THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2016

News of Liberia’s decision to request for a one-year extension in the stay of UNMIL, President Sirleaf’s congratulatory message to the President-elect of the Islamic Republic of The Gambia, Mr. Adama Barrow and Liberia’s Commerce and Industry Minister Axel Addy’s search for export opportunities to Ghana for crude palm oil are stories dominating today’s edition of our summary of the local dailies.

DOMINANT STORIES  

Liberian Government Requests UNMIL Extension By One Year 

According to the FrontPage Africa newspaper, the Liberian government is proposing to the United Nations Security Council an extension period of one year for the stay of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) in the country. Addressing a Security Council briefing on Liberia Friday, Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Lewis Brown, said “Only one more year to continue the phased withdrawal – one more year to enable our recovering and reforming institutions to continue to stand up as UNMIL draws down.” Ambassador Brown observed that “one more year of presence of UNMIL represents to many Liberians a ‘brand of confidence’ that would assist in mitigating, if not deterring, the real risk of a disruption during the country’s most sensitive political period.” The Liberian diplomat stressed that the country understands the many concerns associated with its request for an extension and there are concerns about increasing dependencies by national institutions on the international community. Brown said there are also concerns that a request for extension may become recurring and concerns that the resources contributed to UNMIL are needed elsewhere, including in more troubled spots. The Liberian envoy observed that whatever decision the Council makes, the truth is that today, Liberia is a better country – a more peaceful and secure nation. “We intend to keep it that way.”

Related Captions: Gov’t Begs For UNMIL Extension(The New Dawn), Gov’t Begs For UNMIL One Yr. Extension(The INQUIRER)  

President Sirleaf  Congratulates Gambia’s President-Elect Barrow 

The FrontPage Africanewspaper reports that the President of Liberia and Chairperson of the Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS Authority, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has sent a congratulatory message to the President-elect of the Islamic Republic of The Gambia, Mr. Adama Barrow. The congratulatory message in part said, “On behalf of the Heads of State and Government of the ECOWAS Authority, and in my own name, I extend to you and through Your Excellency, to the Government and people of the Islamic Republic of The Gambia, warmest congratulations on the occasion of your election to the presidency of your great country.” Meanwhile, in a related development, Liberia’s President Sirleaf, also Chair of ECOWAS Authority, on behalf of her colleagues, extended warmest congratulations to His Excellency Alhaji Dr. Yahya Abdul-azziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh Babila Mansa, and through him, the Government and people of the Islamic Republic of The Gambia for the peaceful, transparent and fair conduct of the presidential and general elections held under his watch, which will result into a historic political transition in that country. President Sirleaf prayed that as His Excellency Alhaji Dr. Yahya Abdul-azziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh Babila Mansa transitions to private life, the Almighty Allah will endow him with the strength he needs for his continued contribution to development of his country.

Related Captions: President Sirleaf Congratulates Gambia President-Elect(FOCUS), Gambia President Concedes Defeat-Ellen Sends Message Of Congratulations(The INQUIRER)  

Liberia’s Commerce Minister Alex Addy Explores Opportunities For Crude Palm Oil Exportation 

The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Axel Addy, has returned to Monrovia from a three-day trade mission to Ghana with Liberia’s major oil palm investors in an effort to support export opportunities to Ghana for Crude Palm Oil (CPO). According to the FrontPage newspaper, Minister Addy’s mission was a follow-up activity derived from a recent bilateral meeting between the two Heads of States, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and John Dramani Mahama where the two trade ministers were instructed to organize such a meeting with the private sector operators of the two countries to explore potential trade opportunities between the two countries. The Minister headed an eight-member delegation comprised of senior management and technicians from Sime Darby, Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL), Maryland Oil Palm Plantation (MOPP) and the Director of the National Standards Lab. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Minister of Trade and Industry of Ghana hosted the delegation at his Ministry. The discussions covered a range of subjects from exporting crude palm oil to Ghana and the requirements from the various authorities to Ghana specialized service providers to suppliers providing equipment and maintenance support to Liberia.

Related Captions: Commerce Minister Returns From Trade Mission(FOCUS),Commerce Minister Addy Returns for Trade Mission(In Profile Daily)

OTHER STORIES  

‘Accede To APRM Africa’s Flagship Governance Program’ ECOWAS Member States Urged 

The four countries in the West African sub-region yet to accede to the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) initiative have been urged to do so, as the APRM is a great tool for good governance that can speed up their development. Mr. Alassane Diamoutene, Chief of Staff of the Office of the Minister of Integration of Ivory Coast made the call recently at the start of a two-day West Africa Regional Workshop on the Africa Peer Review Mechanism in the Ivorian Capital, Abidjan, the In Profile Daily reads.

UL Engineering Dept. Receives Boost-EHELD And Other Partners Equip Labs

The Daily Observer says Labs of the departments of Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Geology and Mining Engineering of the College of Engineering are currently equipped with new and modern equipment provided by the Excellence in Higher Education for Liberia Development (EHELD), a USAID and Research Triangle Institute (RTI) sponsored non-governmental organization working with the UL and the Cuttington University (CU). According to the daily, the various departments are equipped with material testing equipment for concrete and steel, soil testing and curing machines and surveying and mapping equipment, circuit and electronic equipment of various kinds for analyses and design among others.

Related Captions: UL Transformation Process In The Making EHELD Program To Help Improve Enrollment And Performance at Engineering And Agriculture(FrontPage Africa)  

Kieta Turns over Children Peace Prize Award to Dubai Teenager Kehkashan Busu 2016 

A teenager from the United Arab Emirate (UAE) has been chosen as the winner of this Year’s International Children’s Peace Prize Winner, for her work to protect the environment. Kehkashan Basu, a pupil at Deira International School in Dubai, was selected from 120 entries by the international Children’s rights organization, Kids-Rights, which launched the annual competition in 2005.  Turning over the award,  the 2015  winner, Amb. Abraham Keita said the pens of history were again forced to write the story this time of a girl, powerful and inspiring, whose work has shaped her community and is helping to safe the planet from the disastrous hands of climate change and other environmental hazards, the inside story of the In Profile Daily reports.

WONGOSOL Boss Urges Women to rise Up Against SGBV As LNRCS Win Project Celebrates 16 Days of Activism

The Liberian National Red Cross Society (LNRCS) Women Training and Integration (WIN) Project on Friday joined others around the world to celebrate the 16 days of activism against gender based violence. This year’s celebration was held under the theme: “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World; Make Education Safe for All”. The celebration which started with a parade on the principal streets of Monrovia took place at the West Point Town Hall with a call for Liberian Women to rise up against gender based violence in the country, the INSIGHT newspaper reads.

WHO Discloses Strategic Plan

The World Health Organization (WHO) Advisor on HIV and AIDS, and Tobaculosis, Dr. Moses Jeuronlon, has disclosed that measures are being put in place that would enable people to know their status especially, pregnant women. He said WHO has a strategic plan that by 2020 HIV will be under control, and by 2030 there will be not much affected persons living with HIV. The WHO Advisor said the disease is no longer a death sentence like before, noting that people are taking the medicine and they are living longer and also they are knowledgeable on how to prevent it. Dr. Jeuronlon said part of the strategic plan is to set up testing center in Montserrado County, Margibi and Grand Bassa counties, respectively because these are the counties with the highest number of people living with HIV, saying it is 2.7 percent each., reports the New Dawn newspaper.

Save The Children Launches End-To-Child Marriage Campaign

Save The Children International-Liberia program has launched a campaign dubbed, “Every Last Child Campaign” under the theme: “End Child Marriage.” The Speaker of the Children Parliament Satta Sheriff said that it is not only important but also demanding that actions are taken to end the practice of child marriage in Liberia. The Speaker of the Liberian Children parliament argued that child Marriage is not just a violation of girls’ human rights, but also one of the most pervasive and earliest forms of gender-based violence. Save The Children Advocacy and Child Protection Manager Lovely Sie said, children are the most vulnerable group. Sie said, Save The Children campaign is a three-year initiative campaign that intends to move critical barriers for excluded children.  “We will ensure we achieve impact for the most marginalized children. In order for any nation to achieve the sustainable goals, we need to provide basic services for the children that are vulnerable,” Sie added. According to Sie, the campaign will tackle issues from the community level so that every child and parent would feel the impact of the initiative, according to the FrontPage Africa newspaper.

Enhancing Border Security BIN, Others Complete Training in Italy

Twenty officers from the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (BIN) and Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) Custom Regulators have completed a month-long training in border management and custom regulations. According to the FrontPage Africa newspaper, the training was intended to help erect a checkpoint to difficulties faced by these institutions in handling border management and custom regulations in Liberia. The training is in line with the Liberia BIN strategic in securing various entry points to the country amidst information that only few of the country’s borderlines are managed by relevant security apparatus responsible.

PUL Set Up Inaugural Committee

The Press Union of Liberia has set Friday, December 30, 2016 as date for the inauguration of new officials. Those expected to be inducted are Charles Coffey, President-Elect, Octavin Williams, Vice President-elect, Daniel Nyakonah, Secretary General-elect and Dyrus Zinnah, Assistant Secretary General-elect. To plan and execute the induction of the new leaders of the PUL, the Union named a seventeen-person committee, Chaired by Mohammed Kanneh,  Co-Chaired by Estelle Liberty Karmon, and A. Trokon Tarr, as Secretary, the In Profile Daily reads.