Monrovia, Liberia - The Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator of United Nations Operations in Liberia, Mr. Moustapha Soumaré, welcomes the arrival of the United Nations Technical Assessment Mission (TAM) to Liberia.

Members of the TAM, who arrived in the country on Sunday 19 February 2012, will, as directed by the United Nations Security Council, assess the situation in Liberia and conduct a thorough review of the progress made towards UNMIL's strategic objective of a steady state of security in the country and Liberian security institutions that are operational independently of a peacekeeping mission. Based on this assessment, the TAM will develop recommendations for the future of the UN Mission in Liberia.

The TAM, led by Assistant Secretary-General for Operations of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Edmond Mulet, is an inter-disciplinary team, comprised of various members, including from the humanitarian and development community, and who will be conducting their assessment in close consultation with the Government of Liberia and all relevant stakeholders.  The TAM will prepare a report for the United Nations Secretary-General's review.

Mr. Soumaré welcomed the team today and said that UNMIL and the UN family looked forward to sharing with them the progress made, and that they would also outline the remaining challenges still facing Liberia.  The Acting SRSG highlighted the need for the TAM to focus specifically on the progress made so far with respect to the Mission's strategic objective to ensure a sustained state of security in Liberia.  He asked that special attention be paid to the assessment of the capacity of national security institutions, and specifically their ability to operate effectively and independently of the Mission.

Mr. Soumaré also noted that this is not the first time a TAM has visited Liberia, there were TAMs in 2007 and in 2009 - and "that the United Nations is committed to Liberia and UNMIL will continue to work on a responsible transition process, while the entire UN family will remain committed to "Delivering as One" for the Liberian people."
 
A special report containing the findings and recommendations of this specific assessment mission will be presented by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the Security Council by 30 April 2012, as requested in Security Council resolution 2008 (2011).