Liberia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, His Excellency Lewis Garseedah Brown, II, has thanked the United Nations and the international community for the support to ensuring democratic transition in Liberia after more than seven decades.

Speaking at an informal session of the UN General Assembly convened to hear a briefing by UN Secretary General António Guterres on his priorities for 2018, Ambassador Brown said Liberia would not have achieved the historic democratic transition of power without the support of the United Nations and other international partners.

A dispatch from Liberia's Permanent Mission to the United Nations quotes Ambassador Brown as saying that “for the first time, many people were bursting with hope and a new sense and new impression of what diplomatic relations can truly represent”. He made the comments on Tuesday, January 16, 2018.

The top Liberian diplomat at the United Nations described his country as a true UN success story. "If anyone needed to look beyond the statistics, then look to Liberia. We are a good example of the good work the United Nations is doing," Ambassador Brown stressed.

In response, UN Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated the Government and people of Liberia for a successful election process and wished the new government well. 

SG Guterres acknowledged the role the United Nations, especially the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia played but said the decision to democratically transition was "ultimately that of the leadership and commitment of Liberians."

Earlier, the UN Secretary-General presented a 12-point priority list for 2018, observing that the world has gone in reverse with deepening conflicts, global anxieties about nuclear weapons, growing inequalities, and the rise of racism and  xenophobia.

The UN Chief called for action on regional conflicts, human rights, climate change, women's empowerment, migration and strengthening of regional partnerships among others.