Excellences, My delegation are I join others in thanking you, Mr. Secretary General for the report and this briefing.
For Liberia, it is both informative and timely as it sheds important light on the critical issue of peace, as well as our continued endeavor to live together in a safer and better world.
We could not agree more, peace and security, development and human rights are intrinsically interdependent and inextricably linked. We can no longer afford to attend to one without significantly addressing the others. This is the underlying currency of our changed reality. It is therefore in this regard that we welcome the report and its more realistic approach to both conflict resolution and prevention.
Importantly also, my delegation would like to welcome and underscore some elements included in the report:
- The importance of inclusivity and sustainable development as a suitable defense against conflicts. It is not only imperative that civil society, women and youth be actively engaged in the process of peace making and peace building but also that they be equally invested, and prioritized in reaping the dividends of their investments. Like their governments, they must become owners of their process of peace, security and development.
- The need for increased strategic collaborations between and amongst a wide array of stakeholders to deal with the extent and challenges of sustaining peace. Here also, we hasten to emphasize the need for regional investment in peace making, peace building and conflict prevention. It means also that regions have to become more accountable.
- The purpose and success of the Joint UNDP-DPA Program on Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention - sustaining peace will also require investing in reforming, reinforcing and supporting public institutions in enhancing public trust and service delivery. How else are we to ensure sustainability?
- Necessitating systematic analysis leading to better early warning and proper planning. Early Warning is only good if one knows what to warn about early. Even more importantly, what becomes the response to such warnings.
- The call for a more predictable and sustained financing for peace-building and peace sustenance. Here we are compelled by experience to make a case for the Peace Building Fund. It has to be the elephant in the room. Predictable and sustained financing for peace building is quite simply the litmus test for how serious we truly are in our needed shift to conflict prevention and sustaining peace.
Finally, Excellences, Liberia and Liberians are holding up their end of the peace bargain. We know our responsibilities and we are attending to it with diligence and commitment. Yet, we know, we cannot walk this road alone.
We embrace the Peace Building Plan of Liberia as the roadmap to sustainable peace and development. And yes, the success of this Plan depends not on Liberians alone but on all who helped to carve it, and helped to put my country, thankfully and deservedly so, on the path of becoming a model of not only successful peace keeping but also a successful transition from fratricidal conflict to democratic governance through a growing commitment to peaceful transitions and sustainable development.
Liberians are forever grateful for the support of the international community, and especially the United Nations whose peacekeeping mission formally ends in a few days for the progress we have made and the ongoing transformation of our country. But we cannot rest on what has been achieved so far. Liberia and Liberians are ready for peace-building and the consolidation of the gains we have together made. Can we say the same for the United Nations? Can we say the same for our partners and friends?
We will continue to do our part, as we look to the future with hope.
I thank you for your kind attention.
