Liberia: Statement During UN Peacebuilding Commission Configuration Meeting

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, briefers.

I extend a warm welcome to Hon. Varney A. Sirleaf.

Kenya welcomes the focus on state building underlined by national reconciliation, social cohesion and integration. We acknowledge the progress and peace gains Liberia has made in its political transition. We note that during Liberia's transition, the Government zeroed in on the issue of national development and poverty reduction, as reflected in the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD 2018-2023) and the Liberia Vision 2030 framework.

The alignment of development with peacebuilding elements, such as nationally driven preventive diplomacy, conflict resolution, national reconciliation, recovery and reconstruction, is an approach strongly reflected in the UN peacebuilding normative framework, including the 2016 UN Peacebuilding Architecture twin resolutions (GA/70/262 and SCR 2282). It will be of interest to hear from the Resident Coordinator some of the SDGs the UN Country Team is focusing on at the ground level to reinforce social cohesion.

Based on the discussions we have had so far, I will touch on two issues that reinforce the interdependence between peace, security and development within the framework of national reconciliation and social cohesion.

First, on national reconciliation and SSR and DDR+ efforts: the rule of law, transitional justice and the promotion of healing and reconciliation need to be situated within effective and inclusive Security Sector Reforms and Demobilization, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) programs. Social cohesion and national reconciliation cannot be successfully achieved without SSR and DDR+ efforts that address pockets of fragmented conflicts often reinforced by micro-politics driven by non-state actors who capitalize on social discontent and underdevelopment. Therefore, locally driven community violence reduction, proper national management of Liberia's natural resources, and inclusive socio-economic empowerment and development projects need to remain front and center.

Secondly, on national reconciliation and investment in human capital: the Liberian PAPD, the Strategic Roadmap for National Healing, Peacebuilding and Reconciliation, and the Consolidated Peace and Reconciliation Plan (2020-2025) have identified youth as potential drivers of growth and transformation for the country. Youth economic empowerment, including youth in border communities, through equitable education, employment, entrepreneurship, technological training and access to markets, is an important aspect of ensuring peace sustenance. The slow pace of implementation of the WPS agenda is an indication that in instances where women are not economically empowered, and are not taking leadership, the roll-out of WPS National Action Plans is usually in vain.

Thank you, Dr. Yvette Chesson-Wureh, for providing us with practical PBC entry points to support local Liberian women peacebuilders and civil society. Your "Women's Situation Room" (WSR), a uniquely African initiative, is an important political transition tool that has also been used in my own country.

The role of Liberian women in social cohesion, national reconciliation and grassroots peace initiatives needs continuance and reinforcement for a comprehensive engagement with societal, environmental and political challenges to peacebuilding. It is our hope that both development and financial stakeholders will rally around Liberia's vision of the interdependence between peace, security and development, particularly given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We welcome the continued engagement between the Liberian Government and the PBC, the Peacebuilding Fund, the African Development Bank, the IMF and the World Bank in contributing support for governance reforms, access to basic social services, and addressing the gendered and demographic challenges to peace, security and development.