UNMIL Spokesperson, Ms Yasmina Bouziane, Justice Minister and Attorney General, Hon. Christiana Tah, and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Rule of Law, Ms. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu
NEAR VERBATIM
Yasmina Bouziane (UNMIL Spokesperson)
Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the media. I am Yasmina Bouziane, UNMIL's Spokesperson. I would like to welcome you once again to the UN Mission in Liberia press briefing for this week, today, 19 May 2010.
I would like to take this opportunity not only to welcome you, as it has been a little while since we first met in March, but also to let you know how much the Mission appreciates the support you members of the media have provided UNMIL through the publication of our press releases and all the information that we put out. Thank you very much for your cooperation and for all the coverage you have done for the Mission's various activities.
Before I introduce our special guests for today's briefing - I would also like to extend a very warm welcome to all of our dedicated UNMIL Radio listeners, who have tuned in now to our live press conference and who tune in to all of our programmes, especially those who tune in to the Friday morning Coffee Break to listen to the Mission's highlights, which we appreciate. So, I would like to welcome all the UNMIL Radio listeners. Thank you very much.
Today's press briefing will focus primarily on "Enhancing access to justice" and it is with pleasure that I would like to introduce our special guest, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Madam Christiana Tah. Counselor Tah, having held the post of Minister of Justice since June 2009, truly needs no further introduction as she is quite well known to all of you members of the media as well as the Liberian people throughout the country. Welcome Madame Tah.
We also have with us today UNMIL's Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Rule of Law, Madam Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu. As part of her many duties, Madam Mensa-Bonsu is responsible for overseeing the Legal and Judicial System Support Division of UNMIL. This division is tasked with assisting the Government in a number of ways, especially to re-establish national justice institutions and the legal framework for legal judicial systems. Welcome to you Madam Mensa-Bonsu.
Before handing over the floor to our special guest, I will very briefly take just a few minutes to update you on activities leading to the launch of the Community Policing Sensitization Campaign in Bong County this week. Yesterday, a clean-up drive was done by the Liberia National Police (LNP) and community stakeholders. A two-day Community Policing Awareness workshop for the LNP and community leaders kicks off today; while the official county-wide launch of the Community Policing Sensitization Campaign takes place on Friday. These activities are led by the LNP and supported by the United Nations.
Similar activities will be replicated in Maryland, Grand Kru, River Gee, Grand Gedeh and Sinoe counties during the latter part of this month and in June. These efforts are geared towards strengthening Community-Policing relations, aimed at preventing and combating crimes in various communities across Liberia.
I wanted to highlight this one activity as it is essential and a benefit for community relations and a grand achievement for the Liberian National Police and it is a cooperative activity with the United Nations which is on-going.
So with regards to the highlights, this is what we have today and without further due, it is now with pleasure that I hand the floor over to Justice Minister Tah who will brief you media representatives and our UNMIL Radio listeners on the subject, "enhancing access to justice."
Once again, Madame Minister, welcome.