United Press International - February 5, 2004
William M. Reilly, UPI United Nations Correspondent

Speakers were making pleas for generous donations for Liberia to help the country and stabilize the West Africa region.

U.N. Development Program Administrator Mark Malloch Brown chairs the U.N. Development Group, which organized the two-day International Conference on the Reconstruction of Liberia.

The meeting was a "critical milestone" in Liberia's journey from crisis to recovery, offering a chance "to help achieve a real and lasting peace dividend," he said.

Malloch Brown said the signing in August of a peace accord brought an end to 14 years of conflict and led to an international effort to help Liberians recover from its ruinous effects.

"It is also a crucial opportunity to help stabilize a region that has inevitably been affected by spill over," he said, referring to the West Africa region. "But it is a fragile peace and urgent action is now needed to help ensure that the gains that have been made towards Liberia's recovery are not reversed."

Ambassador Philippe Djangone-Bi of the Ivory Coast underscored what Malloch Brown referred to in the immediate region, when he said during one of the technical discussions which dominated the day, that the people of Liberia's neighbors -- Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast -- "are very closely linked, separated by often artificial borders as armed conflict in one country has repercussions in all the other countries of the sub-region."

The small peacekeeping force in his country is up for expansion later in the month.

Liberia's Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs Christian Herbert said domestic resources were woefully inadequate to meet the needs of post-conflict reconstruction. External assistance was required to ensure improved security; the success of the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and resettlement program; good governance; democratic development and the rule of law; and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.

Herbert said priorities contained in the rebuilding plan reflected the basic needs of the Liberian people, estimated at 3 million. While the situation in and around the capital of Monrovia could be considered to have improved, most of the country's rural areas were inaccessible and dangerous, and international support is critical to distributing humanitarian assistance.

U.N. Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Carolyn McAskie said that while great strides had been made since last summer, many Liberians had still not seen the benefits of the peace agreement. Urgent assistance is needed so that people can return to their homes knowing that basic services are available.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative Jacques Paul Klein told reporters, "Monrovia is a city of 1 million people with no electricity and no running water."

A team comprising representatives from the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, non-governmental organizations and the Liberian transitional government has been working for the past two months to prepare a report for the conference assessing the country's needs.

According to that report, an estimated $488 million in assistance will be required for priorities ranging from demobilizing combatants -- some as young as 12 years -- and helping them return home, get schooling and find jobs, to organizing elections in 2005. Also being sought are the rebuilding of roads, restoration of electricity, reopening of schools and health clinics, and stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The $488 million is in addition to about $180 million requested for Liberia in November by the United Nations as part of its consolidated appeal for its worldwide humanitarian activities.

Participants Friday include the secretary-general, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin of France, Chairman Gyude Bryant of the National Transitional Government of Liberia, and Klein.

Pledges then are expected.
040205
UP040204

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2004. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .