THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016

Today’s edition of the summary highlights news of President Sirleaf’s meeting with the Emmanuel Nuquay leadership of the House of Representatives and the African Peer Review Mechanism’s  two-day capacity building workshop on its communication, methodologies and research questionnaires.

DOMINANT STORIES  

Pres. Sirleaf Meets Speaker Nuquay 

President Ellen Johnson on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 received the Speaker and members of the leadership of the House of Representatives at her Foreign Ministry Office in Monrovia. Speaker Emmanuel Nuquay and the entire leadership of the House of Representatives discussed matters of importance to the state with focus on enhancing cooperation and collaboration between the House of Representatives and the Executive Branch of the Government.

 An Executive Mansion release said, President Sirleaf thanked the leadership of the House of Representatives for the visit and assured them of her personal support and the support of the Executive in fostering unity with the National legislature and the House of Representatives in particular. According to the New Dawn newspaper, President Sirleaf encouraged members of the House of Representatives to ensure that citizens of their respective districts remain peaceful at all time and stay away from violence and other destructive activities as the country moves toward the 2017 General and Presidential Elections.  Speaking earlier, Speaker J. Emmanuel Nuquay thanked President Sirleaf for accepting to meet with the leadership of the House and the level of coordination.  

Related Captions: Nuquay’s Leadership Assures Cooperation In Advancing Liberia’s Development Goals…Meets President Sirleaf (FOCUS), Ellen Receives Speaker Nuquay, House Leadership…Assures Cooperation In Advancing Liberia’s Development Goal (Heritage)

APRM Launches Sensitization Campaign

The National Secretariat of the African Peer Review Mechanism, APRM yesterday launched a sensitization campaign couple with country self-assessment, study and review. Speaking during the ceremony marking the sensitization campaign, BoimaKamara, Minister of Finance and Development Planning said he was delighted for Liberia to begin the process of national awareness and sensitization campaign with different national and international stakeholders. He disclosed that Secretariat are in Liberia to participates in the launch of the national sensitization campaign to provide technical assistance and capacity building for key stakeholders of the APRM community, methodologies and research questionnaires, writes theFOCUS newspaper.

Related Captions: APRM Sensitization Campaign Opens In Monrovia (Heritage), ‘Take Advantage Of APRM Process’-Participants Launch Cautioned (In Profile Daily). The Heritage newspaper also reports under the caption “Ellen Meets APRM Continental Secretariat” that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has met a delegation led by Professor Edward Maloka at the lead of APRM Continental secretariat and team of Economic Commission for Africa (BCA) during a courtesy call  paid on her at her  Foreign Ministry Office in Monrovia.  While in Monrovia, the team will provide technical assistance and build the capacities of key stakeholders of the APRM Liberia Country Program ahead of Liberia’s self-assessment study.

Related Captions: APRM Commences Capacity Building In Liberia (FrontPage Africa)

OTHER STORIES

Senate Ratifies 14 ECOWAS Conventions

The Daily Observer reports that the Senate has ratified through concurrence with the House of Representatives 14 ECOWAS Conventions or Protocols signed by the Government of Liberia. The articles were submitted to the legislature by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf last August. Protocols ratified included the one establishing an ECOWAS Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, the Protocol to fight against corruption,, the Democracy and Governance Supplementary to the Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace Keeping and security signed in Lome, Togo and an agreement on the cooperation in criminal matters between the police of member states of ECOWAS among others.

MRU Confab On NTDs Launches Liberia Countdown Project

According to the INQUIRER newspaper, the newly inducted Ambassador of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), Dr. Evelyn S. Kandakai, has officially launched Liberia’s Countdown Research Project at the 9th Mano River Union Conference held in Monrovia which is aimed at calling time for the implementation of action against NTDs in the country. The Countdown Research Project is a five-year multidisciplinary implementation research which looks at preventative chemotherapy disease and case management within Liberia especially taking into consideration its porous border areas.

Related Caption: MRU-NTDs Conference Kicks Off IN Monrovia (Heritage)

Cabinet Approves Arcelor Mittal Gangra Project

According to FOCUS newspaper, Cabinet has meticulously reviewed the state of national economy, received updates on economic performance, the need for diversification and amid the finalization of relevant due diligence approved Arcelor Mittal new project, which is in line with the existing Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) and License issued the company. According to an Executive Mansion release, Cabinet reviewed the current economic performance and challenges, strategies moving forward, updates on FY16/17 budget execution as well as budget option for fiscal year 17/18.A careful review in terms of challenges underscored the impact of the Ebola Virus Disease, price decline for key exports including iron ore, rubber and gold coupled with UNMIL peculiar drawdown within the context of Liberia.Meanwhile, Cabinet has approved amid the requisite due diligence the Arcelor Mittal Gangra Project and mandated that issues pertaining to Arcelor Mittal studies and approval, engineering details, environmental baseline/permit, community awareness, resettlement, temporary permits, road construction, mine development temporary access road, temporary hauling and Gangra overall operations are scrupulously tackled in the best interest of all parties.

Related Caption: Cabinet States Of National Economy (Heritage)

VP Boakai Resoles Long Standing Feud In UP-USA Branch

Partisans of the Unity Party-USA, who have for several years been plagued by a major divide comprising two factions have resolved their differences and decided to come together. The Heritage newspaper reports that at a recent meeting in Washington DC, the USA moderated by the Vice President Joseph Biakai, members of the party in the Diaspora decided to put an end to the long running division between them according to the daily, the partisans also agreed that it was paramount that the party speaks with one voice, focusing on the election of Joseph Boakai as Liberia’s next president.

Related Caption: VP Boakai Calms Liberians-USA Feud (In Profile Daily)

French Warship Arrives In Monrovia

According to the Daily Observer, a French warship Commandant Ducuing that has carried out missions in deterrent and maritime operations has arrived at the Freeport of Monrovia. The daily reports that the frigate will be on the shoes of Liberia from October 19-21 to conduct maritime cooperation activies with the Liberia Navy and meet with political and military authorities according to a release from the French Embassy near Monrovia.

UL Entrance Result Out 6540 Failed, 1,778 Passed

The Daily Observer reports that authorities at the University of Liberia on Wednesday released results for this year’s entrance and placement exams. Quoting the Campus Review newspaper, the Daily reports that the UL Testing and Evaluation Department says of the 8,318 student who wrote the exams, about 1778 made pass, while 6540 failed.

Related Caption: Mass Failure In UL Entrance (The INQUIRER)

Women Secretariat Commissions Study On ‘Violence Against Women’

The Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL) has commissioned a study on violence against women in three of Liberia’s 15 counties aimed at establishing available knowledge, perception, attitudes and causes of violence against women and girls in project communities. WONGOSOL said the study, which is also geared towards tracking the level and consequence of violence perpetrated against women and girls, was conducted in Grand Gedeh, Sinoe and Montserrado counties. The Women NGO Secretariat hired 30 data collectors and divided them equally among the three counties where they conducted the research. According to the Daily Observer, the data collectors, among other things, were told to measure the frequency of incidences of violence experienced by women and girls and analyze the communities’ perceptions on the causes and consequences of violence.

LCP, Partners Sign Communiqué In Preparation for National Peace Festival

According to the Daily Observer, Liberia Crusaders for Peace (LCP) and partners have signed a major communiqué soliciting the support of everyone in maintaining the nation’s peace. Those who signed the peace document, in addition to LCP, were Women in Peace-building Network (WIPNET), the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), the Muslim Union, Women on the Move, Liberia Marketing Association (LMA), and University of Liberia Students Union (ULSU). LCP Executive Director, Julie Endee, who read the communiqué, said the two-day peace forum (October 18-19) is aimed to build consensus in sustaining peace now and after the 2017 presidential and legislative elections. ‘’As we have concluded and affixed our signatures to this document, clothed with legal implications and social independence, we now resolve to sustain the peace. We will not relent to hold politicians including stakeholders accountable for any acts contrary to peace in our country,’’ Madam Endee said.

WJP ranks Liberia 94 on Rule of Law index

The World Justice Project (WJP) today, October 20, released the Rule of Law Index for 2016, ranking Liberia 94 among countries that uphold Rule of Law. WJP Rule of Law Index is an annual report that measures how the rule of law is experienced by the general public worldwide. According to the Index, Liberia’s ranked 94 on rule of law, and the overall rule of law performance places the country at 11 out of 18 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, 7 out of 12 among low income countries, and 94 out of 113 countries and jurisdictions worldwide. The New Dawn quotes a WJP release as saying that the WJP Rule of Law Index is the world’s leading source for original data on the rule of law in Washington. The 2016 edition expands coverage to 113 countries and jurisdictions (from 102 in 2015), relying on more than 100,000 household and expert surveys to measure how the rule of law is experienced in practical, everyday situations by the general public worldwide.

WFP To Reduce School Feeding Projection

The World Food Program has disclosed that the school feeding program in Liberia is critically short of funding, and may need to drastically reduce this critical program if additional resources are not found by the end of this year. Speaking at a joint news conference recently to mark the celebration of this year’s World Food Day, Mrs. Julie MacDonald, Country Director of WFP said WFP last year provided school snacks or meals to more than 17 million school children in 62 countries, nourishing their bodies and feeding their dreams. “When school meals programs are forged in partnership and integrated into comprehensive education packages, school meals can catalyze educational achievement and opportunities,” Mr. MacDonald pointed out, reports the INQUIRER newspaper.

FIND Recommends Early Civic, Voters Education…Ahead of 2017 General, Presidential Elections

The Foundation for International Dignity (FIND) is calling for an early Civic and Voters Education ahead of the 2017 Presidential and General Elections in the country. According to FIND Executive Director, Roosevelt Woods, it was realized that more than 10 thousand people attempted to register twice, while close to seven thousand people were discovered as underage. Mr. Woods indicated that the civic and voters education should be comprehensive that will address all aspects of the election, reports FOCUS newspaper.