UNMIL PR 96
Monrovia, Liberia - The President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor has promised continued support for Liberia's rule of law and emerging economic sectors as a means to encourage Liberia along its road to sustainable peace. President Kufuor was speaking to senior officials of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) on the sidelines of a State visit on 22 and 23 November 2008, where he received Liberia's highest national award for the role he played in restoring peace, democracy and stability in Liberia.
He told the gathering that, "besides political conflict, emerging global phenomena, such as climate change with its consequent cataclysms, has forced even the most powerful nations to accept that they are no longer insular islands. The UN can help make global governance work and it has shown this by providing leadership to trouble spots in the world."
President Kufuor noted that the additional support and resources brought by the United Nations to Liberia soon after the Ghanaian military stepped in to help end the conflict, points to the fact that we live in an interdependent world. "Conflict could occur anywhere and the UN can learn from what transpired in Liberia to help the international community tackle emerging conflicts in other parts of the world," he said.
Deputy UN Envoy for Recovery and Governance, Jordan Ryan, expressed the Organization's gratitude to President Kufuor for being a voice of democracy and reason, on the continent and in the world. "From the Accra Peace Accord to the present, you have used your talents and leadership, wherever peace is needed," he said and assured the President that UNMIL and its partners were working side by side with the Government of Liberia "to implement measures that will give people a sense of security and restore their confidence in Liberia's rule of law institutions."
Deputy Envoy for Rule of Law, Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, pointed out that Ghana had been a steadfast partner to Liberia, especially in its justice reform efforts. She said, "Liberia is seeking collaboration with Ghana to replicate the Career Magistrates Training Program of the Ghanaian Judicial Training Institute." As an area for future collaboration, she also mentioned that Liberian prisons could be modeled on Ghanaian lines, with prison farms, which, she said, "would greatly relieve the pressure on the national budget, with respect to feeding prisoners".
Furthermore, President Kufuor expressed his immense pride in the Ghanaian military, police and civilians for the contributions they have made, through the UN, towards making Liberia more secure and stable. "Ghana will provide whatever support it can to Liberia and we will do so, in the name of humanity, because that is what any Government should do," he stated.
He also referred to the Ghanaian presence in Liberia as "a strong force, whose accumulated experience can be harnessed to strengthen governance back in Ghana".