EU Presidency Statement - International Reconstruction Conference on Liberia

Mr. Chairman,

Distinguished participants, I would like, on behalf of the European Union to warmly commend all those who have assisted in the organisation of our Conference here today and who have worked so diligently over the past few months, to ensure that the outcome is a success.

For almost 15 years Liberians have known little but conflict and violence. The country and its infrastructure have been devastated. More importantly, the people of Liberia have borne incalculable suffering and displacement. A generation of children, girls and boys, have had their childhood stolen from them through abduction, forced labour and through forced recruitment as child soldiers. The scenes of terror and mayhem which were broadcast from Monrovia in the middle of last year were only a grim snapshot of what the people of Liberia have suffered for too long.

It is only a little under six months since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and four months since the National Transitional Government of Liberia assumed power, and the fact that we are here today, optimistic yet realistic about the future of Liberia, is a major achievement in itself.

The violence and its effects on every aspect of Liberian life have left Liberia as one of the poorest countries in the world. Liberia now has an opportunity to reverse its fortunes and to set in train a process of recovery and reconstruction which can set the country on a path of peace and progress.

We must be realistic. The challenges facing Liberia are enormous. The peace process remains fragile and the economy has collapsed. Yet such challenges are not unique. As donors we have gained valuable experience and lessons from similar post conflict situations. Our aim must be to incorporate the lessons learned, in a practical way in all our recovery and reconstruction activities. The importance of coordination cannot be over-emphasised. We know this view is widely shared and must find concrete expression in all our practical arrangements.

The EU welcomes the Joint Needs Assessment report presented by the Transitional Government, UN and the World Bank. We agree with the overall thrust of this report and acknowledge the difficulties in obtaining primary source information in certain cases. The Results Focussed Transitional Framework (RFTF) is ambitious, but we believe realistic providing there is peace, stability and sufficient international support.

Whilst recent experience of post-conflict situations has been mixed, our understanding of the elements required for post conflict development is improving. The two most critical lessons seem to be that the process has to be >owned= by the population concerned and that high levels of international engagement need to be sustained for many years. I know from my own experience in Northern Ireland how difficult it is to achieve lasting peace where deep divisions and suspicions exist. It would be counterproductive for us to impose absolute conditions. What is required is motivation and support rather than prescription.

Nevertheless, the European Union requests the Liberian delegation to give civil society (including those who did not take up arms but pursued peaceful resolution of the conflict), a strong position in government and administration vis a vis the former belligerents, so as not to give the impression that warring parties are rewarded to the disadvantage of civil society.

We should bear in mind that ultimately it is the National Transitional Government of Liberia that must lay the foundations for a peaceful return to a democratic system in which the Government and people adhere to the global values of human rights, good governance and democracy. The international community can help, but Liberia must be rebuilt by the Liberians. In this context I would like to recall that Liberia and the European Union initiated a reinforced political dialogue, which is still under way, following the conclusion of formal consultations during which the Government committed itself to meeting a set of political benchmarks in the fields of human rights, democracy, rule of law and good governance. These benchmarks should be met during the transition period.

We are all here today to pledge our support for the challenging task of rebuilding Liberia. The pledges of financial support are welcome and heartening as an indication of the real international commitment to this goal. Financial resources alone are, of course, not sufficient. The way in which the financial resources are translated into actions and programmes will be the key to the outcome of our efforts.

Successful reconstruction will necessitate building the capacity of local institutions and systems, good governance and key sectoral assistance especially in the areas of basic needs and livelihood support. The scale and impact of HIV/Aids needs to be given priority. The legacy of displacement, abduction and sexual abuse has, no doubt, led to increased levels of HIV/Aids. Unless this issue is addressed openly and comprehensively we risk undermining all development gains.

We all share a great desire to begin the work of reconstruction as soon as feasible. The process must be managed carefully in order to balance our understandable desire to achieve early results with the capacity of the National Transitional Government to manage the process. The targets or benchmarks outlined in the RFTF will be helpful in enabling the international community and the Liberian authorities to gauge progress and identify bottlenecks or adjust priorities.

It is critically important that we should not lose sight of the urgency of the current humanitarian situation. The scale of needs on the humanitarian front in Liberia is still great. We have a duty to continue to provide sufficient resources to meet the needs of the most vulnerable sections of the population. Helping the people of Liberia to survive from one day to the next is no less of an imperative for the international community than supporting the task of rebuilding the country and laying down the foundations for lasting peace and stability.

In order to promote the healing process in Liberia after a long-lasting civil war, the EU considers it important that the problem of impunity is addressed by Liberian authorities. Sustainable reconciliation presupposes that those who bear responsiblity for crimes against humanity, war crimes and other serious violations of international law are brought to justice.

The EU supported the population directly during the crisis and it continues to do so. Equally, it fully supports the peace process in Liberia and knows that this support must be underpinned by financial assistance. Last August the EU had already agreed to make €50 million available to support the peace process. At that point in time the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) had deployed troops to help enforce respect for the ceasefire agreement. ECOWAS was in the process of establishing an office for its permanent representative in Liberia, tasked with monitoring the implementation of the peace agreement. The European Union was pleased to be able to assist ECOWAS with these objectives.

The European Union also considers that the rapid and successful implementation of the Disarmament, Demobilisation, Reintegration and Rehabilitation (DDRR) Programme is vital to allow the National Transitional Government of Liberia fulfil its mandate. European Development Funds have been set aside for this and last month a first contribution agreement of EUR 4 million was signed between the European Commission and the United Nations Development Programme, in order to contribute to the UN Trust Fund. These activities shall be complemented by local community development activities that will be financed from an ongoing EUR25 million reintegration programme for refugees and internally displaced persons.

Weakness and lack of transparency in financial management, particularly in the area of revenue collection have been identified as key capacity difficulties in Liberia. Financial management and economic policy is therefore one of the sectors that needs to be reviewed and supported as a matter of priority in order that the Transitional Government can resume proper financial management. The European Union stands ready to assist the Government with this and the European Commission is, at the request of the Transitional Government, preparing audits of the revenue generating sectors. On the basis of the outcome of these audits, further support to these key sectors could be considered.

The European Union, through the European Community Humanitarian Office, ECHO, will continue to provide emergency and humanitarian assistance as it has done last year. In 2003 ECHO made €12 million available for humanitarian activities in Liberia that are currently being implemented by the NGO community. For 2004 some €7 to €8 million from the regional programme will be focussed on Liberia.

But much more needs to be done. The Results Focussed Transitional Framework clearly spells out the needs of the country for the next two years. The European Union is prepared to do more and I am pleased to inform you that last December, Commissioner Nielson notified the Government of Liberia of an allocation of € 55 million from the 9th European Development Fund. We will soon discuss with the Government of Liberia how these funds could be best used and the Results Focussed Transitional Framework is an excellent starting point for these discussions.

In conclusion, let me again pledge the EU's continued support for Liberia. The European Community alone will provide an overall amount of 200 million US dollars through the European Development Fund and humanitarian funds to contribute to the transition process and emergency relief over the coming two years. Depending on the overall cooperation reviews to be carried out in 2004, progress in implementing the funds committed so far and success in meeting the political benchmarks, the allocation of further funds in the future is not excluded. We want to work hand in hand with all stakeholders, including the Transitional Government, civil society in Liberia, the UN and other international agencies as well as our donor partners.

Finally, speaking on behalf of my own delegation, I would like to outline the assistance that Ireland proposes to provide for Liberia. Ireland has deployed 430 members of the Irish Permanent Defence Forces for the UNMIL operation. In addition Ireland provided €2.5 million in humanitarian assistance in 2003. I now wish to pledge an additional €5 million in recovery and humanitarian assistance over the next 24 months. This assistance will be dispersed in line with the Needs Assessment to ensure that our contribution adds value to the national and international effort.

Thank you.

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• EU Presidency Statement - International Reconstruction Conference on Liberia (6/2/2004)