the gov-ernment kicked off on 15 July.

“This is a pleasant initiative for youngwomen and men to feel happy about,”smiled Brooks, waiting for her turn to signthe one-month temporary work contract atthe Monrovia City Hall. In the next one

month, she was to be part of the threeteams assigned to sweep the roadsides andnarrow strips, collect garbage from resi-dential areas and clean the beachfronts forUS$3 per day. For Brooks, who wasforced to discontinue her education at 11thgrade for lack of money to pay school fees,having the simple labour job is a hugeleap. “$3 a day is not enough to feedmyself and save for school fees, but it’s agood start. At least we can start somethingto build up.”

In post-conflict Liberia, where 14years of civil war destroyed everythingfrom state structures to economic activityto productive livelihoods, an estimated 85per cent of the labour force is unemployedwith only one in 10 young people belong-ing to the formal economic sector. Manywork in the informal sector to survive,engaging in petty trade, domestic work orother piece-meal jobs. Three in every fourLiberians live below the poverty line ofUS$1 a day, and more than half the entirepopulation of some 3 million survives onless than 50 cents per day. Per capita GrossDomestic Product now stands at onlyUS$163, a dramatic drop from the 1980

level of US$1,269.Although peace has been restored and

a democratically elected government isnow in place, the country has no industryto absorb the massive jobless population.With a majority of the 100,000 demo-bilised former soldiers getting out of thevocational training courses under thecountry’s reintegration scheme and moreand more refugees and internally displacedpeople returning home, Liberia is in direneed of jobs to put the idling populationinto the labour market and make the coun-try’s economy tick.

“Liberia is facing a jobs crisis that isvirtually unprecedented anywhere in theworld today,” sighed Juan Somavia,Director-General of UN’s InternationalLabour Organization (ILO), at its annualconference in Geneva in June. The confer-ence held a special session on Liberia toboost international assistance in creatingjobs in the West African nation. Presentingher vision for immediate employment cre-ation and long-term labour force restora-tion, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf chal-lenged an audience of 4,000 delegates torespond to her call to action with urgency.

Got A Job!

EMPLOYMENT


“We need the support and resources. Therebirth of our nation will rest on the emer-gency programme in the short run,”appealed Africa’s first elected female headof state.

The 18-month programme LEEP and along-term employment scheme, dubbedLiberia Employment Action Programme(LEAP), are national initiatives to con-front the country’s employment crisis.Mobilising all the resources available fromthe state institutions, the UN agencies,donors and NGOs, the government aims tocreate labour-intensive jobs to employthousands of jobless people in severalareas of rehabilitation and reconstructionand to build the foundation for a privateinvestment-driven labour market. TheUN’s labour agency assisted in drawing upthese two programmes.

“LEEP is a stop-gap measure toaddress the urgent employment issue,”says Deputy Minister of Labour, SediaMassaquoi-Bangoura. While LEEP strivesto provide labour intensive job opportuni-ties for Liberians until the country’s econ-omy revives and begins to create jobs inthe private sector, LEAP sets a nationalpolicy on long-term employment strate-gies for reformulating regulations on min-imum wages, working conditions andsocial security, strengthening labour mar-ket information and analysis and promot-ing social dialogue among unions,employers’ associations and the regulatoryinstitutions. “We need to collaborate withall our partners to implement LEEP suc-cessfully… Mobilising resources to givethem jobs -- it’s a big, big challenge.”

As a first step, the government in lateJuly created 500 jobs in sanitation, beauti-fication and road repair work to employdischarged soldiers, ex-combatants andother youth in collaboration with theMinistries of Labour, Defence, and PublicWorks, the Liberia Water Corporation andthe Monrovia City Corporation. The inter-national community is also backing upLiberia’s efforts in job creation, commit-ted to offer more than 17,000 jobs withover US$4.2 million altogether in the nextfew months.

ILO is about to provide more than1,000 jobs in public works with US$3 mil-lion funded by Netherlands as part of aUS$13 million medium-term employment

initiative proposed by the labour agency.The projects, which are slated to start asearly as mid-August, include emergencymaintenance of three roads in Grand Kru,drainage cleaning for city streets and com-munity-based waste management inMonrovia and a road rehabilitation projectin Montserrado County.

The UN Mission in Liberia also hasallocated US$1 million for the emergencyjob creation initiative to offer nearly 3,000jobs in various counties. The mission’sReintegration, Rehabilitation andRecovery section kicked off a drainagecleaning project in Monrovia earlyAugust, offering 200 temporary jobs.About 1,100 villagers along the 135 kmroad from Fishtown to Harper in Liberia’ssoutheast region will soon begin improv-ing drainage systems and maintainingroad-sides. Another 1,000 people will dothe same along six major road corridorsaround the country in September. In thenorth-west county of Lofa, more than 200residents will engage in quarrying startingin mid-August. UNMIL’s engineeringtroops have already started hiring Liberianlabourers to help repair main and second-ary national roads, ultimately employing300 workers.

The World Bank is committed to fundUS$600,000 to hire 1,200 Liberians torehabilitate the Voinjama-Zorzor nationalroute, while the UN DevelopmentProgramme will give 300 jobs in rehabili-tation of the Greenville-Sinoe rubber plan-tation. The World Food Programme hasbegun rehabilitation work of critical feed-er roads in seven counties in its Food-for-Work scheme, in which 12,000 labourersreceive food in exchange for the work theyput in.

“Employment is one of the keys to

successful peace-building,” said AlanDoss, Special Representative of the UNSecretary-General and Coordinator of theUN Operations in Liberia, at the launch ofLEEP. He said the development of the pri-vate sector is critical for the long-termsolution but urgent job creation for youngpopulation is imperative to fend off therisk of instability and to reduce poverty. “Ihope this will be truly a great leap for-ward.”

Applauding the close partnershipLiberia receives from the internationalcommunity, Johnson-Sirleaf urgedLiberians at the launching ceremony torefine their skills and develop work disci-pline under the emergency job creationscheme. “We must set a good example ofperformance so that our partners will seethat Liberians are ready to take responsi-bility for their own development and workhard to achieve that.”

Hilton Socksock, a 32-year-oldreturnee from a refugee camp in Guineawhere he spent 16 years, sees a temp jobhe got in the city’s sanitation work a gold-en opportunity. “It’s a great initiative forus youth, especially for ex-combatants,”he chirped. As he worked in the camp withseveral NGOs as a sanitation supervisorand acquired skills required to manageworkers, he is confident of his temp jobleading to a permanent one. “Based onperformance, may be they will push me upto somewhere a higher position. It’s agreat opportunity to prove myself.”

Like Socksock, there are hundreds ofthousands of Liberians, young and not-so-young, who are waiting for an opportunityto work and prove their worth. The pace ofLiberia’s recovery depends a great deal onproviding them that opportunity.

President Johnson-Sirleafat the launch of LEEP


Thank you for joining us, Sir. Whatwould you say is the purpose for yourvisit to Liberia this time?

Well, I am here to see how things areon the ground for myself. As you know,the UN has made a major investment here,investment in peace. We are working veryactively with the Liberian Government inconsolidating the peace that have beenachieved and I wanted to discuss with theUN Team on the ground and with the gov-ernment how things are going and how wecan further support the government’seffort.

What has been the main impact onLiberia and the sub-region of UNMIL’spresence here?

First of all, when you look back towhat the situation was like about two,three years ago, there has been a tremen-dous change. The war has ended. You haverelative stability and peace in the country.But we need now to begin to focus on thequestion of recovery and reconstruction.This is an area where we need to workvery energetically with the Government. Ihad the opportunity of telling PresidentJohnson-Sirleaf and her team that there isquite a bit of goodwill and support interna-tionally and that we should be able to pullour efforts to get the job done.

What would you say are the prioritiesfor the UN in Liberia today?

I think one area where we should work

Nation-building Is NotA Short-term Exercise...UUNN SSeeccrreettaarryy-GGeenneerraall KKooffii AAnnnnaann,, aalloonngg wwiitthh wwiiffee NNaannee,, ppaaiidd aa tthhrreeee-ddaayy vviissiitt ttoo LLiibbeerriiaassttaarrttiinngg 33 JJuullyy ttoo aasssseessss UUNN’’ss ““iinnvveessttmmeenntt iinn ppeeaaccee”” iinn tthhee ccoouunnttrryy.. HHee mmeett wwiitthh PPrreessiiddeennttEElllleenn JJoohhnnssoonn-SSiirrlleeaaff,, aaddddrreesssseedd aa jjooiinntt sseessssiioonn ooff tthhee nnaattiioonnaall lleeggiissllaattuurree,, iinnaauugguurraatteeddUUNNMMIILL’’ss hheeaaddqquuaarrtteerrss iinn MMoonnrroovviiaa aanndd hheelldd ttaallkkss wwiitthh sseenniioorr UUNN ooffffiicciiaallss.. IInn aann eexxcclluussiivveeiinntteerrvviieeww wwiitthh HHeeaadd ooff UUNNMMIILL RRaaddiioo JJoosseepphh RRoobbeerrttss-MMeennssaahh,, tthhee SSeeccrreettaarryy-GGeenneerraall ddiiss-ccuusssseess tthhee UUNN’’ss pprriioorriittiieess iinn LLiibbeerriiaa,, ssttrreesssseess tthhee iimmppoorrttaannccee ooff ggoooodd ggoovveerrnnaannccee aanndd uurrggeessLLiibbeerriiaannss ttoo rriissee aabboovvee iinnddiivviidduuaall iinntteerreessttss ttoo rreebbuuiilldd tthhee nnaattiioonn..

ON THE CARPET: KOFI ANNAN


with the Government is Security SectorReform. By Security Sector Reform, Imean police and the army will have to bereformed. We also need to work with themto strengthen the Judiciary, the Rule ofLaw, respect for Human Rights. We wouldalso want to work with them on job cre-ation, particularly for the youth. You havequite a lot of unemployed youth which is aproblem and will continue to be a problemunless it is tackled aggressively.

I have also noticed that we are workingwith them in reviewing their own regulato-ry systems. They are reviewing the timbercontracts. They are reviewing all contractsthat had been issued in the past, which Ithink is very healthy and necessary andthere may be lessons here for other Africancountries who may have signed similarcontracts.

Good Governance, much talked aboutover the last few months, particularlyhere. How critical is this for the achieve-ment of stability and national harmonyin Liberia?

Good governance is extremely impor-tant. It means an effective civil service,effective regulatory system, effective deci-sion-making and it also implies that stateinstitutions must have the capacity to per-form. Here, we need to work with theGovernment to build capacities in min-istries and key institutions for them to beable to carry out their work.

They have started off with elections -elections which were fair and on a levelplaying field. Liberians have had a say inwho governs them and how they are gov-erned and that is a good beginning; butnow the Government must deliver.

I’ve also made it clear whenever I havehad the opportunity that we should notleave everything to the Government aloneto deal with. Government needs help. Itneeds help from the people, from the pri-vate sector, from civil society. We need towork in partnership to tackle the majorchallenges ahead and, of course, theGovernment will need, through its legalsystem and its laws, to create the rightenvironment that releases the entreprenue-rial energy and creativity of its people.

People tend to expect a lot from the UN.But does the UN do enough to deal with

the problems of countries when it is put-ting them back on their feet? We havethe recent experience of East Timor -- isthere something more that we should bedoing and haven’t done?

I think one lesson we’ve learnt overthe past years is that we should accept thatnation-building is a long term proposition.It’s not a short term exercise and the inter-national community must be prepared tostay on for much longer than had been thecase. In the past we had tended to look atelections as more or less the exit point; butthat is a beginning and we need to staylonger and work with the Government tostabilize and ensure that the investmentswe’ve made; the efforts we’ve made tostabilize the country, are not wasted andthings don’t fall apart because we’ve lefttoo hurriedly.

We’ve seen it, as you’ve said, in EastTimor. But I think the international com-

munity has learnt that lesson. I’m confi-dent that it will not happen here in Liberia.But having said that, let me stress that theissue of nation-building, consolidatingpeace and stabilizing the situation, is aresponsibility of the Government and thepeople of the country concerned. It is theirresponsibility, first and foremost. Theinternational community can and shouldhelp, but the country and the peopleshould take the ownership. They shouldassume responsibility with the full supportof the international community and I havea good feeling that that is precisely whatthis Government is doing.

What are your major achievements dur-ing your stewardship at the UN?

Well, let’s not forget that I’m still inoffice. I still have six more months to goand I’m going to go full steam until mid-

night of 31 December 2006. So we neverknow what happens between now andthen. But I think we have made someachievements.

I’m pleased with the MillenniumDevelopment Goals which came out of myreport, “We the Peoples,” and how it hasgalvanized governments and peoplesaround the question of development. If wedo not eliminate poverty and fight the dis-eases that confront many billions of peo-ple, particularly on this continent, then weare going to face a very difficult world, aworld of inequality. A world in which therich and poor sitting side by side withimmense wealth and extreme poverty nextdoor, is not sustainable.

So I would say having succeeded inputting the fight against poverty the centreof public decision-making and to get thewhole world to accept the MDG as a com-mon framework for development, I thinkit’s an agenda that I’m proud of.

A final word to Liberians?I tell my Liberian brothers and sisters

that they do have an opportunity now toset their country on the right path. Theyknow the alternative. They know the suf-fering they went through, the trauma, thedestruction, the misery. No one wants togo through that again. Peace is like goodhealth. You never know the value of ituntil you lose it. They have lost peace onceand now they must appreciate it and yearnfor it. They have to work together and turndiversity into strength. They have only oneLiberia and it is in their interest to worktogether to make this country what it oughtto be.

They should not go after group interestor individual interest. They must alwaysbear in mind the interest of the nation andthose in office must work for the interestof the people who elected them and onwhose behalf they govern. I think theLiberians need to support the Government.They need to also chip in and do whateverlittle things that they can do at the commu-nity level, at the village level and workwith each other and the Government torebuild this nation and not just sit back andwait for the Government to do everythingfor them. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Sir.


By Yuko Maeda and J. Wesley

Washington

Responding to a cry for thecreation of decent jobs forLiberians and the establish-ment of a proper labour mar-ket and administration, UN’s

International Labour Organization (ILO)has returned to develop Liberia’s laboursector.

“We’re very happy to come back andget re-engaged in Liberia,” said SinaChuma-Mkandawire, ILO RegionalDirector for Anglophone West Africa.“We’re working with Liberian counter-parts in a very systematic way so that wecan consolidate the achievements in thepast.”

For the last few months, the ILO hassent experts in capacity building to theMinistry of Labour and helped develop theLiberia Emergency EmploymentProgramme (LEEP) to create labour inten-sive jobs to absorb a vast number of unem-ployed youth and a long-term labour ini-tiative, the Liberia Employment ActionProgramme (LEAP), to set the country’semployment strategy for decent work.Under the LEEP initiative, the governmentas well as the international partners havelaunched an emergency job creation initia-

tive to offer more than 17,000 jobs in thenext few months.

Due to the long years of political insta-bility and civil conflict, Liberia’s laboursector has collapsed with only a little eco-nomic activity and no proper labouradministration in place. Liberia’s unem-ployment rate now stands at 85 per cent,and half of the population live under US50cents per month. Literally, Liberia faces “ajobs crisis” that is unprecedented any-where in the world, as ILO worldwideDirector-General Juan Somavia put it.That crisis led the ILO to choose Liberiaas one of the priority countries for the UNlabour agency’s Decent Work Programmeinitiative.

“The ILO is very rich in providingtools to develop a healthy labour sector,”said Chuma-Mkandawire, who was inMonrovia for a week to attend a donorconference in mid-July and the launch ofLEEP initiative later that month.

Chuma-Mkandawire sees a lot of chal-lenges ahead in the war-ravaged country todevelop a labour environment which canprovide decent work for skilled andunskilled Liberians, administer labourmarket information and nurture tripartitelabour relations among trade unions,employers’ associations and the regulatoryMinistry. She says the labour law reform

must be a priority to standardise the mini-mum wage, minimum age for work, socialsecurity system and access to employmentmarket information, among others. “Thelabour law reform must be effective to setup a solid foundation to stabilise the coun-try’s economy and labour sector,” she said.

In addition to the technical assistance,the ILO has also committed US$3 millionto offer more than 1,000 jobs in publicworks in coming months as part of aUS$13 million medium-term employmentinitiative to support the LEEP/LEAP pro-grammes. The labour agency will soon setup a project office in Monrovia to assistthe implementation of those programmes.

Labour Minister Kofi Woods wel-comes the ILO’s re-engagement. “Thereturn of the ILO has helped to strengthenthe capacity of this Ministry in terms ofbeing able to become more productive,efficient for service delivery to society,”he said.

Liberia was one of the original signa-tories to the establishment of the labouragency, which formulates internationallabour standards in the form ofConventions and Recommendations set-ting minimum standards of basic labourrights, freedom of association and otherguidelines regulating work related issues.

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Many Liberians idleaway their time due tolack of employmentopportunities


By Sulaiman Momodu

“We get land andp r o p e r t ycases every-day at theL a n d s

Ministry,” a senior government officialconfirms, flipping through a ledger wherethe cases are recorded. Corrupt practicesusually compound the issues, the officialadmits, but points out that efforts are beingmade to minimize the problem by drawingup new policies and having a code of con-duct for commissioners, surveyors andothers involved in land and propertyissues.

To support the government’s efforts tosettle the land and property issues,UNMIL’s Civil Affairs Section has drawnup a set of Guidelines on Housing andProperty. The rationale behind the guide-lines stems from the fact that after 14 yearsof civil war, thousands of Liberians fledtheir homes abandoning properties andbecame refugees and IDPs.“Consequently, as typical in all post-warcountries, a number of illegal occupationsof houses and property occurred in variousparts of the country,” says ZainabBangura, Chief of the Section.

In the absence of adequate and func-tioning police and judicial facilities inmany parts of the country, UNMIL hassupported the establishment of Land andProperty Committees (LPCs) comprisingCounty Superintendent as Chair andUNHCR as co-Chair in all 15 counties.Also on the committee are traditionalrulers and elders, youth groups, as well asnon governmental organizations, theLiberian National Police, Ministry ofJustice, Development Superintendent andUNMIL representatives.

To ensure that land and property dis-putes do not create a security problem,Civil Affairs facilitates and provides tech-nical support to LPCs in their deliberations

and whenever necessary, engages the par-ties in proximity talks and dispels fears orrumours. “We encourage peaceful resolu-tion and promote peaceful coexistence andnational reconciliation and provide expertadvice to local government authority andMinistry of Internal Affairs on possibleways forward,” says Bangura.

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleafrecently set up a 17-member Commissionto investigate land and other real estateissues that are causing conflict among var-ious ethnic groups in Nimba County andmake recommendations for a lasting solu-tion to the problems that are identified.Experts on land and boundary demarcationfrom the Ministry of Land, Mines andEnergy assist the work of the Commission.

UNMIL has been supporting theassessment visits of the Presidential

SSeettttlliinngg LLaanndd aannddPPrrooppeerrttyy DDiissppuutteess

Commission to Nimba County. The workof the Commission has substantiallyhelped to reduce tension in the Countyamidst the pervasive rumours of plans byan ethnic group in exile to launch an attackto forcibly re-possess property taken fromthem. Several of those occupying disputedproperties have also shown willingness toeither vacate or at least enter into negotia-tions with claimants who have been iden-tified as the rightful owners.

Before they return home, Liberianrefugees are briefed on LPCs and what todo if they discover that their land or prop-erty had been occupied. “Together withother partners, we ensure that returneerights to re-occupy and have access toproperty are respected and we ensure thatno returnee is deprived of his or her prop-erty,” a senior UNHCR official explains.

Land and propertydisputes are alegacy of the civilwar

LAND ISSUES


By Samuel W Johnson

Tuesdaymar, 27, a mother ofthree in District Three ofGrand Bassa County, shut hereyes firmly and clenched herfists just as she was about to

receive her vaccination against tetanus. “Itwasn’t too bad,” she said with a smilewhen asked if the injection had hurt.

Tuesdaymar was among the manymothers in five of Liberia’s counties whoreceived tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccinationsin June during a campaign to eliminatematernal and neonatal tetanus (MNT)from Liberia, an initiative funded by

UNICEF in collaboration with theGovernment of Liberia, the World HealthOrganization (WHO), and the UnitedNations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

The first phase of the vaccination cam-paign took place from 25 June through 01July, targeting more than 258,000 womenof child-bearing age in Grand Bassa,Grand Gedeh, Lofa, and Margibi counties.

Grand Gedeh, Lofa, and Nimba arerelatively hard-to-reach areas while GrandBassa and Margibi are more accessible.The second phase of the campaign, whichwill reach the remaining 10 counties, willtake place in May and June 2007 andJanuary 2008, targeting 543,084 women of

child-bearing age. The third and finalphase, a mopping up campaign, will beheld in 2008.

“For the first time in Liberia, a nation-al tetanus vaccination campaign is under-way. Our work on MNT elimination isbuilding on successes and lessons learnedfrom emergency vaccination campaigns in2003-2005 when the Ministry of Healthand Social Welfare led an effort to vacci-nate more than 1 million Liberian childrenfrom measles and polio,” said UNICEFOfficer-in-Charge Keith J. Wright. “Theaim in this first phase is to reach over250,000 women of child-bearing age inthese five counties with the TT vaccines.

BBaattttlliinngg TTeettaannuuss

Mothers queue up forvaccination

HEALTH


Three doses of TT will protect the womenfor up to 15 years and will pass on theirimmunity to their newborns for the firstfew months of life.”

The nation-wide campaign will ensurethat more than 800,000 Liberian women ofchild-bearing age receive three doses ofthe tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccine necessaryto protect them and their newborns fromtetanus. Tetanus is a major cause of mor-bidity for children in Liberia under ageone.

“Because of the efforts championed byUNICEF, the increased use of this vaccineand improved birthing conditions have vir-tually eliminated MNT from 107 develop-ing countries formerly at risk, and now it isLiberia’s turn to reduce MNT so that it isno longer a significant health problem inLiberia,” said the Special Representativeof the Secretary-General, Alan Doss.

Tetanus is caused by a bacterium thatthrives in humid and unhygienic condi-tions. Tetanus bacteria are pervasive --they live in the soil, in animal dung and infaeces -- and can enter the infant at birth ifthe umbilical cord is cut with dirty instru-ments or the incision is treated with con-taminated dressings. Once inside the body,the bacteria produce an extremely potenttoxin, which attacks the nervous systemcausing spasms and tightening of musclesin the newborn’s jaw and neck and later, in

the back and abdomen. The baby’s mouthgrows so rigid that it becomes “locked”(thus the name “lockjaw” given to tetanus)and the child will no longer be able tobreastfeed, or ultimately, breathe. Thefatality rate is high – between 70 and 100per cent. The true extent of the tetanusdeath toll is not known as many newbornsand mothers die at home and neither the

birth nor the death is reported. For thisreason, tetanus is often called the “silentkiller.” In 2004, at least 150,000 babiesand more than 30,000 mothers died fromthe disease worldwide.

“In 2005, TT coverage for women inLiberia was 72 per cent. For a country toeliminate MNT, it must have at least 80per cent of all its women population vacci-nated with the TT,” said Liberia’s Minister

of Health and Social Welfare, WalterGwenigale. “But to also tackle MNT, safebirthing practices must be greatlyimproved in Liberia. It is estimated that 80per cent of all births in Liberia are admin-istered by untrained birth attendants inunsanitary and unhygienic conditions.”

UNICEF and its partners are workingclosely with the Ministry to improvebirthing practices and also to strengthencommunity MNT surveillance. Thoseinvolved in the campaign to eliminateMNT in Liberia include WHO, the UnitedNations Population Fund, the Program forAppropriate Technology in Health, theU.S. Fund for UNICEF, BectonDickinson, the Gates Foundation, BasicSupport for Institutionalizing ChildSurvival/United States Agency forInternational Development, and Save theChildren-US, among others.

The role of UNICEF in this globaleffort is to procure and deliver vaccines,maintain the cold chain, educate healthworkers, and offer technical support toimmunization programmes. To ensure thatthe disease is eliminated and to avoid itsre-emergence, UNICEF is also engaged inteaching and promoting clean birthingpractices.

The writer is a Programme Assistantwith UNICEF Liberia.

UNICEF is actively promotingvaccinations against preventablediseases

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By Patrick Slavin

The Vice Principal forAdministration at the SpecialProjects Government Schoolin Monrovia, VictorDumaxasi, raises his hands in

exasperation. “During the war, everythingwas looted, even school roofs were tornoff,” he says. “How can students learn ifthey don’t have a desk to use when theycome for class? That’s why the donationby UNICEF and the Ministry is so impor-tant.”

Dumaxasi was reacting to the donationof new benches to his school by the UnitedNations Children’s Fund. To prepare forthe new school year in September, and inpartnership with the Ministry ofEducation, UNICEF is constructing10,000 three-seat benches for distributionto 100 government schools in five coun-ties. A combined total of 30,000 studentsin Bong, Grand Gedeh, Lofa, Montserradoand Nimba Counties will benefit from thisdonation, including the 800 students whoattend the Special Projects School in theStephen Tolbert Estates community inMonrovia.

“There’s no such time than now thatour schools are in need of furniture. Sothese benches are very helpful in address-ing the seating problems facing manyschools, as we strive to rebuild our educa-tional system,” said the Minister ofEducation, Joseph Korto, expressing grat-itude for the donation. “This is part of theGovernment’s 150-day deliverables to ourpeople and it's an indication of how we areworking to rebuild our country.”

UNICEF Liberia’s Officer in Charge,Keith J. Wright, said the benches will go togovernment schools like Special Projectswhich are offering the AcceleratedLearning Programme (ALP). ALP con-denses six years of primary schooling intothree years of intensive activities to enable

children and youth make up for lost educa-tional years.

“ALP schools serve an extremely use-ful function in the rehabilitation and rein-tegration of war-affected children, includ-ing returning refugees, demobilized chil-dren associated with fighting forces(CAFF), and all those whose educationhas been repeatedly disrupted over the last15 years,” Wright said. “By this donationto our partners at the Ministry ofEducation, UNICEF is assuring theGovernment about its commitment tohelping it revive Liberia’s educational sec-tor.”

ALP addresses the needs of an estimat-ed 400,000 children, approximately half of

UNICEF Donates School Benches

Liberia’s total student population, whoseeducation has been interrupted due to theyears of armed conflict. In addition to spe-cial teacher training, schools that offerALP can cater to all school-age childrenand receive additional supplies includingrecreation kits, school gardens, and othersupport.

Wright pledged UNICEF’s continuedcollaboration with the Ministry ofEducation, stressing the crucial task beforethe Ministry in Liberia’s post-conflictrecovery and reconstruction drive.

The writer is an Information/Com-munications Officer, UNICEF Liberia.

New benches arrive



Just as Liberia was celebrating its159th independence anniversaryin July, the first group of recruitsfor a new professional army begantraining in the capital Monrovia.

The number of the first group of thenew recruits is small, just over one hun-dred, but the significance of the exercise ishuge. For the country’s former army, thebloated Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL),disintegrated during the years of war hav-ing become factionalized and became aninstrument of brutality and oppression. It’sthis ignominious past that is being erasedby the planned creation of a new, well-trained army.

The 2003 Comprehensive PeaceAgreement among parties to the Liberianconflict called for the restructuring of theAFL and UN Security Council Resolution1509 mandated UNMIL to assist the cre-ation of a professional army for Liberia aspart of a broad security sector reform.

Under the supervision of DynCorpInternational, a private security companycontracted by the United StatesGovernment to train the new Liberianarmy, 110 recruits including 12 womenbegan a 15-week Initial Entry Training(IET) at a refurbished Barclay TrainingCenter (BTC), serving as a temporarytraining facility.

Recruits will learn basic military rulesand regulations, skills and techniques, and

how to use weapons. They will be taughtthe Constitution, rule of law, human rightsand gender issues, and will also have anopportunity to bolster their educationallevel. Over the next three years, DynCorpwill assist with recruiting, vetting, trainingand equipping the new army of 2,000 sol-diers, including 94 civil servants for theDefence Ministry.

During the two-year transitional periodfollowing the peace accord, the formerAFL was disbanded. Over 9,000 formersoldiers recruited after the 1989 civiluprising were demobilized and served sev-erance benefits while nearly 4,500 soldierswho joined the army before 1990 wereretired. The latter group was decorated byPresident Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf during theanniversary of independence.

As the new recruits pledged total alle-giance to the country and its constitutionjust before beginning the training, DefenceMinister Brownie Samukai advised themto observe and adhere to all the trainingregulations. “Demonstrate seriousness andtactfulness. I am sure at the end of thistraining, your family, friends and the entireLiberian nation would be proud of you,”he said.

Commenting a week after the trainingbegan, a spokesperson for DynCorp, EdithBawn, said the recruits seemed to be cop-ing very well. “They are extremely inter-ested because they realize that there arelots of people observing them. They arethe first class in the new AFL and the first

chapter in the new Liberian army,” shesaid.

Graduation of the first group oftrainees will take place in November. Bythen, they will be divided into three cate-gories -- officers, non-commissioned offi-cers and privates. Everyone will then con-tinue with advanced training according totheir ranks.

Already many housing units, adminis-trative, medical, recreational and otherfacilities have been renovated and refur-bished at the military barracks along theRobertsfield Highway renamed theEdward Binyah Kesselley MilitaryBarracks by President Johnson-Sirleaf aspart of the celebrations marking this year’sindependence anniversary. The barrackswill host what is to be called the 23rdInfantry Brigade of the new AFL.

The training exercise then becomes arevolving process with an increment ofover 300 recruits for the second class,expected to begin early January 2007.Notification of new recruitment will beginin December 2006.

The minimum requirement for arecruit to the new Liberian army is a highschool education. All recruits must pass anaptitude and physical fitness test, medicalexaminations and illegal drugs use test andmust have a clean human rights record.

There were a number of attempts dur-ing Liberia’s intermittent civil war torestructure the army but all were unsuc-cessful.

Training Begins for New Army

New recruits get readyfor training

Edith Bawn/SSR

SECURITY


By Josephine Moss

It began with the celebrations mark-ing the International Human RightsDay in December last year. Withthe aim of increasing human rightsawareness among school students,

UNMIL’s Human Rights Officers estab-lished 36 Human Rights Clubs in highschools across the country. That numberhas since grown to 41 Clubs with more

than 1,500 members in public as well asprivate high schools in 13 counties. By theend of the year, more clubs are expected tocome to life.

Established in close cooperation withschool principals and teachers, who alsoparticipate in meetings, the human rightsclubs have attracted the support of severalNGOs that deal with human rights inLiberia. The clubs also enjoy the supportof other members of the UNMIL family as

well as county authorities. The promotion and protection of

human rights in any country requires apopulation that is capable of identifyingand asserting its rights as a check on pos-sible abuses by the State. This is particu-larly the case in Liberia, which witnessedgross human rights abuses and violationsof international humanitarian law. Eventoday, despite the end of the civil war,human rights protection is severely limited

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Human Rights Club membersmarch to promote humanrights in Sinoe County

Sadie O’Mahoney/UNMIL


due to the poor operation of the Courts andother essential State services needed toguarantee fundamental human rights

UNMIL’s Human Rights andProtection Section decided to pioneer thehuman rights clubs as a means of workingdirectly with young Liberians, who willsoon enter adulthood and play a part inshaping their county’s future. As Liberia’slong-term peace and stability will dependon them, it is essential that they begin toexpect and demand that the electedGovernment will meet its obligations toimplement Liberia’s international humanrights commitments. The clubs encouragestudents to participate actively in promot-ing a human rights-based future forLiberia.

The Cape Palmas High School Club,in Harper, Maryland County, has estab-lished its own regular talk show on localradio and the Club of Pleebo High School,also in Maryland County, hopes to followsuit during the next academic year. Whenthe Truth and Reconciliation Commissionlaunched its public activities on 22 June,members of the Seventh Day Adventistand Bassa High School clubs participatedin the ceremony held in Grand BassaCounty.

Initially, Human Rights Officers con-centrated on explaining and leading dis-

cussions on general human rights issues,such as the fundamental freedoms con-tained in the Universal Declaration onHuman Rights. As students have becomemore familiar with human rights issues,they have frequently taken the initiative insuggesting discussion topics or seekingfurther information on issues that are ofparticular relevance to them. Topics thathave drawn enthusiastic participation sofar this year include a human rights analy-sis of sexual and gender-based violence(SGBV), discrimination on the basis ofsex, child rights and national reconcilia-tion. In relation to SGBV, students haveshown particular interest in the legislativeamendments adopted in January this yearproviding heavier penalties for sexualoffences. With rape a particular problemfor girls, highlighting the right to be freefrom sexual and physical abuse and theState’s duty to enforce the anti-rape lawhas been a major focus during the discus-sions.

Devastated by the war, the schoolsacross Liberia are in dire conditions.Students lack access to text books, sta-tionery and materials that are essential toformal education. The human rights clubsalso aim to support the students’ academicdevelopment by encouraging them to thinkanalytically and critically about issues,

express their opinions and always askquestions.

UNMIL components, local authoritiesand civil society members enhance clubsessions by providing a range of views andexpertise on human rights issues. In BomiCounty, the Guthrie Plantation Schoolclub learnt about the role of the police in ademocratic society directly from theCounty LNP Commander and UNPOLofficers. In Bong County, UNMILCorrections Advisory Unit explained theimportance and rationale of human rightsguarantees relating to detention conditionsto members of the Doloken Gboveh HighSchool club. In Nimba County, joint meet-ings were arranged for the three clubsthere to learn about democracy and humanrights in a forum that encourages sharingof ideas and building relationships withstudents from other schools. UNMILCorrections Advisory Unit and Legal andJudicial System Support Division provid-ed invaluable assistance.

In the coming months, the HumanRights and Protection Section of UNMILplans to establish a national network of theclubs to encourage students to share ideasand experiences with their counterparts inother counties -- yet another step towardsa national human rights culture in Liberia.

A CorrectionsAdvisor explainsthe importanceof human rightsin detention toyoung students

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By Yuko Maeda

After four months of prepa-ration, Liberia’s Truth andR e c o n c i l i a t i o nCommission has openedits door to start document-

ing evidence on alleged crimes againsthumanity and wartime atrocities commit-ted during a quarter-century of the coun-try’s political turmoil and civil conflict.

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf offi-cially launched the Commission on 22June and tasked it to look into humanrights violations associated with coups,instability and war that began in January1979 and ended in October 2003 in orderto reconstruct the national truth.

“Today marks a historic and definingmoment in our effort to rebuild, reunite,reconcile and heal our nation,” shedeclared at the ceremony to launch thereconciliation process. “There will not belasting peace, nor will there be unity andreconciliation, if the truth of the crisisremains speculation, assumption andhearsay.”

The TRC was created under the 2003Comprehensive Peace Agreement inAccra signed by the warring factions andwas subsequently enacted into law by thepower-sharing Transitional Assembly inJune 2005. In February this year, the then

TRC Work Set to Beginone-month-old government inauguratedthe Commission to begin the preparatorywork.

“Our country cannot afford to evadejustice and the protection of human rightsthroughout our land,” the President toldthe crowd gathered at the CentennialMemorial Pavilion in Monrovia. “Mygovernment will ensure that those perpe-trators of crime against humanity will faceup to those crimes, no matter who you are,no matter when and how it was commit-ted.”

Cllr, Jerome J. Verdier, Chairman ofthe nine-member Commission, said histeam is committed to find out what actual-ly happened to Liberia and rebuild a “his-torical reality” in order to heal the nation’sdeep wounds. “After 150 years of exis-tence, we are today launching the TRC tofind out the truth of the past and establisha firm basis for reconciliation and lasting-peace and development in Liberia.”

The Commission will soon start col-lecting testimonies from both victims andperpetrators on human rights violations ofany kind, including massacres, killing,looting, rape and arson. The TRC is nowselecting 192 statement takers throughoutthe country, preparing to set up fieldoffices across the nation and intensifyingcommunity outreach campaign to urgeevery single Liberian to come forward totell his or her story. Once hearing of testi-

monies is over in December, theCommission is scheduled to begin a his-torical review and specialised hearings onwomen, children and economic crimesbefore drawing a conclusion. At the end ofthe two-year mandate, the Commission isexpected to compile a report of its find-ings and make recommendations, whichmay include suggesting amnesty upon fulldisclosure or prosecutions.

“We would like people and communi-ties to participate in the process of TRC sothat eventually we will be able to bringrecommendations that reflect the viewsand wishes of people,” Verdier said at apublic forum held following the launchingceremony.

The UN Mission in Liberia, which hasbeen actively supporting the creation ofthe Commission from drafting the law toselecting the Commissioners and nowassisting in its main tasks, also sees thefull participation of Liberians as a key tosuccess. “The task before the Commissionis not an easy one. It is not only to exam-ine the past but also to delve into whatcaused communities to turn against oneanother and people to go against theirneighbours,” said Luiz Carlos da Costa,Deputy Special Representative of theSecretary-General. “Participation of thepeople freely and without fear is essentialto the success of the Commission’s man-date.”

HEALING

Luiz Carlos da Costacongratulates theTRC Commissioners


Revamping the Justice SectorBy J. Wesley Washington

As Liberia makes the transi-tion from long years oflawlessness to a societythat respects the rule of law,the country’s legal and

judicial system is facing myriad chal-lenges in the administration of justiceacross the country.

Among the challenges are the lack ofqualified judicial personnel, poor or non-existent infrastructure, the culture of cor-ruption and impunity and people’s lack ofconfidence in the judiciary, the legacy ofthe prolonged civil war.

To constructively address these chal-lenges, UNMIL, through itsLegal and Judicial SystemSupport Division, is currentlyengaging the Judiciary,Ministry of Justice, the LouisArthur Grimes School of Lawand other legal institutions indeveloping and implementinga variety of initiatives, in col-laboration with other interna-tional partners.

One area in whichUNMIL has contributed sig-nificantly is in the reform of anumber of key targeted lawswhich are expected to have a majorimpact. UNMIL cooperated and collabo-rated closely with the Ministry of Justicein a legislative reform initiative whichresulted in the enactment of new lawsrelating to rape, human trafficking, jurylaw, and a law which provides for thefinancial autonomy of the judiciary. Thelatter is of major significance and willserve to ensure and uphold the independ-ence of the Judiciary and provide for themore effective and efficient administrationof the judicial system.

UNMIL continues to provide techni-cal expertise for the establishment of theLaw Reform Commission, an importantinitiative aimed at strengthening thenational legal framework by providing asustainable mechanism for the progressivedevelopment and reform of the law.

Already, a strategy paper prepared byUNMIL has been provided to the Ministerof Justice who has accepted the recom-mendations contained in the paper, and asmall task force of prominent Liberianlawyers has been constituted to facilitatethe establishment of the Law ReformCommission.

In an effort to strengthen the capacityof the prosecutorial division of theMinistry of Justice and reduce the backlogof cases in the courts, UNMIL hasengaged the services of 12 qualifiedLiberian lawyers for a six-month period toact as prosecutorial consultants to prose-cute cases and provide support to existingprosecutors. UNMIL has also hired the

services of 18 qualified Liberian lawyersas public defence consultants for sixmonths to strengthen the capacity of thepublic defence system as well as to repre-sent indigent defendants charged withcriminal offences in the circuit courts butwho cannot afford to hire lawyers to repre-sent them.

A major challenge for the restorationof the rule of law in Liberia is the renova-tion and rehabilitation of judicial infra-structure; most of them are in a deplorablestate of disrepair. UNMIL, through itsQuick Impact Projects’ Rule of Lawscheme, is currently reconstructing andrehabilitating court houses and police andprison facilities throughout the country.

Five of these projects already complet-ed include court houses in Tubmanburg,Kakata, Bensonville, Careysburg, and

Greenville. Eight other court renovationand construction projects are underway inBuchanan, Gbarnga, Zwedru, Harper,Bopolu, Cestos City, Ganta andSanniquellie. The completion of theseprojects will significantly bolster the oper-ation of the justice system in these areas.

UNMIL also provides training pro-grammes for magistrates, justices of thepeace, court clerks prosecutors, legal aidproviders and senior law students with aview to strengthening the capacity of thejudicial system. These training programsare conducted in collaboration withnational partners (Ministry of Justice andSupreme Court) and draw on nationallegal experts as facilitators in conjunction

with personnel fromUNMIL’s Legal and JudicialSupport Division. Emphasisis placed on national owner-ship as well as building thecapacity of Liberian trainers.An interactive workshop-based approach is adoptedwhich incorporates pre andpost training assessments.

Recently, the Divisionended the first round of basictraining for magistrates andjustices of the peace through-out Liberia. In a series of four

and five-day workshops, 222 Magistratesand 220 justices of the peace were trainedin Monrovia, Zwedru, Gbarnga andKakata. These training workshops repre-sented the first comprehensive trainingprogramme for judicial officials in Liberiasince 2000.

The Division’s staff are currentlydeployed in 11 of Liberia’s 15 countiesand are assisting in building and strength-ening the capacity of the legal, judicial andprosecutorial systems. Their workinvolves providing extensive on-the-ground advice and assistance to judges,magistrates, court officials, prosecutorsand defence counsel to enhance theirskills, knowledge and abilities. They alsopromote correct practices and proceduresas well as international fair trial standards.

A newly constructed police station

RULE OF LAW


By Annette Rehrl

Just two hours past midnight everyday, Bessy gets up to bake bread.She does it quietly, trying not towake her children. By 5 a.m., thesingle mother of two fixes a mod-

est breakfast for her daughters before leav-ing her house on the outskirts of Monroviato sell the bread on the streets of the capi-tal. “I started baking bread while I was achild,” recalls Bessy, a former refugee.

Today, however, she considers herbread business to be just a small addition-al source of income. With the help of amicro-loan provided by one of UNHCR’simplementing partners, the AmericanRefugee Committee (ARC), she has beenable to diversify her business, and hermain income now comes from the second-hand clothes stall she runs in one ofMonrovia’s popular markets.

“Without the micro-loan, it wouldhave been much more difficult for me toexpand my business,” says Bessy, whoreceived 3,000 Liberian dollars (aroundUS$50) in a loan she’ll have to repay on abi-weekly basis within four to fivemonths.

“I’m working hard... by eight at nightI’m back home, then I take care of mychildren, by eleven I go to sleep and then Ijust have three hours to rest.” But she doesnot complain. Just a few years ago, shewas a refugee in Guinea, with nothing tocall her own. Today, she makes a profit of3,000 Liberian dollars on average everymonth and she is proud. “I do have myown house now.”

Liberia’s economy collapsed duringthe years of civil war, and refugees anddisplaced people alike face a dire situationupon return. It will probably take years torestore Liberia’s economy. Nearly 85 percent of Monrovians are jobless. Usually, itis women who engage in small tradingactivities, walking the streets of Monroviawith plates on their heads selling a fewitems to feed their families. Many of them,like Bessy, are the only breadwinners forthe family.

It is these women that the ARC pro-gramme seeks to empower by providingloans that also aim to strengthen Liberia’sinformal sector. Since the start of the pro-gramme in 2005, more than 1,174 people –1,056 of them women – have been helpedunder the scheme, which follows a rigor-ous selection system.

“Only groups of seven to 10 peoplecan apply,” explains Jacob Boimah,Branch Manager of ARC. “They shouldknow each other, trust each other and theymust have been in business for the last sixmonths.” Returnees, however, get specialconsideration and need only show thattheir small business has been running for

two or three months.Each group must present a joint appli-

cation and a profit sheet. If the businessidea seems promising, each member gets3,000 to 3,500 Liberian dollars during thefirst cycle. If all goes well, the group canthen apply for a second cycle, getting4,500 to 5,000 Liberian dollars. One mem-ber of the group is responsible for repay-ing the loan on time. In this way, themicro-loan system provides not only thefunds necessary for people to start upagain after years in refugee or internallydisplaced camps, it also encourages socialsupport and commitment from beneficiar-ies.

Small Business, High Hopes“Our group did not know each other

very well when we applied,” Bessy recalls.“But through the loan we became friends.Whenever I get sick, one of the otherwomen takes care of my stall.”

Like Bessy, Nyamah Weedor was arefugee in Guinea until she and two of herchildren came back to Liberia withUNHCR’s help in 2004. Her husband andother children are still in a camp inGuinea. She doesn’t know when, or if,they will come back and has decided shemust rely on herself to feed her family. Shehas opted to open a rice shop, not far fromBessy’s stall. “I did engage in rice,because bananas or soap don’t give

enough profit,” this tiny woman says firm-ly. Her stall has a privileged position, closeto the main road through the crowdedDuala market.

“I have regular customers, they docome every day,” she says. “A cup of ricesells between 10 and 12 Liberian dollars,depending on the quality, and on gooddays I make a profit of 150 Liberian dol-lars.”

Things are gradually improving now,and she will soon apply for the secondloan cycle. Meanwhile, she is looking for-ward to the future. “I think everything willbe all right,” she says. “We had enoughwars. I don’t want to run away again.”

Bessy at herclothes shop

EMPOWERMENT


By Sulaiman Momodu

It’s daybreak in the Liberian capital,Monrovia. Teenager ElizabethTulay wakes up and reaches out, asusual, to the empty bucket in thecorner of her spartan room. It’s a

morning ritual for her to fetch water forhome use before she gets ready to go toschool. “Sometimes by the time I finishfetching water, I am late for school andstart thinking about what punishmentawaits me,” she sighs.

Liberia has no dearth of water. Notonly does the country experience heavyseasonal rains from April to September,but its beautiful landscape is also dottedwith streams and rivers. In addition, thereis the Atlantic Ocean that hugs its longcoastline. However, despite the abundanceof water, only 17 per cent of Liberianshave access to safe drinking water andwater-borne diseases, often leading todeath, are rampant.

James Kromah, who lives in thePaynesville area of the capital, says theproblem of water is usually acute in thedry season when most traditional hand-dug water wells become dry. “Sometimesif you go to neighbouring houses to fetchwater in the dry season, you are required topay a small fee to maintain the well,” hesays.

Residents say the problem of water inMonrovia varies from area to area, and dueto neglect, looting and vandalism duringthe years of war, access to safe drinkingwater has become a serious health problemwith pipe-borne water almost non-exis-tent. Today, most pipes that once carried

water are rusty and full of leakages.Ministry of Health records reveal that

in 2005, there were 10,650 suspected casesof diarrhoea of which 3,560 were severewith 17 deaths. It is estimated that fivetimes this number did not go to hospital.The incidence of water-borne diseases(cholera and dysentery) in 2005 was thehighest since 1990, according to theMinistry.

In late June the United NationsMission in Liberia transported containerscarrying water pumps using its helicoptersto White Plains, in the outskirts ofMonrovia, where a project for rehabilitat-ing water to the city is picking up. TheLiberia Water and Sewer Corporation(LWSC), the European Commission (EC),the World Bank and relevant line min-istries of the government are workingtogether to bring safe drinking water to thepopulation.

The pumps are part of the EC’s €3million (US$3.6 million) water rehabilita-tion project that aims to repair the reser-voirs at White Plains as well as the mainwater pipes across the city. “The pumpsbeing installed will increase the amount ofwater sent to the purification and treatmentcentre before it is distributed across thecity,” says Monika Hencsey, Head ofOperations of the European Commission.Two local contractors are repairing therusty and leaking pipes without whichwater from the reservoir will waste alongthe way. In addition to infrastructural sup-port, the EC and the WB are also offeringtechnical assistance to LWSC to improvemonitoring and revenue collection.

It is expected that the taps will start

running in some parts of Monrovia byDecember 2006, while with the funding ofUS$2.5 million committed by the WorldBank many more areas of the capital willhopefully have water by December 2007.Rural areas will also benefit in the longerterm.

A recent geophysical study by ECshows that there is underground waterwhich is of better quality and cheaper totreat than the river water to be used atWhite Plains. Currently, test drills arebeing done on the underground waterwhich could be purified in future thus giv-ing more security to Monrovia residentswho would have two major sources ofwater.

Celebrating the country’s 159thIndependence anniversary on 26 July,President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf opened afew taps much to the excitement of the cityresidents. However, this was part of thePresident’s 150-day deliverables pro-gramme to provide basic services, a pre-cursor to the project undertaken by the ECand partners to provide safe drinking waterto the entire city.

Billboards with the painting of a girlhelping herself with a cup of water havebeen put up in some parts of Monrovia,announcing the arrival of clean drinkingwater in the near future. “If the taps arerunning, I won’t struggle every morning tofetch water and I will go to school on timeand concentrate on my studies,” saysteenager Tulay. Like her, the rest of theLiberians too are longing to see drinkingwater in their homes.

Longing for Water

Despite abundant rains,safe drinking water isscarce in Liberia

INFRASTRUCTURE

day conference, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf called on the delegates to examinehow mining can be used to decreasepoverty, fuel economic growth and pro-mote peace in the four West Africannations. Participants debated how miners,who often live on less than a dollar a dayand work in dangerous conditions, couldbenefit from the revenue generated by thediamond trade.

“It’s time to move away from blooddiamonds to diamonds of hope, diamondsfor development,” said Jordan Ryan,Deputy Special Representative of the UNSecretary-General for Governance andRecovery. Ryan said Africa is blessed withenormous resources, but noted that thecontinent has often found these resourcesto be a curse. He encouraged delegates toensure that the relationship between dia-monds and conflict is forever destroyed.

The Secretary-General of the MRU,Aliou Diallo, praised participants forattending the conference and said its out-come would strengthen the resolve of theUnion to pursue peace and developmentwithin the region. International Alert’s

By Sulaiman Momodu

Drenched in sweat andsoaked in muddy water,miners in West Africa dailypan newly dug-up soil fordiamonds that could

change their lives from misery to prosper-ity. However, the same gems have alsobeen used to fuel conflicts in the region,earning them the infamous sobriquet,“blood diamonds.”

Converging in Liberia’s capital,Monrovia, at the end of June, some 150delegates including government ministersfrom Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia andSierra Leone and representatives from theSecretariat of the Mano River Union(MRU) as well as local mining communi-ties and other stakeholders met at a region-al conference to discuss how diamondscould be used for development. The con-fab, under the theme “Diamonds forDevelopment,” was jointly organized bythe Government of Liberia, UNDP andInternational Alert.

Addressing the opening of the three-


By Sulaiman Momodu

The lifting of a UN SecurityCouncil ban on timber on 20June came as a great relief tothe government and people ofLiberia, struggling, as it is, to

recover from the ravages of war andpoverty.

The Council, while lifting the ban thathas been in place since 2001, applaudedPresident Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s “com-mitment to transparent management of thecountry’s forestry resources” and tooknote of her recent announcement of amoratorium on timber exports and newconcessions, pending the passage ofappropriate forestry legislation.

Deciding not to renew the sanctionswhich directed Member States to preventthe import into their territories of all round

logs and timber products originating inLiberia, the Council decided to review thatdecision after 90 days, and expressed itsdetermination to reinstate the measures ifappropriate forestry legislation had notbeen passed by that time.

Voting unanimously to lift the ban ontimber, the Council however extendedsanctions aimed at preventing Liberiafrom exporting rough diamonds, sayingthe situation in the country continues topose a threat to international peace.

The Council renewed for six monthsthe sanctions that call on Member States toprevent the direct or indirect import of allrough diamonds from Liberia in order toallow the Government to set up an effec-tive “Certificate of Origin” regime forsuch trade.

The Council also requested that

Secretary-General Kofi Annan renew foran additional six months the mandate ofthe Panel of Experts that was appointed inJuly 2005 to assess the implementationand impact of the sanctions regime inLiberia.

The Council first imposed wide-rang-ing sanctions on Liberia in May 2001 afterreceiving reports that the country’s naturalresources were fuelling conflict in theregion.

Forests, dotting the country’s land-scape, are a major source of nationalincome. However, during the 14-year civilwar, such forests were ruthlessly exploitedto fuel the conflict, in addition to provid-ing a safe haven for the fighting forces.Liberia’s natural resources include ironore, gold, hydropower, timber and dia-mond.

NEWS BRIEFS

Timber Sanctions Lifted

Dan Smith said diamonds had long been aresource for conflict and it was time forthem to serve as a strategic resource fordevelopment.

At the close of the conference, partici-pants issued a communiqué confirmingtheir commitment to ensuring that hence-forth diamonds from the region will not beused to undermine peace, security, devel-opment, human rights or the environment.

A UN Security Council ban on theexport of rough diamonds remains in forcein Liberia. Prior to the civil war, the min-eral sector contributed more than 75 percent of the country’s Gross NationalProduct.

Diamonds for Development


By Sulaiman Momodu

There are still laws in the booksof Liberia that discriminateagainst women and whichneed to be amended orrepealed, according to mem-

bers of a high-level delegation on theimplementation of the Convention on theElimination of all forms of Discriminationagainst Women (CEDAW) who visitedLiberia in June.

During the week-long visit, the delega-tion held meetings with President EllenJohnson-Sirleaf, government officials, keyselected ministries and UNMIL personnelduring which they discussed priorities,shortcomings and challenges in the imple-mentation of the Convention. Addressing apress conference at the end of their visit,members of the delegation said many peo-ple in Liberia were unaware of the exis-

NEWS BRIEFS

tence of the Convention.The Convention defines discrimina-

tion against women as “any distinction,exclusion or restriction made on the basisof sex which has the effect or purpose ofimpairing or nullifying the recognition,enjoyment or exercise by women, irre-spective of their marital status, on a basisof equality of men and women, of humanrights and fundamental freedoms in thepolitical, economic, social, cultural, civilor any other field.” Adopted in 1979 by theUN General Assembly, the Conventionwas signed by Liberia in the 1990s.

By accepting the convention, Statescommit themselves to undertake a seriesof measures to end discrimination againstwomen in all forms, including incorporat-ing the principle of equality of men andwomen in their legal systems, abolishingall discriminatory laws and adoptingappropriate ones prohibiting discrimina-

tion against women. Countries that haveratified the Convention are legally boundto put its provisions into practice. They arealso required to submit national reports, atleast every four years, on measures theyhave taken to comply with the treaty obli-gations. No such report has ever been sub-mitted by Liberia, according to sources atthe Ministry of Gender and Development.

Report of the delegation’s visit, alongwith recommendations, is to be sharedwith government and other partnersincluding UNMIL Gender Unit, whichacts as liaison between the Division for theAdvancement of Women (DAW) and theMinistry of Gender and Development.Members of the delegation included Dr.Charlotte Abaka, Gorcas Coker-Appiah,Elizabeth Belport and Professor JosephOloka-Onyango.

No Discrimination!

By Yuko Maeda

More than 130 govern-ment officials and law-makers in mid-Julydrafted an action plan tomeet the obligations of

international treaties in various areas, suchas international trade, trans-nationalorganised crime, corruption and moneylaundering, at the end of a five-day work-shop conducted by UN experts.

The workshop, hosted by the Ministryof Foreign Affairs and sponsored by theUN and the World Bank, was to build thecapacity of the ministries, the legislatureand national law enforcement agencies toimplement the international treatiesLiberia has ratified. Last September, thenChairman Charles Gyude Bryant of theNational Transitional Government of

Liberia submitted 103 treaty actions at theannual UN treaty event in New York.

“The problem of treaty law manage-ment and implementation lost its focus dueto the 14-year-plus armed conflict, whichhas destroyed every sector of the Liberiansociety,” said Foreign Minister GeorgeWallace in his opening statement. There isa great need for data storage, back-up andretrieval systems in order to effectivelyimplement the obligations because somuch data were lost during the civil war,he added.

During the workshop, the participantslearned how to implement the obligationsdomestically, and identified challenges inimplementation, not only legal and politi-cal but also operational and material. Theyrecognised that documentation, access toinformation and basic office equipmentare critical elements for a successful

implementation of the treaties.The action plan the participants drew

would be put into practice in cooperationwith expert trainers, the UN DevelopmentProgramme and the UN Mission inLiberia. UNDP Resident CoordinatorSteven Ursino said the workshop wouldhelp Liberians leave war behind anddevelop “a legacy of recovery” in thecapacity-building process, which in turnwould allow problems to be solved.

The workshop’s experts came from theUN Office of Legal Affairs, the UN HighCommissioner for Human Rights, theRegional Office for West and CentralAfrica of the UN Office on Drugs andCrime and the International Committee ofthe Red Cross. Bradford Smith, of the UNOffice of Legal Affairs, said the UN fami-ly and its partners are committed toLiberia’s international treaty reforms.

UN Experts Train on TreatyObligations



Sweden is one of 48 countriescontributing troops to theUnited Nations Mission inLiberia (UNMIL). The firstcontingent of 231 Swedish sol-

diers was deployed to Liberia in March2004, less than six months after the peace-keeping mission began.

The Swedish Mechanized InfantryCompany reinforces an Irish battalion tomake up a three-company joint Irish-Swedish Quick Reaction Force (QRF).The Battalion acts as a reserve force toprovide rapid support for SectorCommanders at a short notice. The QRFalso undertakes special security tasksdirected by the Force Commander.

Of the 231 soldiers, 153 form a mech-anized company, while 73 soldiers consti-tute the contingent support element (CSE),which includes 11 female soldiers. Therest are staff officers assigned to the battal-ion staff and UNMIL headquarters.

During the past two years, the Swedishcontingent has rendered invaluable servic-es to Liberia. Recently, the Swedish andIrish Quick Reaction Force conducted amajor exercise along Liberia’s border withCôte d’Ivoire to prevent recent instabilityin that country from spilling over intoLiberia. The joint QRF played a major rolein providing comprehensive security fol-

lowing the arrest and subsequent transferof former Liberian President CharlesTaylor to Freetown and later to TheHague.

“Because of their operational flexibili-ty and ability to deploy across land, air orsea, the QRF is considered one of theForce’s most powerful, reliable andmobile assets,” says SpecialRepresentative of the Secretary-GeneralAlan Doss.

After successfully serving the missionfor over two and a half years, the SwedishMechanized Battalion will be leavingLiberia in mid-November 2006 and will bereplaced by a Pakistani Company.

Maj. Jan-Erik Olsson, Commander ofSwedish Mechanized Infantry Company,says he’ll miss the welcome of theLiberian people who showed his troopsthat they were really needed here to helpbring peace. “I hope that as we leave,Liberians keep up the spirit by working tokeep democracy alive,” he said.

The commitment of the SwedishArmed Forces to international causes isnothing new. Sweden has a long traditionof working with the UN and is one of thecountries the Secretary-General turns towhen troops are needed for a mission.Since the United Nation’s creation,Sweden has been sending individuals andunits on peace support operations to trou-ble spots around the globe. More than

70,000 Swedes have participated in some30 such operations.

Sweden’s contribution to peacekeep-ing began as far back as 1948, only threeyears after the formation of the UnitedNations. The first Swedish troops weremilitary observers sent to the Middle East(Israel, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria) to servein the United Nations Truce SupervisionOrganization (UNTSO).

The Swedish military is no stranger toAfrica. In 1960, Sweden contributedtroops for the United Nations Operation inCongo (ONUC). Currently, the Swedishtroops are involved in a number of peace-keeping operations around the world,including those of the European Union andthe North Atlantic Treaty Organization. InAfrica, the Swedish have UN peace keep-ing troops, military observers and staffofficers deployed in Liberia, Sudan,Democratic Republic of Congo,Ethiopia/Eritrea and Sierra Leone. Otherareas include the Middle East, Kashmir,Georgia and Korea.

Beyond peacekeeping, Sweden enjoysa special place in UN’s history with one ofits citizens, Dag Hammarsköld, serving asthe organisation’s Secretary-General from1953 until his untimely death in a planecrash while struggling for cessation ofhostilities during the conflict in Congo in1961.

SSSS wwww eeee dddd eeee nnnnCCCC oooo nnnn tttt rrrr iiii bbbb uuuu tttt eeee sssstttt oooo PPPP eeee aaaa cccc eeee iiii nnnnLLLL iiii bbbb eeee rrrr iiii aaaa Swedish peacekeepers during

a routine patrol

PEACEKEEPERS

Therese Holmberg/Swedish Army


By Mathew Elavanalthoduka

The renewed violence thatengulfed Timor-Leste, a tinyhalf-island on the south-east-ern tip of the Indonesianarchipelago half a world

away from Liberia, rendered a sharp edgeto Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s visit tothe West African nation early July.

Formerly East Timor, Timor-Lesteemerged from prolonged struggle for inde-pendence and became the world’s newestnation in 2002 with extensive assistancefrom the United Nations. The presence ofUN peacekeepers was significantly scaleddown soon afterwards and, until recently,it was touted as top among UN’s peace-keeping success stories. However, lessthan four years after the peacekeepers left,the fragile nation slid back into wide-spread violence again, raising questionsabout how long the United Nations shouldstay actively engaged in a post-conflictcountry.

Comparisons between Liberia andTimor-Leste abound. While Liberia lostmore than 250,000 lives to the 14-yearcivil conflict, over 100,000 Timorese areestimated to have died in their 24-yearstruggle for independence from Indonesia.A third of the population in both countriesbecame refugees. Infrastructure lay inruins and charred shells of buildings standout as a sad testimony to the mindless vio-lence in both nations.

With a newly elected government inplace following the deployment of 15,000UN peacekeepers in late 2003, Liberiatoday is where Timor-Leste stood in thelatter half of 2002 -- rising from its ashes,full of optimism, yet fragile.

Visiting Liberia soon after Timor-Leste plunged into violence again, Annancould not escape the question -- Now thatthe civil war has ended and peace hasreturned, will the UN make a hasty retreatfrom Liberia a la Timor-Leste?

“I think the international communityhas learned a lesson and I am confidentthat it will not happen here in Liberia,”said the Secretary-General in an exclusive

interview with UNMIL Radio. “But let mestress that the issue of nation-building,consolidating peace and stabilizing the sit-uation is a responsibility of the govern-ment and the people of the country. Theinternational community can and shouldhelp, but the country and the peopleshould take the ownership,” Annanwarned.

The renewed violence in Timor-Lesteand the belated recognition that the UNshould have stayed longer in that fragilenation may help prevent a precipitouswithdrawal of peacekeepers from Liberia.However, as the attention of the interna-tional community is increasingly drawn toother hotspots and emergencies elsewhere,it is certain that the presence of the UNpeacekeepers in Liberia cannot go onindefinitely. As peace prevails and recov-

ery efforts pick up, maintaining a largenumber of peacekeepers will becomeunviable.

That is why the recent creation of thePeacebuilding Commission, the first inter-governmental body devoted specifically topeacebuilding, should come as welcomenews to Liberia.

The Commission has been establishedin recognition of the fact that althoughthere has been a decline in the overallnumber of conflicts through UN’s peace-keeping and other assistance, around 50per cent of the conflicts of the past 20years have recurred within five years ofpeace agreements. With peacekeepingbecoming a central piece in the UN’s workfor over a decade now, it is now widelyacknowledged that many conflicts remainonly superficially resolved, with all the

elements of a relapse remaining intact. “We have seen an unacceptable num-

ber of peace agreements disintegrate with-in five years after the end of a civil war,with countries lapsing back into deadlyconflict,” said Annan, addressing the firstsession of the Peacebuilding Commissionlate June. “As we have seen in Timor-Leste, undue haste to disengage from atransitional situation can result in reversalsand a need to redeploy, at great cost to all,particularly the helpless civilian victims.”

Liberia today is a text-book exampleof a post-conflict country -- infrastructurein tatters, basic services such as pipe-borne water and electricity non-existent,medical facilities in ruins, high levels ofpoverty and unemployment, national insti-tutions in disarray, and a society largelytraumatized. This makes Liberia an idealcandidate to be taken into the fold of thePeacebuilding Commission, specificallydesigned to support countries emergingfrom conflict.

“We need urgent action to ensure aspeedy recovery but at the same time weshould also address the root causes of theconflict. The new PeacebuildingCommission can play a role in helpingLiberia avoid sliding back into conflictagain down the line,” says Alan Doss,Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Liberia.

The Peacebuilding Commission isexpected to marshal resources at the dis-posal of the international community,focusing attention on reconstruction, insti-tution-building and sustainable develop-ment in countries emerging from conflict.It will bring together the UN’s broadcapacities and experiences in conflict pre-vention, mediation, peacekeeping, respectfor human rights, the rule of law, humani-tarian assistance, reconstruction and long-term development.

The long-suffering people of Liberia,now ever so hopeful of a peaceful future,certainly deserve continued engagementby the international community. ThePeacebuilding Commission can be a veryuseful instrument to sustain that engage-ment.

Towards Durable PeaceCOMMENT


LLIIBBEERRIIAANNSS How will the Truth and Reconciliation Commii

“All our brothers and sisters thatcaused atrocities against their fellow

brothers and sisters should be tried. Ifwe, in the country, do not face thefact, we will not have peace. We

wanted peace and reconciliation asthey had suggested when they estab-lished the TRC. Still, we believe ourbrothers and sisters should confess

and maybe they would be forgiven.”Bannah Tech (Business woman)

“I think the TRC will be very helpfulbecause it will bring together both theperpetrators and victims at which time

both parties will reconcile theirdifferences which is healthy for anation coming out of a 14-year

civil conflict.”Samuel Cole (Contractor)

“I believe that perpetrators whoknowingly committed atrocities

should not face a Truth andReconciliation Commission (TRC) but

another court of arbitration with amuch harsher punishment.”

Tyson Woods (Businessman)

“The TRC will help by being veryfair, not being biased, looking intocases and listening to both partiesand actually working sincerely inbringing about reconciliation. Ifpeople can honestly come andtalk about what they did wrong,

then we will be moving the countryand the peace consolidation

forward.”Gormah Momo (UNMIL Staff)

“The TRC is the only forum wherepeace and reconciliation will thrivebecause after so much bloodlet-ting it’s now time to forgive one

another and move on.”Marie Dolo (Student)

“The TRC is very good. There arethose who have not forgotten whathas happened in the past, so thisis an institution that will advocate

that Liberians forget about thepast.”

Aaron Kangar (Contractor)

“I believe that the best way forward inLiberia is to use the TRC to reconcile theLiberian people. I am taken aback by

people calling for a war crimes court. Ifwe do that then I don’t think there will

be genuine healing and reconciliation. Ifeel that the process of having lasting

peace in Liberia can be throughthe TRC.”

T. Nicholas Faryombo, Jr. (Journalist)

“The TRC will bring about healing andreconciliation which are fundamental

steps in the construction of a new visionfor Liberia. It enables people to comeforward to tell the truth. TRC will help

Liberia rewrite its history and construct anew vision for Liberia.”

Cllr. Pearl Brown Bull (Commissioner)


SS SSPPEEAAKK ission (TRC) help reconciliation in Liberia?

“I’m sure it will help if those whocommitted atrocities are ready to

admit their wrongdoing and the vic-tims accept and forgive them. This

will enhance the process of healing,forgiveness and reconciliation in

order to move the country forward.”

“Though Liberians have to reconcilewith one another, there must be pun-

ishment for those who committedatrocities against their fellow

Liberians to deter others from choos-ing the same path of violence, death

and destruction of their country.”Jeremiah Vah (Student)

“The TRC can help the process ofreconciliation when it’s able to

bring all Liberians together - thevictims, perpetrators and every-body else - in a truth telling ses-sion. When this is done, peace

and reconciliation in the countrywill be enhanced.”

Paleh Lassanah (Security Officer)

“I believe that the TRC is good toexist. In order to put behind us allthe problems that we caused for

ourselves, the TRC is the best wayout so that we forgive one another

and then move on with nation-building.”

Weah Karpeh (Journalist)

“I opt for a TRC because we arejust from a civil war and the onlything that can bring healing is ifwe as a country can reconcile.”Oretha Toukao (UNMIL Staff)

“I think Liberia needs reconciliation tomove the country forward and no betterforum than the TRC. There has been so

much hurt and pain inflicted on thiscountry and a way to get over this is forperpetrators and victims to share their

stories, forget their differences and move on.”

Decle Gorge (Housewife)

“I feel the TRC will help the reconcilia-tion process because for me I believe inthe truth. Once you’ve offended me and

you say the truth, I’ll forgive you. Ibelieve most Liberians are like that. The

issue of people coming forward notfearing reprisals will encourage a lot

more people to come forward.”Makigna Boakai (Security Officer)

“Actually, looking at the culture ofimpunity people will continue to commitcrimes. There are a lot of people whohave committed heinous crimes and inthe end talk about reconciliation. TRC isa very good thing provided these people

who committed atrocities admit, seekforgiveness, and desist from the acts.”Alexander S. Nemah (Security Officer)

Cora Wallace (Principal, Paynesville SDA High School)

A publication of the United Nations Mission in Liberia Public Information Officewww.unmil.org

UNMIL FOCUS, Vol. 2, No. 04

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