• House Extols UNMIL Ahead of March 31 Departure for Liberia’s Peace and Development, Source: Daily OBSERVER
• President Weah Contravening Code of Conduct, Information Ministry Misconstrues Asset Declaration Timeline,  Source: FrontPage Africa
• ‘Time to Move beyond Advocacy’ - Liberia’s First Lady Admonishes, Source: FrontPage Africa
• ArcelorMittal Liberia Under House Probe, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa
• Pro-Economic Freedom Group Slams Government for Contradicting Policy, Source: FrontPage Africa
• To Upgrade Slums, NHA Signs Protocol Agreement with Chinese Company, Source: Daily OBSERVER

House Extols UNMIL Ahead of March 31 Departure for Liberia’s Peace and Development, Source: Daily OBSERVER

Ahead of the final departure of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) on March 31, after 15 years in the country, the House of Representatives through a joint resolution has acknowledged UNMIL for its enormous contributions towards the country’s peace and development. Thirty-three lawmakers affixed their signatures to the joint resolution on Tuesday constituting a simple majority and was forwarded to the Senate for concurrence.

In the resolution, the lawmakers acknowledged the invaluable role of UNMIL’s various sections and capacities, including the Political Section, Rule of Law Section, Peace Consolidation and Logistics Section and Radio, which have facilitated Liberia’s democratic progress and supported the successful conduct of four major elections – 2005, 2011, 2015 and, only recently, the 2017 historic presidential elections and peaceful transition from one democratically elected government to another.

“Recognizing that the inestimable sacrifices of the various UN Special Representatives of the Secretary General (SRSG) deployed in Liberia to lead the UN’s engagements in the past 14 years and, in particular, the distinguished role of the current Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head of UNMIL, Ambassador Farid Zarif and his Deputies Waldemar Vrey, DSRSG for Political Affairs and Rule of Law; Yacoub El Hillo, DSRSG for Peace Consolidation, Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative in galvanizing the UN intervention in Liberia, including strong advocacy for women political participation; and especially Ambassador Zarif’s excellent political good offices’ support and coordination of international partners’ efforts towards the success of the recent Presidential Elections of 26 December 2017 and peaceful democratic transition on 22 January 2018,” the joint resolution said. Read more

President Weah Contravening Code of Conduct, Information Ministry Misconstrues Asset Declaration Timeline,  Source: FrontPage Africa

FrontPage Africa reports that recent moves by the Information Ministry to defend President George Weah’s apparent reluctance to declare his asset have backfired as details in the Code of Conduct (CoC) and regulations instituted by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) show that President Weah is blatantly violating the law.

At the same time, the president is failing to ensure that all of his appointees disclose their assets to the LACC as a means of sustaining the fight against the corruption pandemic. Observers say this could dent the credibility of President Weah’s much-publicized ‘pro-poor’ agenda that should also prioritize upholding integrity and strengthening anti-graft policies.

According to the World Bank, more than 150 countries have introduced asset disclosure requirements for their public officials, which serve as a “powerful tool to prevent corruption, detect illicit enrichment and conflicts of interests and is use for public scrutiny.” In Liberia, assets declaration has added to the impetus of anti-corruption – although there have been dangling strides in curbing the menace.  Read more

‘Time to Move beyond Advocacy’ - Liberia’s First Lady Admonishes, Source: FrontPage Africa

Liberia’s first lady, Ambassador Clar Marie Weah says it is time to progress from advocacy for gender equality in Africa to participation and concrete actions. Delivering special remarks at a Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) side event organized by Liberia in New York, Ambassador Weah urged women to build a culture of competitiveness and take advantage of gender equality laws crafted specifically to increase women's participation in politics, society and the economy. 

Reflecting on the event's theme: Rural Women and Girls Economic Empowerment, the Liberian first lady said it was time to empower rural women by giving them land ownership and access to credit to increase their agriculture output and provide much-needed income. She believes such action would reverse some cultural practices that intentionally create gender inequality.

“It would be a major achievement if one of the key outcomes of this gathering would be to find ways to equip our mothers, sisters, and children living in rural Liberia with the skills and competencies so that they become a driving force for a sustainable economic growth and social welfare in Liberia,” Ambassador Weah stressed. Read more

ArcelorMittal Liberia under House Probe, Sources: Daily OBSERVER and FrontPage Africa

The House of Representatives has mandated the Committees on Lands, Mines, and Energy; the Judiciary, Investment, and Labor to investigate ArcelorMittal Liberia Limited over allegations of disrespect to members of the Legislature, allegedly bad social and environmental agreement, and bad labor practices at the company’s operation area. The House’s Plenary has also added the Bong, Grand Bassa, and Nimba Counties Legislative Caucuses to form part of the probe.

The House’s decision was reached on Tuesday following a communication to Speaker Bhofal Chambers from Representative Joseph Nyan Somwarbi pleading with his colleagues to invite the management of the company to clarify some concerns raised by him. The Joint Committee is expected to report to plenary two weeks after the Easter Break.  Read more

Pro-Economic Freedom Group Slams Government for Contradicting Policy, Source: FrontPage Africa

The Economic Freedom Fighters of Liberia (EFFL) has frowned on the decision of the George Weah’s ‘pro-poor’ government to reduce the budget of the Ministries of Agriculture, Health and other agencies of government. The group, in a press release on Tuesday, said President Weah’s decision, which is captured in the recast budget, is a “direct contradiction of the government pro-poor agenda”.

“The recasting of the budget was a unique platform for President George M. Weah to illustrate his assurance to the ordinary Liberians that his administration is ready for business,” the EFFL said in a release. The group noted that reducing the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture from USD 6,026,429 to USD5,321,457 and the Ministry of Health from USD75,617,974 to USD72,224,058 is tantamount to reducing the two ministries of government to a level of dormancy due to the lack of funds. Read more

To Upgrade Slums, NHA Signs Protocol Agreement with Chinese Company, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The National Housing Authority (NHA) Tuesday signed an official protocol with the Shandong Tiancheng Municipal Highway Engineering Co., Limited, a press release said Tuesday. NHA managing director Duannah Siryon signed for his entity and Duan Xiaoquan, deputy general manager signed on behalf of his company at a ceremony at the NHA’s head office in Monrovia. Mr. Siryon said the protocol agreement is a legal instrument that provides the two organizations common ground for further discussions in the housing sector. He said the NHA is in partnership with the Shandong Tiancheng in NHA’s efforts to seek further funding toward its slum community upgrading program across the country. Read more