S/PV.6610 Security Council

I thank Ms. Løj for her briefing. I now give the floor to His Highness Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein. Prince Zeid Raad Zeid Al-Hussein (spoke in Arabic): Allow me at the outset to express our joy at seeing you, Sir, preside over the Council and your brotherly nation lead the work of the Council this month. We are confident of your wisdom and your talents, and we are sure that we will be able to achieve our objectives. (spoke in English) It has been almost a year since I assumed my role as Chairman of the Liberia configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and, after three visits there and countless discussions here, as well as in Washington, D.C., and in Brussels, and numerous meetings attended via video teleconference with colleagues in Monrovia, I wish to share my thoughts about the prospects for a non-return to the sort of violence that has marked so much of Liberia’s recent history. In other words, given what we know about the state of the State of Liberia now and the security and justice needs that remain extant, what are the prospects that Liberia will survive peacefully and flourish once the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has departed? Or, ultimately, will the time and effort invested by the United Nations peacekeepers, currently led by a remarkable and talented Special Representative of the Secretary-General operating according to mandates established by the Council, be in the end for something or for nothing? To answer bluntly, I believe that if we as Governments had the same confidence the world of the private sector possesses, given the latter’s recent preparedness to invest in the range of $16 billion in Liberia over the next two decades or so — with almost two-thirds of the investing companies coming from eight countries presently represented on the Security Council — then Liberia will succeed, and it will succeed very well. The Liberians have the talent and the desire to retire their country from war, not temporarily this time, but permanently. The true question for Liberia, it would seem to me, lies not entirely with them, but to some extent with us. Do we, as the representatives of Governments, acting individually or collectively here at the United Nations, have the same confidence in Liberia that is shown by the private sector globally? The test will come soon enough in the form of money, of course. The Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), whose top donor is also a member of the Council, will finance the first of the justice and security hubs in its entirety — that located in Gbarnga. We expect to have the entire compound ready, with buildings completed by the end of the year, and we are working with specific partners in the international community to explore the possibility of having key technical personnel trained to be able to provide a creditable service out of the hub to the peoples of Bong, Lofa and Nimba. The four other hubs and their specific locations are just being finalized now. They will be financed by the PBF at the level of $2 million each — roughly half their cost — with the PBC mobilizing funds outside of the PBF to foot the balance. This money must be found soon if our endeavours in Liberia are to prove successful. And that is not all. The Liberia Peacebuilding Programme contains a number of other important projects of a critical nature to the judiciary, the police and national reconciliation, agreed to by all the partners — the Liberian Government, the donor community and the United Nations — and, after some painstaking negotiations, now has a total value of almost $72 million. Once the Government has finalized the levels of expenditure on security and justice, and knowing how much we will expect from the Peacebuilding Fund — an initial contribution of close to $21 million — we expect to have to raise approximately $30 to $50 million. Some part of this may be offset by donor allocations already approved to some of the very sectors covered by the Liberia Peacebuilding Programme. The early signs from exploratory contacts with some Member States are not promising, however, where the PBC slice is concerned. The remaining money for the hubs and indeed the Peacebuilding Programme may indeed be hard to come by. Yet, in the meantime, it was clear to all members of the PBC delegation visiting Liberia from 12 to 17 June — and here I am very grateful to my colleagues from the United States, the United Kingdom, Nigeria and the Ukraine for their commitment — that the Liberian National Police, notwithstanding some very notable improvements in training and infrastructure, will not be ready any time soon to cope with either a possible increase in the levels of organized crime or any sudden spasms of widespread violence unless it is more robustly supported. And, once again, we face this rather bizarre situation of having sufficient money to pay for our peacekeepers, but once our peacekeepers are withdrawn, not even a small percentage of what was previously spent on them can then be redirected to the National Police as they assume virtually all the security tasks hitherto carried out by the United Nations. To present this point perhaps more graphically, there is something remarkable happening to common sense when we, the PBC, weave our way through the middle of Liberia, from one police station to another, in a 13-vehicle United Nations convoy carrying us, the delegation, senior Liberian officials, our colleagues from UNMIL and our security, only to discover time and again that each police station visited had barely enough fuel, if any, to keep even one vehicle on the road. The deficit separating what the United Nations can accomplish in such critical areas as transportation and what it would hope the Liberian National Police will soon accomplish in all areas, including not only transportation but in stemming the growth of transnational organized crime, remains numbing. That we must therefore invest more in them directly and urgently is all the more obvious to those who spend time in Liberia. Naturally, not everything needed in the three areas falling within the PBC’s portfolio — rule of law, security sector reform and national reconciliation — ought to come in the form of money. Liberia’s judiciary, for example, requires a court management system, with oversight to ensure the efficient conduct of trials, and the Liberians are attempting commendably to do this on their own. But here the Member States could do much to help them simply by providing some advice. Similarly, while funding from the international community was used over the past two years to finance platforms for dialogue, falling under the general rubric of national reconciliation, following the PBC’s discussions in June with the senior leadership in Liberia, including with Her Excellency the President — and prompted by the acute observations of Ambassador Marjon Kamara — it was agreed this would end, for now at least, until a clearer strategy had been formulated. Yet these examples of the nimble approach adopted by the PBC in addressing Liberia’s needs do not vitiate the urgent need for financial support in other equally important areas. More to the point, if the investment by us, collectively, both in time and in money, could be intensified significantly in the several months following the upcoming elections, particularly where the hubs and the Liberian National Police are concerned, we — and, more importantly, they, the Liberians — will be successful. I have no doubt about this. Should we not be able to pull together the resources and resolve to do this decisively, including by urging the Liberian authorities to devote more funding to their justice and security sectors, the Council will have had, in UNMIL, a successful peacekeeping operation, yes, but one that would likely depart a still very crippled country. The possible, maybe even probable, onset of widespread organized crime and the ensuing violence it would bring would overwhelm Liberia soon enough. In such a scenario, we would all, but especially the people of Liberia, bitterly lament the end of UNMIL — a terrible outcome in view of the extraordinary services rendered by the tens of thousands of United Nations peacekeepers who have lived with, and have worked for, the Liberian people. I sincerely hope that this will not come to be. It can be avoided.

I now give the floor to Mr. Toga Gayewea McIntosh, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Liberia.

It is an honour to be here and to participate in this very important review of the Secretary-General’s report (S/2011/497) on the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), including the comprehensive update provided by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, our sister Her Excellency Ms. Ellen Margerethe Løj. I must thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to make a few remarks. Let me begin by commending members of the Council for remaining engaged in a strong and positive manner with the Liberian situation. We are grateful and deeply indebted to the troop- and police-contributing countries, international civil servants, agencies of the United Nations system and international partners for the continuous support to Liberia during these difficult years. Our special appreciation and gratitude go to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and her staff for the demonstration of strong leadership and commitment. As we were told a few minutes ago, there have now been eight years of unbroken peace in Liberia. The country has moved progressively from an environment once characterized by violence, chaos and heavy indebtedness and lacking every semblance of social progress to a stage where growth and development can now be pursued. These positive developments substantiate the outstanding contributions that UNMIL has made since 2003. UNMIL’s achievements have ranged from keeping the peace to building the capacity of State institutions. It has played a key role in the coordination of international assistance and in filling critical logistical and infrastructural gaps. UNMIL has provided basic and specialized training to more than 4,000 police officers, including at least 700 women. These are but a few of the important benefits of UNMIL’s presence. Nurturing the fragile peace and ensuring that Liberia does not return to conflict remain major challenges. Capacity gaps still exist in many areas. The capacities of national security institutions still need to be strengthened. The Liberia Peacebuilding Programme, approved under the Liberian configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission, is supporting this critical effort by establishing regional justice and security hubs. The first of these has been established in Gbarnga, one of our country’s central cities. Four others are to follow in the other provinces. I must use this public forum to commend the strong commitment of the Chair of that configuration, Prince Zeid, for his strong commitment to the achievement of this noble objective. All of this requires urgent attention and concrete actions as UNMIL strategizes its drawdown approach. Today, Liberia is at a critical juncture. On 11 October, precisely 28 days from today, Liberians will go to the polls to elect their President and legislative representatives. It will also be a test of the will and determination of the Liberian people to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner, void of election violence and any action that undermines the hard-earned peace. The process leading to this important national event has so far been generally peaceful. We are pleased to report that UNMIL has been a significant partner in the process, providing security, dialoguing with political parties and other stakeholders and assisting the National Elections Commission in providing logistical preparedness and delivering electoral materials. This partnership between UNMIL and the Government of Liberia is vital. It is vital for ensuring that elections are free and fair, transparent and credible. The Government is unreservedly committed to this objective and hereby invites the international community to join in observing the process. As has been rightly emphasized by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, planning for the elections and addressing developments along our borders with Côte d’Ivoire remain daunting challenges. The recent mini-summit of heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States, held in Abuja just a few days ago, commended the role that is being played by the United Nations missions to stabilize the security situations in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia. They urged the United Nations to intensify joint UNMIL-United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire monitoring and control of the common border zone between the two countries. They also called for the creation of the requisite environment for the conduct of peaceful, free, fair and credible elections. We are heartened that the Special Representative of the Secretary-General has underscored the same sentiments. The anticipated United Nations assessment mission to Liberia in early 2012 will be critical for Liberia. It will judge Liberia’s readiness and ability to build on the gains made over the years using its own security capacity. The assessment mission will also be critical to the Security Council, as it will determine the nature and scope of its future engagement in Liberia. It is our view that an orderly and well-paced drawdown schedule will serve the mutual interests of both the Council and Liberia. That is why we humbly embrace and support the Secretary-General’s recommendation to this body for a 12-month extension of UNMIL’s mandate. The Government and people of Liberia are appreciative of the general support and endorsement that all the members of the Council will give to the Secretary-General’s recommendation.

There are no further speakers inscribed on my list. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion of the subject.