Hacked By HaTsA
UNSRSG Jordan Ryan
I leave Liberia with a sense of hope. Hope that peace will hold. Hope that Liberia will prosper. Hope that the Liberian people will emerge from the chaos of war, with a greater sense of self-reliance, more united and ready to meet the challenges the future will bring. I also leave with the expectation that the peace and security that we have all worked so hard to establish will be the foundation for the long overdue growth, development, and prosperity of which Liberia is capable.
I first arrived in Monrovia in early November 2005 during the period of the run-off election. I had been chosen by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to be his Deputy Special Representative in the UN Peacekeeping Mission. Landing at RIA on that first day, I glanced out of the plane window and saw UN soldiers and all those UN helicopters at the ready. Peacekeeping was a new face of the UN for me, and it was my new family. (My wife and daughter had to remain in New York, not allowed to join me.)
That first evening I took that long drive into town. I recall even now how deep the potholes were on the road and the darkness over the countryside. There simply was no electricity in the villages on the way into Monrovia. I saw an occasional fire that provided light and heat. I had arrived in a nation devastated by war.
Upon awakening that next morning, I saw the consequences of conflict. The dawn revealed a capital city plundered, many of its buildings barely standing, marked by mortar and ammunition barrages. Electricity was only provided by generators and city-supplied running water was unavailable. But today, a little more than three years from my arrival, Monrovia is bustling with considerable economic activity. And throughout the land much has changed.
Change can in large measure be said to have originated with the desire of all Liberians for peace. It was advanced by the election and inauguration of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. With the election, Liberians not only got the first woman president in Africa. They had also elected a dynamic, hands-on and passionate advocate for development.
I have known the President from her days as an Assistant Secretary-General in UNDP where she headed the Africa Bureau. I knew that the Liberians had selected a person with abundant energy, a forceful personality, and the knowledge of development to get things moving. She never hesitated to call me whenever the need arose, sometimes early in the morning and other times late at night. I can assure you she’d always let me know squarely how the UN could do better. But from the very first days sitting around the President’s kitchen table listening to her vision of a nation at work and at peace, I have been excited and honored to be part of a UN team at work in partnership with the President, her able team, and the Government of Liberia. Liberia is blessed. I have flown over the length and breadth of this country and journeyed along its bumpy roads to visit distant villages and districts. I have seen the wealth of this nation, from its forests to farm land, its rivers and sea coast (and been deluged by its great, pelting rains). I have seen its potential. Liberia’s future will draw upon this wealth, but realizing its potential will truly require the efforts of its greatest treasure, its people.
My hope for Liberia is based on the change I have seen in each of the 15 counties. With Liberians at work, recovery is now underway everywhere. It started early with an emphasis on getting people back to their homes. The Government and the UN made every effort to treat each refugee and internally displaced person with dignity and respect. And much was done for the re-integration of ex-combatants, to train them, and to turn them into a force for the collective good of the nation. Looking forward, I hope as Liberia confronts the effects of the global economic crisis that important international support and private investment will continue to be forthcoming.
On all my journeys I’ve enjoyed the chance to meet and talk with leaders and the very poor, chiefs and school children, farmers, market women and youth. They have shared with me their dreams and aspirations. And I have experienced warmth and hospitality, from the traditional greeting with a white chicken and kola nuts, to the taste of local dishes served up with my favorite, hot pepper sauce.
And my hope is that the Government and the nation’s leaders will continue to approach development from the people’s perspective, responding to their needs by assigning the highest possible priority to accountability. I am pleased that the UN, through our innovative County Support Teams, has been able to assist the Government to listen to and learn from the people in ways unimaginable a few short years ago. The County Development Agendas mark a new beginning of people-driven and people-oriented development.
Liberia’s broad agenda for reform, known as “Lift Liberia”, has been highly effective in helping the general public understand what needs to be done to revive the economy and develop the nation. It has been hailed by donors for helping to focus national efforts necessary for the country to recover. It is heartening to see progress created by all Liberians – those who never left and those returning home – keen to live their lives in the homeland. Each Liberian has a role in contributing to a better tomorrow.
I have been enormously privileged to be part of the United Nations team in Liberia and serve under the leadership of two remarkable SRSGs. I have enjoyed outstanding support from the many agency heads and colleagues: civilian, police and military, staff and volunteers. Their dedication and devotion to duty are extraordinary. I am also grateful to the many member states of the UN that strongly support our work here and to the active NGO community, a trusted partner.
Many armchair critics around the world make a habit of disparaging the UN and our work. I urge them to visit Liberia and witness for themselves what we are accomplishing here. So much is now underway by committed, principled and innovative individuals: from training the police to restoring national authority at local levels, addressing the food crisis, putting an end to gender-based violence, and securing the rule of law. UNMIL and the many UN agencies, including the World Bank, are “at work together”, helping Liberians to rebuild their nation.
Most of all my hope for Liberia rests with its youth and children. I fervently hope they never experience the scourge of war. I hope they will inherit a land at peace that provides them with the opportunities that enable them to realize their full potential. Liberia has come a long way in a short time. It has every chance to transform itself into a peaceful and prosperous nation. And by so doing, it will once again be that beacon of hope, that bright star of Africa, a land of liberty.
Jordan Ryan, Monrovia, Liberia - March 2009
Mr. Jordan Ryan is the outgoing Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Recovery and Governance; UNDP Resident Representative; and UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator
I first arrived in Monrovia in early November 2005 during the period of the run-off election. I had been chosen by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to be his Deputy Special Representative in the UN Peacekeeping Mission. Landing at RIA on that first day, I glanced out of the plane window and saw UN soldiers and all those UN helicopters at the ready. Peacekeeping was a new face of the UN for me, and it was my new family. (My wife and daughter had to remain in New York, not allowed to join me.)
That first evening I took that long drive into town. I recall even now how deep the potholes were on the road and the darkness over the countryside. There simply was no electricity in the villages on the way into Monrovia. I saw an occasional fire that provided light and heat. I had arrived in a nation devastated by war.
Upon awakening that next morning, I saw the consequences of conflict. The dawn revealed a capital city plundered, many of its buildings barely standing, marked by mortar and ammunition barrages. Electricity was only provided by generators and city-supplied running water was unavailable. But today, a little more than three years from my arrival, Monrovia is bustling with considerable economic activity. And throughout the land much has changed.
Change can in large measure be said to have originated with the desire of all Liberians for peace. It was advanced by the election and inauguration of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. With the election, Liberians not only got the first woman president in Africa. They had also elected a dynamic, hands-on and passionate advocate for development.
I have known the President from her days as an Assistant Secretary-General in UNDP where she headed the Africa Bureau. I knew that the Liberians had selected a person with abundant energy, a forceful personality, and the knowledge of development to get things moving. She never hesitated to call me whenever the need arose, sometimes early in the morning and other times late at night. I can assure you she’d always let me know squarely how the UN could do better. But from the very first days sitting around the President’s kitchen table listening to her vision of a nation at work and at peace, I have been excited and honored to be part of a UN team at work in partnership with the President, her able team, and the Government of Liberia. Liberia is blessed. I have flown over the length and breadth of this country and journeyed along its bumpy roads to visit distant villages and districts. I have seen the wealth of this nation, from its forests to farm land, its rivers and sea coast (and been deluged by its great, pelting rains). I have seen its potential. Liberia’s future will draw upon this wealth, but realizing its potential will truly require the efforts of its greatest treasure, its people.
My hope for Liberia is based on the change I have seen in each of the 15 counties. With Liberians at work, recovery is now underway everywhere. It started early with an emphasis on getting people back to their homes. The Government and the UN made every effort to treat each refugee and internally displaced person with dignity and respect. And much was done for the re-integration of ex-combatants, to train them, and to turn them into a force for the collective good of the nation. Looking forward, I hope as Liberia confronts the effects of the global economic crisis that important international support and private investment will continue to be forthcoming.
On all my journeys I’ve enjoyed the chance to meet and talk with leaders and the very poor, chiefs and school children, farmers, market women and youth. They have shared with me their dreams and aspirations. And I have experienced warmth and hospitality, from the traditional greeting with a white chicken and kola nuts, to the taste of local dishes served up with my favorite, hot pepper sauce.
And my hope is that the Government and the nation’s leaders will continue to approach development from the people’s perspective, responding to their needs by assigning the highest possible priority to accountability. I am pleased that the UN, through our innovative County Support Teams, has been able to assist the Government to listen to and learn from the people in ways unimaginable a few short years ago. The County Development Agendas mark a new beginning of people-driven and people-oriented development.
Liberia’s broad agenda for reform, known as “Lift Liberia”, has been highly effective in helping the general public understand what needs to be done to revive the economy and develop the nation. It has been hailed by donors for helping to focus national efforts necessary for the country to recover. It is heartening to see progress created by all Liberians – those who never left and those returning home – keen to live their lives in the homeland. Each Liberian has a role in contributing to a better tomorrow.
I have been enormously privileged to be part of the United Nations team in Liberia and serve under the leadership of two remarkable SRSGs. I have enjoyed outstanding support from the many agency heads and colleagues: civilian, police and military, staff and volunteers. Their dedication and devotion to duty are extraordinary. I am also grateful to the many member states of the UN that strongly support our work here and to the active NGO community, a trusted partner.
Many armchair critics around the world make a habit of disparaging the UN and our work. I urge them to visit Liberia and witness for themselves what we are accomplishing here. So much is now underway by committed, principled and innovative individuals: from training the police to restoring national authority at local levels, addressing the food crisis, putting an end to gender-based violence, and securing the rule of law. UNMIL and the many UN agencies, including the World Bank, are “at work together”, helping Liberians to rebuild their nation.
Most of all my hope for Liberia rests with its youth and children. I fervently hope they never experience the scourge of war. I hope they will inherit a land at peace that provides them with the opportunities that enable them to realize their full potential. Liberia has come a long way in a short time. It has every chance to transform itself into a peaceful and prosperous nation. And by so doing, it will once again be that beacon of hope, that bright star of Africa, a land of liberty.
Jordan Ryan, Monrovia, Liberia - March 2009
Mr. Jordan Ryan is the outgoing Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Recovery and Governance; UNDP Resident Representative; and UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator