President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has by Proclamation declared Saturday, May 14, 2016 as National Unification Day to be observed throughout the Republic as a National Holiday.

According to a Foreign Ministry release, the observance of the day is the result of an Act of Legislature passed in 1960, declaring the 14th of May of each year as a National Unification Day, realizing the benefits to be accrued from the Unification and Integration Policy.

The Proclamation recounts that since the Unification and Integration Policy became an integrated part of the National Development Plan, the Nation has seen marked progress and improvement in all spheres of national endeavor, particularly in the economic, educational, communication and social fields.

It recalls that the wisdom of the Unification Policy has found expression in the national fabric through the representation of all sections of the country in the Legislature and every other branch of government, thereby promoting conditions of peace and unity in the country.

However, the President stated, “Being mindful of the years of civil strife in the country and its harmful impacts on the people of Liberia, it becomes imperative that all Liberians would embrace the noble ideals enshrined in the Unification Act to promote unity and peace among all Liberians.”

She stressed further that the Government of Liberia adheres to the principles of justice, equality, fair play and equal opportunities for all, regardless of tribe or clan, section, creed, religion or economic status so that Liberians might be united in a consolidated whole.