S/PV.6739 Security Council

I thank Mr. von der Schulenburg for his briefing. I now give the floor to Mr. Rishchynski.

I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to take the floor. In late January, I travelled to Sierra Leone to take stock of progress on peacebuilding. Let me express my gratitude for the warm welcome, strong support and frank engagement of all national and international interlocutors. Drawing on the findings of that visit, this morning I would like to offer advice on three important issues for Sierra Leone, namely, the forthcoming elections, regional challenges to peacebuilding, and the transition process that will take place in the country. First, technical and financial preparations for the elections are on track. At the same time, there is a clear need to encourage more open dialogue, both among the political parties and with the national electoral institutions. It is also crucial to better convince the public that all relevant stakeholders will behave in a professional and responsible manner. Political leaders have a particular responsibility to demonstrate their commitment to free, fair and peaceful political competition, including collectively through interparty mechanisms and at public events. As electoral campaigning begins in earnest, all parties must redouble their efforts to implement their commitments under the joint communiqué of 2009. The international community has a clear and constructive role to play in support of the electoral process. Sierra Leone’s partners should respond favourably to the Government’s requests for electoral observers. The United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) must continue to have a unique legitimacy and mandate with respect to enabling a favourable political environment. That should be the mission’s immediate priority as we approach the elections. The Security Council and the wider United Nations system should stand ready to provide any necessary support to UNIPSIL’s efforts. In that respect, the configuration looks forward to working closely with Mr. von der Schulenburg’s successor, because the departure of Mr. von der Schulenburg has created an unfortunate vacuum. The configuration encourages the Secretary-General to fill that position as quickly as possible. I would also like to take this opportunity to commend Mr. von der Schulenburg’s strong leadership and the considerable contribution he made during his years of service in Sierra Leone. At the personal level, I would like to say that it is a pity that he will not have the opportunity to see the conclusion of that excellent work. (spoke in English) The Security Council has recently focused more closely on transnational threats to peace and security. That is a welcome development, but much more is needed. Sierra Leone has taken impressive steps towards fighting transnational crime, yet it is hampered by the slower pace of progress elsewhere in the subregion. Stronger and more outcome-oriented engagement with regional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States, as well as increased support for regional programmes such as the West Africa Coast Initiative, is very much needed. The United Nations Office for West Africa plays a vital role in those issues and warrants continued strong support from the Council. Thirdly, Sierra Leone will face two transitions — one that is shifting from end-stage peacebuilding to a focus on longer-term development, while at the same time the Security Council may wish to consider drawing down UNIPSIL following successful elections later this year. Those processes need to be handled with great care. The United Nations, with strong leadership from UNIPSIL, has developed an innovative and integrated approach — a best practice in the truest sense of that term. Successful mechanisms should be retained and any transition designed to produce minimal shocks to existing practices. Some of the functions currently performed by UNIPSIL will need to be replaced by reinforcing other aspects of the country team. Similarly, Sierra Leone will continue to face significant development challenges and some of the underlying causes of conflict will linger until long- term economic development truly takes hold. International support must, in our judgment, reflect those realities, and the Peacebuilding Commission will shortly begin considering how its own engagement should evolve as part of that transitional process. The configuration will report back to the Security Council in due course. In closing, let me note that Sierra Leone has made tremendous progress since the end of its civil war. It is one of the success stories of United Nations peacebuilding. Yet the process is not quite finished, as repeated incidents of political violence over the past year have demonstrated. The Security Council should continue to pay close attention to peacebuilding in Sierra Leone and stand prepared to offer any necessary support. The Peacebuilding Commission will do the same by working in close partnership with all relevant national and international stakeholders towards meeting that goal.

I thank Mr. Rishchynski for his briefing. I now give the floor to the representative to His Excellency Mr. Joseph B. Dauda, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

Let me begin by congratulating you, Mr. President, on assuming the presidency of the Security Council for the month of March and by thanking you, first, for having convened this meeting on the situation in Sierra Leone and, secondly, for giving my delegation the opportunity to contribute to this debate. Let me also express our sincere appreciation to the Secretary-General for his detailed report on the activities of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra Leone (UNIPSIL) for the period of 1 September 2011 to 29 February 2012 (S/2012/160). I convey on behalf of His Excellency President Ernest Bai Koroma, the Government and the people of Sierra Leone profound appreciation for the relentless support and active interest of the United Nations and friends of Sierra Leone in consolidating peace and security in the country. Permit me to single out in this regard the strong leadership and commitment that the Canadian Chair continues to demonstrate in the pursuit of peace and security in Sierra Leone, as amply evidenced by Ambassador Guillermo Rishchynski during his recent visit to Sierra Leone. Our thanks also go to the outgoing Executive Representative of the Secretary-General in Sierra Leone and Head of UNIPSIL, Mr. Michael von der Schulenburg, for his role in the consolidation of peace and security and for maximizing the gains of our post-conflict development efforts. The report seeks to reflect developments in Sierra Leone, including progress made so far and the challenges faced since September 2011. As we commend ourselves for the gains made through the joint efforts of the Government and people of Sierra Leone, the United Nations and the international community, it is crucial that together we resolve to tackle the remaining challenges in order to consolidate comprehensively the gains made. President Ernest Bai Koroma remains committed to the consolidation of peace, security and sustainable development, as mapped out in our Agenda for Change. As noted in the report, the Government has made steady progress in addressing the three risks of youth unemployment, corruption and illicit drug trafficking and organized crime, identified in the Agenda for Change and endorsed by the Sierra Leone configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission in its outcome document of September 2009. The Government has demonstrated strong political will in dealing with issues of political violence, in whatever shape or form and irrespective of party affiliation, and will continue to use legal instruments to bring perpetrators of violence to justice. That was clearly demonstrated when the Government took action in respect of the political violence in Bo, in the Southern province of Sierra Leone, involving the presidential candidate of the main opposition party, which I referred to in my statement to the Council in September 2011 (S/PV.6609). The presidential, parliamentary and local council elections scheduled for 17 November 2012 indeed remain a crucial test for peace and democratic consolidation in the country. President Ernest Bai Koroma will continue to constantly engage all stakeholders, in particular the opposition parties, with a view to enhancing political dialogue and collective commitment to peaceful, free, fair, transparent and credible elections. The Government is currently considering the report of the Shears-Moses Commission of Inquiry into the March 2009 disturbances and will soon release a white paper on the recommendations of the Commission. We therefore urge the United Nations and all our development partners to continue to give their full support to the ongoing electoral process. The Government, in promoting women’s participation in the decision-making process in line with the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has been working with United Nations entities and various women’s groups, including the Women’s Social Support Group, in drafting a gender equality bill that will soon be presented to Parliament. The Government continues to make progress towards the education of the girl child and the provision of free health care to pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under five. The Government will continue to promote human rights issues in accordance with our national interest. The Government’s commitment to democratic governance and the maintenance of the independence of our democratic institutions, such as the National Electoral Commission, the Political Parties Registration Commission, the Independent Media Commission and civil society organizations remains undiminished. The Government will soon take the necessary steps to establish an independent police complaints committee. The independence of the judiciary has always been a feature of our democratic governance, and the Government will continue to maintain the inbuilt checks and balances provided for in the Constitution. The National Electoral Commission has duly taken ownership of the electoral process by playing a leading role in the biometric voter registration process and in the review and reform of the electoral laws. The Government recognizes the important role of the Independent Media Commission in regulating the conduct of the media and will continue to provide support to assist the Commission in effectively performing its functions. It is acknowledged that Sierra Leone is a success story in peacebuilding and we therefore renew our call on the international community to continue to invest in success in the spirit of the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States, adopted in Busan, Republic of Korea, and to recognize the need for special attention to be paid to countries emerging from conflict. In conclusion, I wish to confirm that the Government, recognizing the 2012 elections as a litmus test for our peace and democratic governance consolidation, is taking all necessary steps to ensure that the elections will be peaceful, free, fair, transparent and credible.

I thank Mr. Dauda for his statement. There are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion on the subject.