THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS Ministry of Foreign Affairs Monrovia, Liberia. NEWS SUMMARY FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 Today’s summary of the local dailies highlights President Johnson Sirleaf’s Proclamation declaring Saturday, June 20, 2015 as World Refugee Day, the signing of a Partnership Agreement on Training, Capacity Building and Information Sharing between the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja, Nigeria, the appointment of President Jonson Sirleaf as Chair of the first Sitting of the National Water Resource Sanitation Board and the Indian – Community’s pronouncement on its hosting of the first International Day of Yoga celebration in Liberia. DOMINANT STORIES World Refugee Day To Be Observed Saturday To recognize the courage and resilience of more than 50 million persons around the world who were forced to flee their homes. The Daily Observer writes that: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has declared Saturday, June 20, "World Refugee Day," to be observed as a working holiday. According to a proclamation, the World Refugee Day 2015 will be held in Nimba County, in collaboration with Monrovia, Monsterrado County; PTP Camp in Grand Gedeh County and Little Wlebo Camp in Maryland County, respectively. The day will be observed under the theme: "Refugees, Ordinary People Forced to Flee”. The proclamation called on all citizens and foreign residents, national and international youth organizations as well as government agencies concerned to join LRRRC in executing appropriate programs befitting the observance of the day. A Foreign Ministry release yesterday said as a founding member of the United Nations, the Government of Liberia has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees. According to the proclamation, the intent of the observance is to allow the public to connect with refugees by virtue of common likes or dislikes, universal emotions, and common roles, such as mothers and fathers, and the challenges people face at work, running a household and raising children. With the variety of programs, more than 100 countries host events with the collaboration of governments, humanitarian aid workers, celebrity collaborators, and civilians as well as with IDPs and refugees themselves, and their host countries. Since 2001, World Refugee Day is commemorated every year on the 20th of June to acknowledge the difficulties faced by those forced to flee their homes and remain within their home countries as IDPs or those crossing international borders to become refugees. Every year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) holds several special events to recognize the courage and resilience of more than 50 million persons around the world who were forced to flee their homes due to war or human rights abuses; and one of these special days is the World Refugee Day (WRD), the release added. Related Captions: Ellen Declares Tomorrow World Refugee Day (FOCUS), Pres. Sirleaf Declares June 20 World Refugee Day (INSIGHT) UNHCR, ECOWAS Court Sign Partnership Agreement The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice (ECCJ) on Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria, signed a partnership agreement on training, capacity building and information sharing. A dispatch from the Liberian Embassy in Abuja says the agreement will enable the UNHCR and ECCJ to cooperate in protecting the rights of refugees, asylum-seekers, returnees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s), stateless persons and those at risk of statelessness in West Africa. Both organizations will also ensure the proper interpretation and application of relevant international, regional and national legal and policy instruments affecting persons of concern. Justice Maria Monteiro, President of the ECCJ and Madam Angele Dikongue-Atangana, the UNHCR Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, delivered separate speeches prior to signing and exchanging the agreements on behalf of their respective organizations. According to the dispatch, Liberia’s Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Dr. Al-Hassan Conteh, presented a statement on behalf of ECOWAS Ambassadors. Ambassador Conteh, representing the Dean of the ECOWAS Ambassadors, described the signing of the partnership as very strategic. “It would afford all stakeholders to get a better understanding of the legal complexities of these lingering problems with multifarious causes, including civil wars, post-electoral violence, border porosity and the ambiguities in nationality laws,” the Liberian Ambassador stressed. He also asserted that the signing of a partnership agreement between the UNHCR and the ECCJ would help ECOWAS Member States and their partners to further comprehend the complex rules for the attribution of nationality as efforts for the harmonization of disparate legislations are undertaken by member States in addressing the problems of refugees, IDP’s and statelessness, reports the Daily Observer. Related Captions: UNHCR Partners With ECOWAS Court (New Democrat), UNHCR, ECOWAS Court Sign Partnership Deal (The News), UNHCR & ECOWAS Court Sign Partnership Agreement (The Inquirer), UNHCR, ECCI Sign Partnership Agreement (The New Dawn), UNHCR, ECOWAS Court Sign Partnership Agreement (In Profile Daily) President Sirleaf Chairs 1st WASH Board Sitting Friday President Ellen Jonson Sirleaf will on Friday, June 19, 2015 officially chair the first Sitting of the National Water Resource Sanitation Board. The Board Meeting will be held in the Cabinet room of the executive Mansion, bringing together 13 Cabinet Ministers, including WASH Sector Ministers from line Ministries. The formation of the Board by President Sirleaf is intended to solve the issue of fragmentation in the WASH Sector of the country, to ensure more efficient coordination of WASH activities, the Spirit Of Truth newspaper reports. Related Captions: President Chairs 1st WAS Board Sitting Today (The Inquirer), President Sirleaf Chairs 1st WASH Board Sitting Today (INSIGHT) Indian Community Celebrates 1st Int’l Yoga Day Encourages Liberians to Practice It The Indian Community in Liberia has announced that it is going to lead the celebration for the first International Day of Yoga. The Day falls on Sunday, June 21. The community has planned a yoga program, which will be held at the Shri Gurudwara Sahib, Coconut Plantation, Mamba Point in Monrovia. “Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well-being,” Indian Honorary Consul General U.S. Sachdeva told the Daily Observer. He furthered that there will be a trained Yoga instructor at the program, who will give Yoga lessons on the occasion. According to the Daily Observer, while addressing the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) September 27, 2014, the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, urged the world community to adopt an International Day of Yoga. On December 11 of last year, the 193 UNGA Member nations approved the proposal by consensus with a record 177 co-sponsoring countries, and adopted a resolution to establish 21st June as International Day of Yoga. In its resolution declaring International Day of Yoga, the UNGA said it recognizes that Yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being and encourages the wider dissemination of information about the benefits of practicing Yoga for the health of the world population. Related Captions: Int’l Yoga Day To Be Observed Sunday (The News), World Community Urged To Adopt International Day Of Yoga (Heritage) NRC Bids Liberia Farewell…Observes 12yrs Of Humanitarian Service The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is rolling out its programs in Liberia after observing that there is some level of stability in the country as it celebrates the years of its humanitarian services to the country. The NRC’s activities in Liberia covered Gender-Based Violence, the Information, Counseling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) program relating to land tenure and land dispute resolution, education, refugee program, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools, food security and cash program. The Minister of Internal Affairs, Morris Dukuly, admitted that the NRC had worked throughout the 15 counties in Liberia and explained how impressed he was with the diversity of the testimonials ad profoundness of what the beneficiaries said at the farewell program, Inquirer writes. Minister Nyenswah: No Renewed Ebola Outbreak In Liberia The Head of the Incident Management System at the Ministry of Health ad Social Welfare (MOHSW), Mr. Tolbert Nyenswah, has dismissed widespread rumors about renewed Ebola outbreak in Liberia. Liberia was declared free from the Ebola virus o May 9, 2015 by authorities of the World Health Organization (WHO). But for close to a week now, there have been wide spread rumors in some quarters of Monrovia that the killer disease has resurfaced in Montserrado County, with at least four persons being allegedly suspected. Min. Nyeswah termed the rumors as “false and misleading”, Heritage newspaper pens.