UN System in Liberia Wants Government Implement All UPR Recommendations
Monrovia – The United Nations in Liberia led by its Resident Coordinator Niels Scott, has called on the Liberian Government to implement all of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations covering its third cycle. The UPR is a ‘unique’ process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States by the Human Rights Council (HRC). It also provides the states an opportunity for them to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to overcome challenges to the enjoyment of human rights. However, the UN Resident Coordinator, Niels Scott called on the Government to implement all of the UPR recommendations or as many as possible. For his part, the UNDP Resident Representative to Liberia, Stephen Rodriques promised the government’s continued support towards implementing the recommendations.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 08, 2021 04:18 UTC
Finance Minister Tweah, New U.S. Ambassador Rap on Development Potential in Liberia
Monrovia – The United States Ambassador assigned to Liberia, Michael A. McCarthy has lauded President George M. Weah and the government of Liberia for the economic and developmental strides made amidst what he termed as “daunting challenges”. Ambassador McCarthy also noted that Liberia’s fight against corruption will be further enhanced when practical and concrete steps are taken beyond legislative enactments. He referenced the proposal by President Weah to create a fast track court for corruption related cases and a pending Judicial Conference as major steps in that direction. He also agreed with Ambassador McCarthy on the need to carefully deal with concession contracts, indicating that contractual agreements between Liberia and investors will also address the principles of equity and fair play. He further mentioned that modalities are been worked out to ensure the viability of the Liberia Electricity Corporation, noting that the LEC remains vital to Liberia’s economic development drive.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 08, 2021 03:45 UTC
Liberia: The Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission Reaffirms Numene T.H. Bartkwa winner Grand Kru County Senatorial Election
Liberia: The Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission Reaffirms Numene T.H. Bartkwa winner Grand Kru County Senatorial ElectionCommissioner Barsee Leo Kpangkai reads the BOC ruling, declares Numene T.H. Bartkwa winner Grand Kru CountyMONROVIA – The Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission, over the weekend affirmed and confirmed its earlier declaration ruling declaring Numene T. H. Bartekwa as winner of the 8 December 2020 Special Senatorial Elections in Grand Kru County. Numene T. H. Bartekwa as Second respondent in the 8 December 2020 Special Senatorial Election in Grand Kru county. Botoe Kanneh, Candidate Gbarpolu county Special Senatorial Elections.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 08, 2021 03:45 UTC
Liberia: Nine-Month-Old Child Unable to Sit or Lay on the Back Due to Growth on the Buttocks; Caretaker Pleads for Assistance to Perform Surgery
Liberia: Nine-Month-Old Child Unable to Sit or Lay on the Back Due to Growth on the Buttocks; Caretaker Pleads for Assistance to Perform SurgeryBuchanan, Grand Bassa – Life is becoming very unbearable for nine months old little Blessed Jones who can’t sit or lay on her back due to unknown sickness that needs surgery. Little Blessed Jones and her sister are twins who lost their mother while giving birth to them at the Liberian Government Hospital in Buchanan in 2020. According to Decontee Jones, care taker of the kids, little Blessed Jones can’t sit because of an unknown sickness she was born with that needs surgery. “I have come to beg everyone to pity the condition of little Blessed Jones and help because her life is miserable”. Little Blessed Jones and her aunty are currently residing at the Monrovia Junction in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 08, 2021 03:45 UTC
Liberia: Aggrieved Grand Cape Mount Senatorial Candidate Calls on Supporters to Remain Calm as Elections Commission Look into His Complaint
It can be recalled that Senator Watson filed a complaint at the National Elections Commission (NEC) after his political rival, Simeon Taylor, was declared the winner of the Grand Cape Mount County Senatorial election which took place across Liberia on December 8, 2020. “We fought 14 years’ war because people felt their rights were politically infringed on or their rights were taken away from them. Conduit for peaceSenator Watson described the country’s National Elections Commission as a “conduit of peace”. “We are urging the National Elections Commission to do everything in her own weak way to make sure that the people of Cape Mount sense justice. Those fraudulent and corrupt acts should be stopped by the National Elections Commission; they should undo those kinds of actions.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 08, 2021 03:43 UTC
Liberia: “Global Partnership is Cardinal for Health Security” – President Weah Calls for Joint Efforts to Combat Health Crisis
Monrovia – President George Manneh Weah has called for joint efforts to combat various health crisis affecting countries across the globe. President Weah at the commissioning ceremony of the Polio Emergency Center in Monrovia, stated that “partnership is cardinal for health security.”“An outbreak in one country is an outbreak anywhere. Without collaboration and support from our international partners, it would be impossible to succeed at stopping any virus such as Covid-19 or polio from overwhelming our health system,” President Weah said. Because of the importance the Polio Emergency Center attached to Liberia’s health system, Weah has emphasized the need for a stronger national leadership and the development of a well-coordinated crisis response capability. Weah then commended the Ministry of Health for taking the polio emergency campaign and leading this process.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 08, 2021 03:33 UTC
Keynote Message Delivered By Cllr. Tiawan S. Gongloe, President of The Liberia National Bar Association at The 2021 Armed Forces Symposium
I want to begin by saying a little bit about my link with the Armed Forces of Liberia. I was appointed as the trial counsel and commissioned with the rank of colonel of the Armed Forces of Liberia, by a special order issued by the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Before speaking on the topic of the day, permit me to briefly reflect on the past of the Liberian military. And so, the Armed Forces of Liberia, stole the show on the early morning of April 12, 1980. I wish the men and women of the Armed Forces of Liberia a blissful celebration of Armed Forces Day, 2021.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 08, 2021 03:33 UTC
Open Letter to The Members of the Legislature
It is on this basis as bedrock that Part II, title: FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AT WORK was drawn within the Decent Work Act of 2015. Honorable Senators, section 2.6(i) a) states as follows “All employers and workers in Liberia, without distinction whatsoever, may establish and join organizations of their own choosing, without prior authorization, and subject only to the rules of the organization concerned. What will interest you to note is LWSC dissolved the Worker Union and dismissed said persons by prejudice and preemptive judgment that which violates those dismissed rights as well as trample on the rights of other employees who are so desirous of joining a Union or an Association that will advocate for them. Honorable Senators, I write to crave your usual indulgence as the People’s Senators to intervene into the matter as presented supra. Best regards,Peal Nyenkan (AMB)Women & Human Rights AdvocateMember, UN Women Africa Youth Steering Committee[email protected]
Source:Front Page Africa
February 08, 2021 03:20 UTC
Ministry of Mines and Energy Inspects Illegal Mining Sites Southeastern Liberia
Maryland County –Mining Inspectors from the Ministry of Mines and Energy, currently carrying out operations against illicit and illegal Mining activities in Southeastern Liberia, have reported major progress in Barrobo District, Maryland County. According to the Head of Public Relations at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Richard Manuba, the Mining Inspectors detected the syndicate and destroyed all of the hidden Dredge materials. The clamp down on illicit mining in Class ‘C’ or Artisanal Small-scale Mining (ASM), is in fulfillment of Mines and Energy Minister, Gesler Murray’s 3-month ultimatum given the Inspectorate Division of the Ministry to clear Liberian rivers and streams of all illegal Dredges and curtail the use of Mercury for Gold Mining. Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector-General for Mines, Adolphus Gleekia, is commending Minister Gesler Murray for the support and confidence reposed in the Inspectorate Division, and has assured the Minister that the Division will work tirelessly to stop illicit mining on all watersways in Liberia, and bring the perpetrators before the Law for prosecution. According to Mr. Gleekia, the ongoing Nationwide operation by Mining Inspectors will continue in the Southeast for an unspecified period of time, and then move over to the rest of the six Mining Regions of the Country.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 08, 2021 03:14 UTC
Free Liberia Movement, Universal Human Rights, Harvard University Lawyers Call on President Biden to Re-designate DED to Protect All Liberians
We request a refund with interest and admission of Liberia into the US Visa Waiver Program,” the groups demanded. BackgroundIn the early 1990s, thousands of Liberians fled the violence of the civil war to the United States. Through his painstaking research on U.S. – Liberia relationship, he gathered that ten Liberian presidents were born and educated in the United States. “Liberia deserves special consideration because of the history of American Colonization and the settlement of free men of color from the United States in Liberia and the contributions Liberia continues to make to the United States,” he wrote. He furthered: “Article 1 of the Liberian Constitution of 1824 granted privileges to Liberians that we have not enjoyed.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 07, 2021 11:15 UTC
President Tshisekedi of Democratic Republic of Congo takes over as Chairman of AU
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) have elected President Felix- Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as the new Chairperson of the African Union for the year 2021. The President of the DRC is taking over the baton of command from President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa of South Africa following the end of his tenure as the Chairperson of the African Union for the year 2020. Highlighting the theme of the year 2021, the new AU Chairperson Tshisekedi said, Arts, Culture and Heritage constitute the foundation of the African renaissance and offers the opportunity for Africans to return to our roots. “Culture is indeed, as Léopold Sédar Senghor said, at the beginning and at the end of everything, because it embraces all areas of life. The outgoing Chair of the Union further underlined the initiatives undertaken under his leadership to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 07, 2021 01:18 UTC
Introducing Sanctity in Liberia’s Nascent Democracy: A Country in Transition to Violence
It is indeed an open secret that Liberia’s transition from civil war to a post-war nation took a relatively longer period of time from its inception in the late 1980s to 1997. Additionally, in order to prevent continuous violence in the country, the government needs to construct more TVET institutions in big cities. In spite of this fragility, the peace under her was uninterrupted, and unity wasn’t achieved… leaving the country still divided in diverse ways. For instance, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report on Liberia revealed that current inflation rate stands at 22.3%. Therefore, many of them are fueling violence and protests as avenues for airing and addressing their disenchantments.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 07, 2021 01:18 UTC
Prosecution Alleges Gibril Massaquoi Directed Witnesses in War Crimes Trial
Gibril Massaquoi in opening day at the Pirkanmaa District Court in Tampere, Finland. Saila Huusko/New NarrativesTAMPERE, Finland – Prosecutors in the war crimes trial of Gibril Massaquoi alleged Friday that the defendant tried to influence witnesses in the case. The final day of the first week of the trial in Pirkanmaa District Court in the Finnish city of Tampere was dominated by Massaquoi’s defense. Sierra Leonean Gibril Massaquoi, 51, is charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder and aggravated rape, allegedly committed during the second Liberian Civil War between 1999 and 2003. On Thursday, Massaquoi’s defense lawyers argued that these organizations may have played a role in influencing witnesses’ narratives.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 07, 2021 00:33 UTC
Liberia: Brownie Samukai Reaffirmed as Winner of Lofa County Senatorial Election
Monrovia – The Board of Commissioners, (BOC) of the National Elections Commission, (NEC) has reaffirmed and confirmed its earlier ruling declaring Collaborating Political Parties Candidate, CPP, J. Brownie Samukai as winner of the 8 December 2020 Special Senatorial Elections in Lofa County. The seven persons Board of Commissioners unanimous decision was read today Friday 5 February 2021 by Commissioner Josephine Kou Gaye. Samuel Kortimai have accepted the ruling and announced an appeal to the Honorable Supreme Court of Liberia. Botoe Kanneh, Candidate Gbarpolu county Special Senatorial Elections. Numene T. H. Bartekwa as Second respondent in the 8 December 2020 Special Senatorial Election case in Grand Kru county.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 05, 2021 20:26 UTC
Liberia: House of Representatives Workers Besiege Speaker’s Vehicle in Demand for 17 Months’ Arrears
MONROVIA – Several workers of the House of Representatives on Thursday besieged the vehicle of Speaker Bhofal Chambers in demand for their 17 months’ salary arrears. Thursday’s protest is just the latest of several other protect staged by these workers at the Capitol Building in demand for their money. In a related development, the leadership of the Liberian Senate headed by Senate President Pro-Tempore Albert Chie and aggrieved Senate staffers have reached a compromise at the Capitol to pay 16 months’ Liberian dollar salary arrears owed them in three installments. The aggrieved staffers were represented by spokesman Charles Brown. At the Judiciary late last year, aggrieved staffers protested for the same purpose, which led protest leader Archie Ponpon setting himself ablaze before the Temple of Justice in Monrovia.
Source:Front Page Africa
February 05, 2021 08:26 UTC