Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations

Opening Statement by the Mr. Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, at the first meeting of the NTGL/UN/ECOWAS Coordination Mechanism

20 September 2004


Excellencies,
Mr. Gyude Bryant, Chairman of the National Transitional Government of Liberia
Mr Nana Akufo-Addo Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ghana, representing the Chairman of ECOWAS General Abdulsalami Abubakar, ECOWAS Mediator for the peace process in Liberia

Mr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Executive Secretary of ECOWAS

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. I am very pleased of the decision taken by the National Transitional Government of Liberia, the UN and ECOWAS to establish this important mechanism, which should enable us to forge and pursue a common strategy in supporting the Liberian peace process. A similar mechanism put in place for Sierra Leone greatly contributed to the success of our joint efforts in that country. The fact that the first meeting of the coordination mechanism for Liberia is taking place at this high level underscores the determination of the international community to give its fullest support to the people of Liberia as they strive to emerge from 14 years of a devastating conflict.

2. Remarkable progress has been made over the last year in the efforts to bring peace to Liberia. Much of this is due to the partnership that has existed among the transitional government, ECOWAS, UNMIL and all UN partners, both on the ground and at headquarters, and many generous bilateral donors.

3. The disarmament and demobilization of ex-combatants is scheduled to be completed on

4. 31 October. This will pave the way for us all to concentrate on the reintegration of the former combatants, the resettlement of IDPs and returning refugees, and the preparations for national elections, which will take place in October 2005. Action on these critical issues should not be delayed.

5. We now have a total of 14,533 UN troops deployed throughout the country, including on the borders with Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Sierra Leone. In addition to stabilizing Liberia, this effective deployment is increasingly enabling the three peacekeeping missions in the subregion (UNMIL, UNAMSIL and ONUCI) to address cross-border issues between those countries, in particular the movement of arms and ex-combatants.

6. The process of training and restructuring Liberia’s police service has started off very well. We now have 1,090 UN CIVPOL officers, including four formed police units, on the ground. Since it was re-opened in June, the National Police Academy in Monrovia has been taking in 150 recruits for the new Liberian police service every month. Our goal is to train 1,800 recruits by the time the elections take place in October 2005.

7. We are providing technical support aimed at building the capacity of the judiciary and correctional facilities. However, the entire judicial system is still facing enormous infrastructural, logistical, material and human resources challenges. We are also assisting in restoring civil administration throughout the country, and in building the capacity of numerous government agencies, parastatals and public corporations. On this front, the transparent management of national resources, and indeed the whole economy, will be essential. On the humanitarian front, UN agencies and NGOs are establishing offices in more areas up-country and are playing a key role as service providers in the DDRR programme.

8. We will have an opportunity this afternoon to discuss key aspects of the peace process, and to deliberate on the serious challenges and steps ahead. As we discuss these issues, there are several areas of concern that we need to focus on. First is the lack of adequate funding for the reintegration of ex-combatants. There is currently a huge funding gap. As of August, the UNDP Trust Fund required some $42 million for RR activities for 48,400 ex-combatants out of an estimated 80,000 that may be expected to disarm; UNICEF, the EC and USAID are expected to provide programmes for the remaining ex-combatants. It is absolutely essential that donors provide the necessary funding to support these RR activities if the DDRR programme is to succeed, but above all, a comprehensive, well structured and forward looking rehabilitation and reintegration programme will be necessary.

9. A second key concern is the shortfall in funding for the return of refugees and IDPs. Delays in programmes for the resettlement of returning refugees and IDPs means that there will be few communities outside Monrovia into which combatants could reintegrate and that the recovery process would be significantly slowed down. Furthermore, such delays would adversely affect the timetable for the registration of voters for the October 2005 elections. Altogether we have to involve civil society in the process of democratic and economic transformation

10. Third is the overall slow pace at which funding is being made available for Liberia’s reconstruction and recovery. To date, only $253 million has been received of the $520 million pledged by donors in February. I cannot overstate the importance of ensuring that donors move quickly to disburse the remaining pledges if Liberia is to have a chance at national recovery. At the same time, I would encourage the NTGL to ensure that there are adequate financial controls in place to deal with the disbursement of donor contributions, matched by accountability and the fight against corruption.

11. A fourth concern is the lack of full political commitment on the part of some factions and members of the transitional government to the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Nearly one year after the inauguration of the transitional government, the armed factions are still fighting over Government posts. This has made it difficult for the Transitional Government to function as a cohesive administration. I trust that ECOWAS will continue to work tirelessly with the factions on this front

12. A fifth area of concern is the limited capacity of the Transitional Government to run the country in an effective manner and to deliver basic services to the population. The Transitional Government has no funds for either the proper functioning of the ministries or for restoring its presence throughout the country. In spite of these challenges, Chairman Bryant is continuing to work tirelessly to bring the hitherto divided country together. His recent visits to the counties demonstrated that the authority of the NTGL is now extending beyond Monrovia. However, efforts must be made to develop the capacity of the transitional government to deliver services to the population in the counties. In this regard, the significant role that can be played by Liberian civil society in the reconstruction, development and democratisation of the country should not be underestimated. They should become true partners in this process.

13. Sixth, we remain concerned about the continuing divisions and power struggles within the LURD, which have the potential to degenerate into violence. It is our hope that ECOWAS will continue to lend a brotherly hand to resolve this potentially very violent situation.

14. Finally, both the Liberian people and the international community are concerned that former President Charles Taylor has yet to be brought to justice. In this regard, I would like to reiterate the Secretary-General’s view that the judicial process set in motion by the indictment of Charles Taylor, which was announced by the Special Court of Sierra Leone on 4 June 2003, and the subsequent decisions of the Court relating to the indictment should be respected.

15. Excellencies, the positive developments in Liberia have come about as a result of the close cooperation, as well as the firm stand taken on various issues by the ECOWAS Mediator, UNMIL, ECOWAS Ambassadors on the ground and the International Contact Group on Liberia, whenever problems have arisen. We welcome the firm decision taken by ECOWAS leaders in Accra on 29 July to address a number of these issues.

It is therefore very important and necessary for these steps to continue, especially to contain effectively the ‘spoilers’, as well as to address occasional setbacks in the implementation of the Agreement as we all move towards the holding of elections in October 2005. I trust that all concerned will begin to work towards realistic and comprehensive peace implementation benchmarks which could serve as a master plan for national and international partners. I am confident that this coordination mechanism will usefully serve both as a political forum and as a practical instrument that contributes to ensuring that the peace process remains on track. I look forward to a candid discussion of the issues at hand and to a successful meeting.

Thank you.