NEW YORK, USA: Liberia’s President, George Manneh Weah, will today address the 78th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York, United States of America (USA).
The UN General Assembly which brings together World Leaders to discuss wide-range of cutting-edge global issues, has, as its Theme: “Rebuilding Trust and Reigniting Global Solidarity: Accelerating Action on the 2030 Agenda and its Development Goals towards Peace, Prosperity, Progress and Sustainability for All.”
The Debate of the UN General Assembly will take place from 19-26, September, 2023.
In his Address to the August Assembly this year, President George Manneh Weah is expected to outline the progress Liberia has made and the challenges that the country faces in the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and perhaps express Liberia’s position on other global issues including Climate Change and its Effects, Russia’s War on Ukraine, just to mention a few.
President Weah and members of his high-powered Liberian Delegation left the country Thursday, September 14, 2023, and safely arrived in Manhattan, New York, USA, on Sunday, September 17, 2023 for the UN General Assembly. This is President Weah’s six time attending the UNGA since he ascended to the Liberian Presidency.
The Liberian leader, first attended the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly held on Wednesday, September 26, 2018, in New York; United States of America (USA).
In his 2018 Address to the UN General Assembly, President Weah briefed the world body, then, on the 2017 elections in Liberia that brought him to the leadership of the Liberian Nation.
President Weah, at the time, told the UN that “Liberians participated in the Presidential and Legislative elections, the results of which represented a major shift in the underlying fundamentals of the Liberian political dynamic.”
“In an orderly, lawful, and peaceful manner, Liberians voted in overwhelming numbers for a Change for Hope. This was the first time in 73 years that Liberians enjoyed a peaceful transfer of power from one democratically-elected Government to another,” President Weah added, then.
Weah To UNGA: “At the end of the long campaign, when the results were announced after the run-off, it became clear that the pendulum had swung in the direction of youthful leadership, and that the paradigm had shifted in favor of change and transformation. The United Nations and its various bodies, as well as regional organizations and many of our bilateral partners and friends, were direct witnesses to the maturity of the Liberian electorate, our respect for law and order, and the successful institutionalization of the democratic processes.”
“As Standard Bearer of the winning Coalition for Democratic Change, the mantle and responsibility of leading this transformation therefore devolved upon me, when I was inaugurated as the 24th President of Liberia on January 22, 2018.The challenges of leadership are enormous, but in each and every one of these challenges, I see opportunities to make things better, and to bring permanent improvements to the lives of all Liberians, as we devise policies and programs that will have a lasting and positive impact on the lives of our citizens,” President Weah told the 73rd UNGA, then.
Weah to UNGA in 2018: “The umbrella program under which we intend to pursue prosperity is the Pro-Poor Agenda for Development and Prosperity (PAPD), our National Development Plan for the next five years. This is not an Agenda only for the poor; it is for the benefit of all Liberians. But it is a policy framework that gives priority to the alleviation of poverty, and its core objective and focus is to reduce the marginalization of the most vulnerable, whilst at the same time creating a conducive atmosphere for the middle- and upper-income Liberians to grow and prosper.”
The following year, 2019, President Weah told the 74th Session of the UNGA that Liberia is a “UN success story.”
“After being devastated by a brutal civil conflict that lasted for 14 years, peace was restored and maintained by what was then the largest peace-keeping force in the history of this organization. Under the auspices of the UNMIL peace-keepers, Liberians enjoyed sixteen (16) years of unbroken peace. We are pleased and grateful for the efforts and sacrifices made by them to secure our peace,” he indicated to the world body.
“When the peace-keeping force was withdrawn two years ago, the responsibility for maintaining peace in Liberia was passed on to the Liberian Government.
“This is a responsibility to which I attach the greatest importance, because without peace, our world will be difficult. We are all aware of the terrible destruction of lives and properties caused by civil war.
“However, long after the guns have been silenced, the survivors have to live with the collateral damage of the war-wounded, the shattered families, the displaced populations, the resettlement of refugees, and all the other negative consequences of a national socio-economic fabric that has been torn apart.
“Since I assumed the leadership of my country almost two years now, I have remained focused on my charge to ensure that peace prevails in Liberia. At that time, we committed ourselves to upholding our constitutional mandate, which is to ensure that all the democratic rights of our citizens would be guaranteed and protected.
“I am proud to say that I have kept this promise; and our country is today a beacon of democracy in Africa, where freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of association and other political and democratic rights are respected, under the rule of law,” President further briefed the global gathering of leaders.
Touching on Liberia’s political environment, then, President Weah narrated to the 74th Session of the UNGA that “The political environment remains vibrant, with political actors and parties freely exercising their franchise and participating in various elections. Mr. President, I am delighted to report that there are no political prisoners in Liberia, and existing laws that hindered or threatened press freedom have been de-criminalized.”
Also addressing the 76th of the UNGA, on September 23, 2021, President Weah told the World: “I strongly believe and I am aware that Food Systems are fundamental to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. Food systems impact the lives and livelihoods of people around the world.”
According to the Liberian President then, “It is also evident that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed deficiencies in our food systems, and has had a negative impact on progress in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
“I am delighted to note that actions to transform our food systems will be informed by the outcomes of our national food systems dialogues. The dialogues are considered vital thematic elements deeply embedded in our National Development Plan; the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD),” he stressed, then.
“They focused not only on what the prevailing situation is for viable food systems in Liberia; but also, on what needs to be done, and how it can be done. We must optimize the use of our scarce public resources in order to transform food systems while preserving our environment and bio-diversity,” President Weah further told the UNGA.
The Liberian leader, at the time, expressed the hope that the UNGA would “serve as an opportunity to generate bold and ambitious actions to transform our global food systems. Let us leverage the power of food systems to drive the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and galvanize our efforts to deliver on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
President Weah further told the UNGA in 2021: “My Government makes the following commitments; constituting a national plan for the transformation of our Food Systems and concrete actions towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda:
“We will ensure that Women, who are widely considered a driving force of our country’s food production, have direct access to basic support and resources – access to arable land through titled ownerships, financial loans and grants, market links, technology, training and extension services to ensure viable food systems;
“We will act to ensure that Youths are encouraged to get more involved in food systems to reduce unemployment and enhance well-being;
“We will move to have small-holder farmers supported with machinery needed to transform their tasks; as well as support to agri-businesses in the food value chains with financial grants to expand food production and processing;
“In the same vein, Excellencies, my government further commits to enlisting and advancing, the following ‘Summit’s Coalitions of Action’: Youth Employment; Making Food Systems work for women and girls; School Meals: Nutrition, Health, & Education for Every Child; Resilient Food Supply Chains.”
The Liberian President further indicated, then, that the Government of Liberia remains committed to the overarching goal of the Summit: “Transformation towards a healthier; more sustainable; more equitable and more resilient food systems.”
In President Weah’s Address to the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), he pointed out, then, : “This year’s Assembly is taking place at a difficult time when, even as the world is recovering from the scourge of COVID-19, we continue to face the challenges of the war in Ukraine, climate change and its devastating effects on our environment.
“Just as the Ukrainian people are enduring the harsh impact of this unwarranted military incursion, the rest of the world is feeling the harsh consequences of economic downturn caused by disruptions in global supply chains, food insecurity, and rising prices of basic goods and services,” the Liberian Leader asserted, then.
Weah to the 77th UNGA: “The theme of this year’s Assembly, “A Watershed Moment: Transformative Solutions to Interlocking Challenges”, is both appropriate and meaningful. It not only reminds us about the current state of our world, and provides us the space to reflect on the multiple challenges that confront us today.
“They include the health and socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the devastating effects of climate change, environmental concerns, poverty reduction, food insecurity, and gender inequality.
“The challenges confronting the world today will require immediate collective global actions with the United Nations at the center of the search for solutions.
“In so doing, we must give special consideration to the needs of developing countries, particularly, the Least Developed Countries; in line with the Doha Program of Action for Least Developed Countries for the Decade; 2022-2031.
“Working together with the United Nations family, Liberia hereby commits to protect our planet, to promote peace, prevent conflicts, to ensure sustainable financing, and to boost partnerships,” the Liberian President, at the time told the UNGA.
In 2022, President Weah emphatically told the UN General Assembly that democracy in Liberia continues to grow and that, after many years of civil upheaval, Liberia is becoming a stronghold of peace and a safe haven for democracy.
He informed the world body that from the beginning of his administration to date, there is no political prisoner in the country and assured the world leaders of his government’s unwavering commitment to maintaining an environment conducive to peaceful, free, fair, and transparent elections during the 2023 election year.
