Originally published on the CGS blog on June 27, 2011.
On Friday, June 24, I attended the event Liberia: Through the Eyes of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s First Elected Female Head of State at the United States Institute of Peace. President Johnson Sirleaf’s visit comes just three months before the Liberian general elections, in which she is running for another five-year term. Since being inaugurated on January 16, 2006, President Johnson Sirleaf has lead post-conflict Liberia through economic and political development focused on global partnerships and education.
To commence her presentation on Friday, President Johnson Sirleaf explained that her time in Washington has been spent meeting with leaders on Capitol Hill to thank them for the careful attention they have given Liberia’s development during the eight years since the country’s civil war ended. She also hopes her visit will encourage continued U.S. assistance to sub-Saharan African countries. Among the many reasons for the U.S. to continue supporting Liberia, President Johnson Sirleaf explained that she has used the funds to increase infrastructure such as building over 800 miles of roads and developing the economy into one of the twenty fastest growing in the world.
In September 2003, the Security Council created the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to help implement the ceasefire agreement, support national security development, and contribute to humanitarian aid. During Friday’s presentation, President Johnson Sirleaf sited national peace and security as the most immediate challenges to Liberia. Further, she emphasized the fact that outside military intervention through UNMIL, is critical in creating national stability particularly by training the army and police forces. The great strides that Liberia has taken as a result of UNMIL serve as a reminder of the importance of sustained U.N. funding from the United States.
An event with Africa’s first female elected official would not be complete without discussing Liberia’s gender-based action plan. While the President stated that there is still no gender equality, Liberia’s Ministry of Gender and Development is working to address sexual and gender-based violence by setting up special courts to prosecute perpetrators. Also, an association of women lawyers works with the Ministry to ensure that national laws do not discriminate against women. Women’s empowerment has been a major element of the President’s strategic plan for the nation since her election.
What I took away from hearing President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf speech was how important consistent U.S. foreign aid is to peacekeeping and development operations worldwide. Liberia is an excellent example of the effective use of foreign aid to lift a country out of post-conflict chaos. I definitely left the United States Institute of Peace believing President Johnson Sirleaf when she said, “Liberia is in business, Liberia is on the move.”
