THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia.

NEWS SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014

News dominating our summary of today’s selected local dailies include President Johnson Sirleaf’s lifting of State of Emergency and extension of curfew,  the World Bank’s approval of US$30 million dollars to put Liberia’s development agenda on track,  Foreign Minister Workers’ donation to Ebola victims at the Island Clinic ETU and LACC Commissioner’s caution to BIN officers to be nationalistic.

Dominant Stories

State Of Emergency Lifted-Curfew Time Extended

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says she will not extend the State of Emergency because of progress made. President Sirleaf also announced the extension of the night time curfew to 12:00 midnight to 6:00 am. Pres. Sirleaf noted that in keeping with the public health law, and determined to enable the maintenance of the required vigilance, community mobilization and awareness, as well as sustain the gains; until we can start the progressive count down of 21 days, until the national goal of zero-new-cases by Christmas is achieved all across the country, many of the previous measures will remain in place with appropriate adjustments, consistent with the progress in our fight.  Pres. Sirleaf: “School authorities upon immediate passage of the budget will organize young people in communities to start the renovation and clean-up of school facilities in preparation for the opening at a time that will be decided by the progress that we make in this fight”, INSIGHT reports.

Related Captions: Gov’t Lifts State OF Emergency-Reduces Curfew But With Caveats(The Analyst), Curfew Adjusted(New Democrat), No More State Of Emergency(The New Dawn), State Of Emergency Lifted(The News), Gov’t Lifts State OF Emergency-Extends Curfew To Midnight(The Analyst), No More State Of Emergency-As Curfew Adjusted To 12 Midnight(In Profile Daily), Ellen Opens Border Markets Adjusts Curfew To 12 Midnight(The Informer), Ellen: State Of Emergency Will Not Be Extended(Heritage), Liberian President Ends State Of Emergency(FOCUS), State Of Emergency Over(FrontPage Africa), Ellen Lifts State Of Emergency(Daily Observer)

World Bank Approves US$30M For Liberia-Finance Minister Amara Konneh Says Money Will Keep Liberia’s Dev. Agenda on Track

The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors yesterday approved a total of US$30 million to support Liberia’s medium-term strategy to strengthen its transparency and accountability mechanisms, expand the economy, increase access to quality education and improve health services that are critical to fighting the current Ebola epidemic. According to the Daily Observer, the financing, which is expected to support the Second Poverty Reduction Support Operation (PRSDPO II), includes a US$20 million International Development Association (IDA) credit and a US$10 million grant allocated from the World Bank Group’s IDA Crisis Response Window. The IDA is designed to help low-income [poorest] countries respond to exceptionally severe crises in a timely, transparent and predictable way. Liberia’s Minister of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), Mr. Amara M. Konneh, thanked the World Bank Group for its partnership with Liberia, particularly during this difficult period for the country.  “This budget support from the World Bank will also help keep our development agenda on track to maintain macroeconomic stability” said Minister Konneh. The World Bank has declared the PRSDPO II will support the implementation of Liberia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) called the Agenda for Transformation (AfT), a medium-term strategy, in the context of Liberia’s long-term vision plan, which aims to transform the post-conflict economy into a more prosperous and inclusive society, and help the country to achieve middle-income country status by 2030.

Related Captions: World Bank Approves US$30M For Liberia(Daily Observer), World Bank Supports Liberia’s Governance, Others(In Profile Daily), W/Bank Supports Liberia’s Efforts To Improve Governance, Business Climate, Others(The Informer), World Bank Supports Liberia’s Efforts To Improve Governance, Business Climate, Education And Strengthen Health Services (Heritage), World Bank Supports Liberia’s Efforts To Improve Governance, Business Climate, Education And Strengthen Health Services In Response To The Ebola Crisis(FrontPage Africa), World Bank Approves US$30M To Corruption, Improves Economy(INSIGHT)

Foreign Ministry’s Workers Donate Humanitarian Items To Victims

In Profile Daily quotes a Foreign Ministry release as saying that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Worker Association MOFAWA has joined the EBOLA response campaign with the donation of assorted items to victims of the deadly Ebola virus at the Island Clinic Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) on the Bushrod Island.  According to the release, dozens of food and non –food items including sacks of safe drinking water, several cartons of juice and dettol, disinfectants as well as bales of used clothing, bed sheets and slippers were presented.  Making the donation on behalf of his fellow  workers, Mr. Emmanuel Tableh, who is also the Acting President of the Ministry’s worker’s association said the gesture  is the Association’s way of identifying with those victimized by the Ebola disease as they fight to survive the terrible virus during this critical period of the nation’s history.  Mr. Tableh thanked his fellow employees of the Ministry for supporting this worthy humanitarian initiative and applauded the Ngafuan led- Administration for affording them the space to make this presentation. Receiving the items on behalf of the ETU, Dr.Atai Omoruto assured MOFAWA that the items will be distributed to the most needy victims and expressed gratitude to the association's leadership for the timely humanitarian gesture. While welcoming the Foreign Ministry’s team at the ETU, the Ugandan physician thanked the organization for the timely humanitarian donation and hailed its leadership for being courageous enough to walk into the center to make such a laudable and excellent donation, describing the initiative as appropriate humanitarian gesture.

Related Captions: Foreign Ministry’s Workers Join Ebola Fight –Donate Humanitarian Items To Victims (The Informer), Foreign Ministry’s Workers Join Ebola Fight(FOCUS)

LACC Commissioner Admonishes Bin Officers

A Commissioner of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Mrs. Aba Hamilton-Dolo has admonished officers of the Bureau of Immigration & Naturalization (BIN) to be nationalistic in the performance of their duties. Speaking recently when she served as facilitator at a five-day workshop in Office Administration for officers of the BIN in Gbarnga, Bong County, the LACC Commissioner reminded the Immigration personnel that they serve as the first point of contact for people entering the country and that their behavior gives a positive or negative impression about Liberia,  Inquirer reports.

Related Captions: LACC Commissioner Admonishes BIN Officers To Be Nationalistic(In Profile Daily), LACC Commissioner Admonishes BIN Officers To Be Nationalistic (The Informer), LACC Commissioner Admonishes BIN Officers To Be Nationalistic(Heritage), LACC Commissioner Cautions BIN Officers(FOCUS), LACC Commissioner Admonishes BIN Officers To Be Nationalistic(FrontPage Africa), LACC Commissioner Admonishes BIN Officers To Be Nationalistic(Daily Observer)

Other Stories

15-Member EU Mission Visits Liberia

European Union (EU) Delegation to Liberia says a fifteen (15) member high level mission of the Union, headed by Christos Stylianides, EU Ebola Coordinator and Commissioner for Humanitarian and Crisis Management and Vytenis Andriukaitis, EU Commissioner for health and Food Safety, is visiting the three countries most affected by the Ebola outbreak and would be in Monrovia from 13-14 November 2014. Senior members of the respective cabinets and directorates as well as members of European media will be traveling with the Commissioners according to a media alert from the EU Delegation offices, In Profile Daily reports.

Liberia, Others To Get Debt Relief For Ebola

The International Monetary Fund will discuss debt relief for Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone at the Group of 20 leaders meeting in Australia as it considers further support for the country’s most affected by the Ebola outbreak, an IMF spokesperson said on Thursday. The United States, the IMF’s biggest donor, first proposed the idea of writing off some $100m in debt owed to the IMF by the three countries to support their economies and free up more money for government spending. IMF spokesperson Bill Murray declined to comment on a specific figure for the debt relief, but said IMF managing director Christine Lagarde will discuss this issue with donors at the G20 meetings in Brisbane, Australia. The IMF provided an additional $130m to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in September to help them cope with the economic impact of the deadly Ebola virus, The Reporter writes.

8-Year-Old Survives Ebola In Bomi County - Residents Urged To Discourage Stigmatization

FrontPage Africa reports that Eight-Year-Old Gebah Johnson, of the Vortor Town, Dewoin District became the first child survivor of the Bomi County ETU. Gebah was one of the five new happy faces who walked out of the Bomi facility and into their communities. Taking delivery of the survivors, Superintendent Samuel F. Browne urged the community not to stigmatize the survivors. “I am turning over these survivors into your care. Please do not refuse them or stigmatized them in the community. They are your brothers and sisters”. Dr. Gorbee Logan said little Gebah is the first child survivor of Bomi and described his case as unique in a way, because Gebah’s father died of the virus and after a few days he and his mother were brought into the ETU. when they started showing signs and symptoms of Ebola. “We ran a test on the child and his mother, but amazingly, the mother, who suffers a mental illness, and is taking her drugs, was tested negative”, Dr. Logan said.

UNDP Gives Judiciary 5 Pickups

The Chief Justice of Liberia Francis Kokpor has described the office of the Public Defender as critical to ensuring the fundamental rights of Poor Party Litigants. The Liberian Chief Justice noted that access to justice especially free legal assistance for those accused of crimes who are unable to afford a lawyer, is an important pillar of the Judiciary. Justice Korkpor was speaking on the compound of the temple of Justice, at a turn over ceremony of 5 Toyota Hilux Double Cabin Pickups by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Turning over the keys of the vehicles, UNDP Country Director Kamil Kamaluddeen stressed that access to justice is an important pillar and bedrock to sustainable development. Dr. Kamaluddeen said the absence of justice will make any development agenda incomplete and the society will continue to be vulnerable in equitable terms. The cost of the vehicles is put at over US$112,000, Inquirer reports.

Liberia, Guinea Register No Increase New Cases – Says WHO

Latest update from the World Health Organization Thursday, 13 November says at a national level, Guinea and Liberia did not register increase in any new case detection unlike Sierra Leone, which has noted an uptick. The WHO Ebola Response Roadmap however says intense transmission continues across the three stories. The update detailed that total confirmed, probable and suspected cases in the three most affected countries have hit at least 14,098 while deaths continue to be under reported, New Dawn reports.

Women Caucus Meets With Pres. Sirleaf

The Women Legislative Caucus of the 53re Legislature headed by Representative Josephine Francis along with female contestants in the up-coming senatorial election on Thursday, November 13, 2014 met with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the Foreign Ministry to officially inform her of their ambition. In response, President Sirleaf said though she was a partisan, she was encouraging them, especially the contestants to go to the race with vigor and courage in making their dream comes through, New Dawn writes.

“Non-Essential Staff” To Return –Ellen Consults Officials

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has told reporters that she has requested government entities to revisit staffing arrangements and begin to recall “non-essential staff” given the gradual decline in the Ebola virus disease across the country. “We have asked all the entities to look at their staffing arrangements and to start to bring them back; you know as required, given the level of work right now. We’re hoping to get a budget sometimes next week, which means that the entities can then go back to work. But we all have to monitor”, she said in Grand Cape Mount County on Wednesday, November 12. She additionally said government was anticipating the return of investors work in the country, “but it’s a matter of confidence” as “they want to make sure (that the Ebola decline here would) last. “They are hearing we got positive things, but they want to know it’s true; they want to make sure it’ll last. Maybe they will not want to come when the season is coming”, she told reporters in Cape Mount, saying she expect everybody to be back to work after the season, New Dawn reports.

First PHD Event Launched In Liberia

A conference intended to address both natural and spiritual needs of Liberian women has been launched in the country. Tree of Life Ministries PHD Women’ Retreat and Conference is expected to bring together more than 250 from several churches in the Sinkor vicinity.  The Prayer Healing Deliverance Women’s Retreat all started 10 years ago in the USA with the desire of helping Christian women spiritually and naturally. In a dispatch from the U.S., the Executive Director of te Tree of Life Ministries International Dr. LaTonya T. McRae said their great desire is for the women of Liberia to participate in the event as if it  were their own. Dr. McRae said at the conclusion of the retreat, the women will all be partakers, the support system and the backbone of making the retreat work in Liberia, INSIGHT reports.

UNICEF Outlines Support In Ebola Fight

The communication specialist at UNICEF, Adolphus Scott, has outlined the interventions of his entity in buttressing the efforts of the Government of Liberia in the fight against the deadly ebola virus. He explained that UNICEF has donated 30 vehicles and motorbikes to the Ministry of Health to empower health workers in various counties.  UNICEF, he stated, has trained over 400 social workers and mental health specialists deployed at all Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs) to provide counseling for affected children identified as Ebola Contacts Children whose parents are ill and undergoing treatment, or are otherwise left without caregivers, In Profile Daily reports.

VP Boakai Extols Liberian Businesses As He Dedicates USA 2 You-Liberia Offices

Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Sr., is urging Liberians to take full ownership of the country and its economy by venturing into different types of businesses across the country.  VP Boakai believes by so doing, Liberians would be on the way to taking full ownership of their country.   According to him, one who controls the economy is the one who automatically controls the purchasing power of anybody.  He was speaking on Wednesday when he cut the ribbon to open a newly established Liberian-own specialized shipping business; named USA 2 You-Liberia.  USA 2 You-Liberia, with head offices in Sinkor, Monrovia, is based in Wisconsin, USA, and is a 100 percent Liberian-owned business, writes the Daily Observer.

Related Caption: VP Boakai Lauds “USA YOU-2 Enterprise”…Urges Others To Emulate Same (Inquirer reports)