The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has donated a consignment of printing equipment and accessories to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs valued at over thirty-eight thousand United States dollars (US$38,000.00).

The two sets of printing equipment with accessories were presented at a ceremony at the Foreign Ministry on Capitol Hill attended by Foreign Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan and other senior officials of the Ministry.  Ms. Karin Landgren, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations led an array of UNMIL officials to make the donation. 

A Foreign Ministry release quotes Ms. Landgren as saying that the printing equipment and accessories will be used for the printing of legislations. She said the donation was part of UNMIL’s strong commitment in being a part and parcel of securing Liberia’s future peace and security which is reliance on the rule of law.

She recalled UNMIL’s provision of support for the refurbishment of the Treaty Room back in 2008 which she said demonstrates the UN Mission’s furtherance of strengthening Liberia’s capacity of key rule of law institutions to perform their statutory mandates.

“And the goal is to allow the Government to print and publish critical legislations without having to outsource this function which will allow you to avoid further delays and errors in the legislations. I want to emphasize the important role of the Print and Publication Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this process which is why we are handling over the printers through this Division”

She then thanked Minister Ngafuan for the commitment of the Ministry in promoting reforms in the lawmaking process which she said involves a large number of actors. She concluded by committing the continuous strong support of UNMIL to reforms and activities that will help the rule of law in Liberia.

Foreign Minister Ngafuan who thanked the UN Mission for the gesture emphasized that the Liberian government cannot afford to press the pause button of the country because of the raging Ebola virus.

“We are very happy   about this donation because we have been facing some challenges, especially with the printing of critical instruments……like the printing of critical legislations. As a result, printing of critical legislations, proclamations and gazettes have been outsourced. So, it has not just been an issue of errors but we’ve heard issues of the integrity of some of those documents”, he said.

He disclosed that the Ministry has begun working with other partners in the chain including the National Legislature and the offices of the Legal Advisor to the President and the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs.

“And so we want to announce here that we now have the capacity to print and will not countenance people trying to by-pass our procedures. We will make it as watertight as possible, coming from the House, from the Senate and coming through the chain to us. So thank you, because this enhances the rule of law”, Minister Ngafuan added.     

Earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs, Cllr. Boakai N. Kanneh who led the negotiation process since about a year ago committed that the donated equipment and accessories will be used for the intended purpose.

The Deputy Minister then added that the equipment’s donation marks a milestone in the works of the Ministry, especially in terms of printing need.