UNDP Liberia Holds CPD Design Engagement

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has commenced engagement and consultations with national partners on the preparation and design of a New Country Programme Document (CPD) 2019-2023 for Liberia.

The two-day exercise held in Monrovia 30, November-01 December, brought together over 25 Representatives from line Ministries, Agencies and Commissions (MACs) facilitated by UNDP Experts from its Regional Bureau in Addis Ababa.

The five- year Country Programme Document which is linked to a UNDP Strategic Plan outlines major development areas where UNDP has comparative advantage (example. governance, peace, justice, security, sustainable development etc).It is also aligned with the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and the National Development Agenda of the Country.

Speaking during the consultation, UNDP Country Director Pa Lamin Beyai stressed that Liberia has a lot of development challenges which need “all hands-on deck” to resolve. Dr. Beyai said UNDP usually operates by soliciting the views of in- country experts for national ownership.

“As you know our support is usually catalytic and is based on government’s priority and the best people who can articulate the priorities of government of Liberia will be these capacities we have around this table,” the UNDP Boss stated.

Also making remarks, Acting Internal Affairs Minister Varney Sirleaf thanked UNDP for the collaboration thus far in the implementation of the current CPD which the Ministry of Internal Affairs is playing a key role.

Minister Sirleaf said under the current CPD, the Ministry is implementing the de-concentration phase of the Decentralization Programme, with the establishment of Country Service Centers in eleven of Liberia’s fifteen counties.

For his part, Acting Assistant Minister for Sectoral Planning at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning Sidiki Quisia said the implementation of the current CPD is moving smoothly.

He said Ebola left a toll on the country’s governance and other systems, including a one-year break in the implementation of the 2013-2017 CPD. Acting Minister Quisia stated that as the Agenda for Transformation (AfT) comes to an end in December this year, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has begun the design of a successor framework as a baseline for the Country’s national development agenda.

The two-day event highlights key messages of a new Strategic Plan (2018-2021) endorsed by the Executive Board of UNDP on Tuesday 28, November. It also takes into consideration the emerging global, regional and national planning landscape, alignment challenges, overview of national priorities and transition imperatives.

UNDP’s current Program Document 2013-2017 was expected to come to an end in 2017. But implementation of the Plan was interrupted as a result of the Ebola crisis. Thus, it has been extended to 2018.-Press release