Extraordinary Meeting on Liberia’s Reconstruction and Development Starts Friday

A team of Development Ministers from The Kingdom of Norway, The Netherlands, Japan, Sweden and the United States will arrive in the country Friday, September 5, 2008 for a two-day working visit to attend an Extraordinary Meeting of Liberia Reconstruction and Development Committee (LRDC).


The meeting will take place in the C. Cecil Dennis Auditorium at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While in the country, the delegation is expected to attend series of working sessions beginning with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf; the Head of UNMIL, Madam Ellen Margrethe Loj; National Investment Commission Chairman Richard Tolbert; IMF Representative to Liberia, Michael Tharkur; USAID Administrator, Madam Henrietta Fore, among others.


President Johnson-Sirleaf is expected to co-convene a special session on Aid Effectiveness in Post-Conflict and Fragile State Contexts, while SRSG Ellen Margrethe Loj will speak on Peace, Security and Poverty Reduction to be followed by Deputy SRSG and UN Resident Coordinator, Jordan Ryan, who will speak on Framework for Harmonization, Alignment and Ownership.


IMF Representative Michael Tharkur will speak on Debt and Aid Effectiveness: Challenges for Post-Conflict Recovery while USAID Administrator, Henrietta Fore, will speak on Engaging the Private Sector to Improve aid Effectiveness. National Investment Commission Chairman, Richard Tolbert, will speak on the Liberian Experience, among others.


The head of the delegation from The Netherlands is Mr. A.G. (Bert) Koenders, Minister for Development Cooperation while the team from Norway is being headed by Mr. Hakon Gulbrandsen, State Secretary for International Development. The American delegation is led by Henrietta H. Fore, Administrator of USAID and Under Secretary; the Japanese delegation is headed by Ms. Yukiko Okano, Principal Deputy Director for Aid Policy Planning Department, and Sweden is being represented by Mr. Hakan Akesson, Development Cooperation. 


On Saturday, the Ministers will tour several development project sites in Monrovia including thee Capitol Building, temple of Justice, Freeport of Monrovia, University of Liberia Fendell Campus and Bensonville.