President George Manneh Weah has told the United Nations General Assembly that Liberia’s peace is still a fragile, stressing that a nation which has experienced civil war must never take peace for granted and forget the long shadow that years of conflict still casts over people’s lives.
He however expresses appreciation to the UN for sacrifices made here in its peacekeeping mission, which brought stability and helped build Liberia’s institutions and communities.“We must realize that ours is still a fragile peace,” he says, Mr. Weah continues that his government is placing emphasis on national security to enable Liberians to move about freely without fear.
“We further reiterate our commitment to the rule of law, the alleviation of poverty, gender equality, elimination of gender based violence and the empowerment of women, girls and young people,” he continues.He adds that he wants to build a harmonious society here based on the goals of economic empowerment in his first address before the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the United States.
“We want to build a harmonious society based on the goals and economic empowerment especially for the underprivileged,” Mr. Weah said Wednesday, 26 September.Mr. Weah assures the UN General Assembly that he remains fully committed to a task given him overwhelming by Liberians to end corruption in public service.
He appeals to Liberia’s friends, bilateral partners and private investors to support his government’s agenda, informing them of how he is fully aware of the vulnerability of the nation’s youthful population.According to him, Liberia is clearly disadvantaged as a result of high unemployment and lack of access to quality educational opportunity.
“Our plan is to revive the unfortunate situation and make them productive citizens through the provision of adequate educational facility at the high school and college level,” he says.Mr. Weah says he sees opportunities to make things better to bring permanent improvement to the lives of all Liberians.
According to him, his government is devising policies and programs that will have lasting positive impact on the lives of citizens.
For those interested in pursuing academic programs and those left behind due to the civil crisis, Mr. Weah assures that his government is investing in technical and vocational programs to build their entrepreneurial and marketable skills.
He adds that his government’s pro – poor agenda is designed to give power to the people, promote economic diversification, and protect sustainable peace.
Mr. Weah discloses that government’s pro – poor agenda is a policy framework that gives priority to the alleviation of poverty, with a core objective and focus to reduce the marginalization of the most vulnerable [while] at the same time creating conducive atmosphere for the middle and upper income Liberians to grow and prosper.”
Further President Weah stresses that agriculture is Liberia’s comparative advantage, and it has also been identified as one of his government’s major poverty alleviation instruments.Being conscious of the importance and impact of infrastructure and economic development, he says his government has identified investment in roads, energy and ports as its key priorities.
He adds that government is soliciting funding and technical expertise to undertake these projects.Drawing lessons from the impact of Ebola here, Mr. Weah says government is trying to efficiently and properly organize the health system to ensure the health and wellbeing of the people are improved.
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By Winston W. Parley
