S/PV.6391 Security Council

I thank Mr. Von der Schulenburg for his briefing. I now give the floor to Mr. McNee. Mr. McNee: I am pleased to have the opportunity to brief the Council in my capacity as Chair of the Sierra Leone configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission. While the past year has seen Sierra Leone make considerable strides forward, significant challenges remain. Ten years after the end of the civil war and two years ahead of the third set of national elections, Sierra Leone stands poised to consolidate peace fully and embark on long-term economic development. Doing so successfully will require continued support. The Peacebuilding Commission is currently considering the progress that has been achieved in consolidating peace in Sierra Leone and is charting its future engagement. Indeed, the Sierra Leone configuration will meet this afternoon to discuss these issues and adopt an outcome document containing conclusions and recommendations. This review process has focused on the joint progress report on the Agenda for Change prepared by the Government of Sierra Leone in full collaboration with the United Nations, international partners and civil society. The report in our view is an impressive achievement. Its preparation reflected strong national ownership and included the participation of a wide range of national stakeholders, including civil society. Its findings are comprehensive, mapping progress across the entire Agenda for Change and providing important recommendations for future action. Given that the review monitors progress on the basis of all actors’ contributions, it continues Sierra Leone’s exemplary record as a country where standards for aid effectiveness, engagement in post-conflict States and integrated service delivery are put into practice. As decided last year, the Peacebuilding Commission has focused its engagement on the major threats to peace consolidation identified in the Agenda for Change, specifically concerning good governance and the rule of law, youth employment and drug trafficking. There have been successes in each of those areas. The Anti-Corruption Commission continues its excellent work, now under the able leadership of a new Commissioner. The establishment of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation as an independent media organization will help further democratization. The Joint Drug Interdiction Task Force has been transformed into the Transnational Crime Unit under the West Africa Coast Initiative. Sierra Leone has also made important changes to its youth employment and empowerment strategy, moving to better match skills-training and employment programmes with market demand. The creation and ongoing establishment of the National Youth Commission represents another significant step forward. But to that list of successes one must add emerging needs. Attention is rightly turning to preparations for the 2012 elections, as Mr. Von der Schulenburg just noted. Those elections represent one of the significant remaining challenges before Sierra Leone completes the process of consolidating peace and embarks on longer-term development. It is essential that political conditions be established for free, fair and peaceful elections. That will require continued progress on implementing the agreements in the joint communiqué of April 2009, further strengthening the Political Parties Registration Commission and providing the National Electoral Commission with the necessary support. Continuing to build the capacity of the Sierra Leone police to serve as a neutral and effective force for stability will also be critical. Most important, it is imperative that the major political parties engage in a manner that reinforces peaceful democratic governance and mitigates burgeoning regional tensions within the country. The United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL), under the able leadership of the Executive Representative of the Secretary-General, has already conducted a series of activities intended to improve multiparty dialogue, mediate wider political tensions and build capacity to respond to incidents of public disorder. It is clear that this particular aspect of UNIPSIL’s mandate will be of growing importance over the next year. Sierra Leone is also increasingly taking advantage of its abundant natural resources. The latent economic potential of the mining sector in particular holds great promise for generating growth, strengthening Sierra Leone’s budget and reducing dependency on aid. Yet, as we have all seen in other contexts, natural resources also bring risks. Resources must be managed in a transparent manner that delivers the economic benefits of a peace dividend to the population as a whole. Sierra Leone’s membership in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the Kimberly Process are important initiatives in that respect. (spoke in French) Let me conclude by turning to a crucial issue with respect to peacebuilding. For the most part, Sierra Leone has established the strategic and institutional mechanisms needed to coordinate and implement peacebuilding activities. In the Agenda for Change and the United Nations Joint Vision, the country has two comprehensive and integrated strategies. Yet the need for resources remains significant. The United Nations multi-donor trust fund established to fund the Joint Vision and, in that regard, to support the Agenda for Change, has to date received only $10 million towards a multi-year target of $204 million. While the international community has been quick to commend the particular model of integrated peacebuilding developed in the country, it has been slower to mobilize resources. Recognizing this need, the Sierra Leone configuration has decided to develop a resource mobilization plan to help meet current funding targets, attract non-traditional donors and explore alternate means of providing international assistance. Sierra Leone remains a multilateral success story in peacebuilding, but the country is at a critical juncture. A final investment in peace is necessary to secure the gains that have been made since the end of the civil war. The Peacebuilding Commission stands ready to continue assisting Sierra Leone’s efforts to mitigate the major threats to peace. It also wants to support the country in the preparations for the holding of free, fair and peaceful elections in 2012. Lastly, the Peacebuilding Commission is determined to assist the country to build a durable and comprehensive peace to the benefit of all Sierra Leoneans.

I thank Mr. McNee for his briefing. I now give the floor to Her Excellency Mrs. Zainab Hawa Bangura, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone.

My delegation congratulates you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of September. We would also like to thank you for convening this meeting on the situation in Sierra Leone and for giving us the opportunity to contribute to this debate. We also express our sincere appreciation to the Secretary-General for his detailed report (S/2010/471) on the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL). Among other things, the report highlights the important developments that have taken place in the country, the challenges to surmount and, of course, the activities of UNIPSIL during the period under review. The recent visit of the Secretary- General to our country was particularly productive and remains fresh in the minds of all Sierra Leoneans, as it coincided with the inauguration of the second-ever independent public broadcaster in Africa, the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation. We would also like to pay particular tribute to the Executive Representative of the Secretary-General for his statement this morning, as well as to the Chair of the Sierra Leone country-specific configuration, Ambassador John McNee, for his usual meaningful and instructive contribution to this debate. For due economy of time, I will resist the temptation to recount in detail all the important developments that have taken place in my country during the period under review, as President Ernest Bai Koroma, in addressing the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session, already did so five days ago by outlining some of the visible progress his Government has made during that time, in partnership with the international community, in the process of consolidating peace and security to promote economic growth and development. Many of those efforts and successes, which are also reflected in the report before us today, have equally been acclaimed in indicators, such as those of the Global Peace Index, which ranks Sierra Leone as the fifty-third most peaceful country in the world; the Mo Ibrahim Index, which reflects our significantly improved ranking in democratic governance among crisis-affected countries; the World Bank rankings on doing business; and the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, among others. However, the President was very forthright in cautioning against complacency based on our achievements so far and in asserting that those accolades should serve as a catalyst for the Government to intensify its efforts to improve the quality of life of its people. The Government is fully cognizant of the importance of some of the issues that the Secretary- General raises in the report with regard to the implementation of the joint communiqué of 2 April 2009, in particular with respect to such matters as the dialogue among political parties, the report of the Independent Review Panel, the proposed inquest into the executions, on 29 December 1992, of a former inspector-general of the police and 27 others, and the enhancement of the political participation of women in Sierra Leone. With respect to furthering the culture of political tolerance, President Koroma has consistently emphasized that, irrespective of political affiliation or religious denomination, the bonds of unity that bind us together as a nation are stronger than the issues that have a tendency to divide us. In one such instance, he reassured the country by asserting: “I am President of the country and I have a responsibility to unify the country. I have a responsibility to let everybody develop a new concept of democracy, a new culture of democracy, and that is, you are not enemy with anybody. You are just maybe opponents on political issues, but at the end of the day we must present ourselves as Sierra Leoneans, united in the development of our country.” On various occasions, he has extended the olive branch and has been quick to point out that tolerance is a two-way street and that all Sierra Leoneans should strive for a unified nation. He has demonstrated his commitment to deepening the democratic process and unifying the country, not only by his regular visits around the country, but also by ensuring that the development programmes initiated by the Government are implemented fairly throughout the country, irrespective of the political leanings or ethnicity of any particular region or locale. The Government is fully committed to strengthening governance and private sector development. The fight against corruption is unrelenting. A new anti-corruption Commissioner has been appointed, and the Government continues to provide financial support for the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy. The commitment to fighting drug trafficking and transnational organized crime is equally vigorous. We have transformed the Joint Drug Interdiction Task Force into the Transnational Crime Unit, with much greater leverage to eradicate that pernicious menace. However, it is greatly in need of sustained technical assistance and support. On another major front in the ongoing peacebuilding initiative, we have been able to take further steps to address the concerns of the young people of the country. A Youth Commissioner was recently appointed to lead the National Youth Commission, established to formulate strategy and policy related to the empowerment and involvement of the youth population in nation-building and national development. That clearly signals the Commission’s readiness to undertake its responsibilities and to start work on implementing its strategies. We would therefore appreciate more concrete support from all our partners, including those that have been actively involved in addressing that challenge. With respect to the forthcoming 2012 elections, the Government is committed to ensuring that the National Electoral Commission and the Political Parties Registration Commission deliver effectively on their constitutional mandate, independently and free of interference. In that regard, my colleague the Minister for Finance and Economic Development, has already started mobilizing support and the necessary resources to set the stage for a credible, free, fair and fully participatory process. We count on the United Nations and the international community to respond promptly and favourably to his call to action. Achieving openness and transparency in the exploitation of our mineral resources is one of the most fundamental aspects of the Government’s development policy, with the political will to ensure that the country’s vast mineral wealth is exploited for the benefit of the people. To that end, the Government is very receptive to the concerns that have been raised over the mining agreements entered into recently, and is strongly disposed to put in place modalities to address those concerns with a view to ensuring full compliance with the country’s mineral laws. Despite the Government’s efforts and the progress that has been made to date in addressing many of the problems that led to the civil war, challenges still abound. Some aspects of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission still require support for their full implementation. Most notably, the reparations process remains largely underfunded some six years after the recommendations were issued. On the socio-economic front, the prevailing global economic and financial uncertainties are seriously undermining our efforts to turn around the economy as quickly as desired. In view of the severe impact of those uncertainties on our efforts, we appeal for urgent and appropriate attention to be given to the delivery of the pledges made at the most recent Consultative Group meeting on Sierra Leone, held in London. I would like to reiterate my Government’s commitment to playing a constructive role in addressing the unfolding events and democratization process in the sister Republic of Guinea. We are satisfied that our National Electoral Commission was able to facilitate and ensure the enfranchisement of Guinean citizens in Sierra Leone, particularly within the context of the Mano River Union. In that regard, we will continue to monitor events with intense interest. The Government is actively considering the report of the Independent Review Panel, as well as the proposed inquest into the extrajudicial executions of 29 December 1992, involving a former inspector- general and 27 other private citizens, with due regard to resolving this matter in the best interests of the nation. In conclusion, I would like to register our gratitude to the members of Council for their sustained interest in and engagement with Sierra Leone. We look forward to their steadfast support of our continuing efforts to ensure sustainable peace and long-term prosperity in Sierra Leone and to keep this potential success story on course. We share the concerns raised by the Executive Representative of the Secretary-General on the steady decline in funding of United Nations operations, in particular UNIPSIL, and the adverse effect that it will have on the work and credibility of the United Nations. We hope that that decline will be effectively addressed by Council.

I thank Minister Bangura for her statement. There are no other speakers inscribed on my list. In accordance with the understanding reached in the Council’s prior consultations, I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion of the subject. The meeting rose at 10.45 a.m.