The Bureau of Public Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 Monrovia, Liberia

DAILY NEWS SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

News concerning President Johnson Sirleaf’s final address at the 72^nd Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly taking place in New York and the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a modern clinic in  Suehn Mecca District, Bomi County  are stories dominating our summary of the local dailies today.

DOMINANT STORIES

Ellen Addresses General Debate Of The 72nd UN General Today

Leaders of the world’s largest diplomatic gathering are meeting in New York for the 72^nd regular session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 72) scheduled to begin in earnest on Tuesday, September 19, 2017. The general debate of the United Nations’ 193-member states, which is annually characterized by speeches and high-level meetings, is expected to end on Monday, September 25, 2017. According to a dispatch from New York, this year’s theme is ‘Focusing on People – Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for all on a Sustainable Planet.’ Quoting the dispatch, the Heritage newspaper says the Liberian leader will deliver her final address to the world body as President of Liberia during the 3^rd and 4^th plenary meetings on the first day of the general debate on today, September 19, following speeches by prominent world leaders including the President of the United States, His Excellency Donald J. Trump and the President of the French Republic, His Excellency Emmanuel Macron, their first to the world body as presidents of their respective countries. The General Assembly is one of the six main organs of the United Nations, the only one in which all Member States have equal representation: one nation, one vote. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Marjon Kamara, is heading a high-level Foreign Ministry delegation at the assembly.

Related Captions: President Sirleaf Delivers Final Address At UN Today (INSIGHT), UNGA 72nd Meeting Kicks-Off (The New Dawn), 72^nd UN General Assembly Begins… As President Sirleaf Addresses General Debate (The INQUIRER)

Ellen Breaks Ground For Modern Clinic

The New Dawn newspaper says President Ellen Johnson - Sirleaf has broken grounds for the construction of a modern clinic at the River Bank in Towon Town, Suehn Mecca District, Bomi County. The daily quoting an Executive Mansion release says Mrs. Sirleaf commended the River Bank Women for their resilience and commitment in working towards bringing to fulfillment the project. She thanked the Legislature for the cooperation in supporting development projects in Liberia, noting that the persistence of River Bank Women in ensuring the realization of the project. President Sirleaf termed the project as a great relief to the people especially of the River Bank and adjoining communities in the district. 

Related Captions: Ellen Breaks Ground For Modern Clinic (Heritage), President Sirleaf Breaks Ground For Modern Clinic (INSIGHT), President Sirleaf Breaks Ground For Modern Clinic in Suehn-Mecca (FrontPage Africa)

OTHER STORIES

NEC And Partners Work To Strengthen Electoral Dispute Resolution Ahead Of The 10 October 2017 Election

According to the INQUIRER newspaper, 20 to 26 of September 2017 the National Election Commission (NEC) together with its partner from the United Nations Development Programme, European Union, Sweden, Ireland and Canada are working with key actors to strengthen the capacity of stakeholders in the area of election dispute resolution. The daily says participants including the Liberian Bar Association, as well as political parties representatives, media and civil society will discuss the Liberian legal framework and receive detail briefing on the procedures to submit a high quality complaint and appeal in the electoral field.

CEMESP-MFWA Building Police Media Safety Standards For 2017 Elections

The Heritage newspaper reports that the Center for Media Studies and Peace building, (CEMESP) in partnership with Ghana based media Foundation for West Africa, with support from International Media Support based in Denmark is hosting a string of Police-Media Dialogue and capacity building training bordering on journalists safety during and after the pending elections. The daily says during the dialogue, two Ghana police commanders of the Election Security Taskforce will share experience with their Liberian counterparts on September 20^th. The leadership of the Liberian Police and the Ghanaian Police will embark on Mutual exchange on media safety in elections in Liberia and Ghana.  According to the daily, on September 21 there will be a one day media-Police dialogue, where twenty police commanders and twenty journalists from media houses and the PUL will discuss pertinent electoral safety issues bordering on legal frameworks.

Related Caption: CEMESP-MFWA Building Police Media Safety Standards For 2017 Elections (The INQUIRER)

ABIC Prepares NEC Magistrates for Peaceful Elections

The Angie Brooks International Center (ABIC) for women's empowerment has prepared twenty (20) magistrates of the National Elections Commission (NEC) on 'Legal Writing' to  enable them work in the interest of peace in the country during the October 10 presidential elections. According to the Daily Observer, the Establishing Coordinator of ABIC, Cllr. Yvette Chesson Wareh said the workshop was intended to train election magistrates and prepare them ahead of the upcoming general and presidential elections to ensure that the process is peaceful.

Liberia Chairs Asia-Africa Conference

The INQUIRER newspaper says Liberia last week served as Chair of the Asia-Africa Parliamentarians on SDGs, highlighting population and development in Asia and Africa as well. The three-day conference which took place from the 12^th to the 14^th of September, 2017 was held in New Delhi, India under the auspices of the Japanese Parliamentary Counterpart. According to the daily, the conference aimed at determining an effective way of having parliamentarians involved in addressing the numerous problems facing the world’s population. Representative Larry P. Yonquoi who attended the SDGs conference in India was given the opportunity at the intensive interactive forum to deliver as Chair on the session on International Aid and Direct Foreign Investment in the Developing World with specific emphasis on Governance, Transparency and Accountability.

‘Liberia’s Land Problem Needs Proper Legal Framework’ – USAID-LGSA Chief of Party, Gebremedlin

The USAID-Land Governance Support Activity (LGSA) Chief of Party has said that Liberia’s land sector needs to be addressed in an appropriate manner in order to prevent potential land conflicts. Dr. Yohannes Gebremedlin said government also has to put in place adequate policies and a proper legal framework to peacefully handle land related crises. Dr. Gebremedlin, who has worked in the land sector in many countries around the world, made the assertion in his address during one-day training for the Association of Judicial Reporters (AJUR). According to the Daily Observer, the training, held at the offices of the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) in Monrovia, was intended to improve journalists’ reporting on the Criminal Conveyance of Land Law passed in 2014.

11 West African Ministries Explore Practical Policy Tools To Turn Extractives Into Development Outcomes

According to the Daily Observer, at a workshop co-organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative (CABRI) on September 7, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, thirty policymakers from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Mali and Nigeria attended the workshop and discussed practical policy tools to help countries improve development outcomes derived from extractives. The daily says the workshop was aimed at strengthening the capability of public officials in negotiating extractives contracts, leases and concessions. It also focused on how to use financial models for appraising extractives projects and managing extractives revenue for growth and development.