YouSaid · the spoken record

George Manneh Weah

lines on the record: 70
first: 2018-09-24
most recent: 2023-09-24
sittings or episodes: 5
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“For democracy to thrive, all Liberians, including both the ruling parties and the opposition parties, must respect the rule of law and abide by the procedures and regulations prescribed therein. As the leading opposition party in Liberia during the past 12 years, our party, the Congress for Democratic Change, accepted the disputed results of the two previous presidential elections, in 2005 and 2011, in the interest of peace. Nevertheless, throughout those two terms, we continued to engage the Government of the day in a constructive manner, even accepting to serve as peace ambassador when called upon to assist them to maintain the peace under their regime.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“This is the democracy for which our country has yearned; this is the freedom for which our people have struggled and suffered; and this is the emancipation for which many of our citizens have paid the ultimate price. However, we are beginning to witness the emergence of a creeping threat to our democratic space and to our hard-won peace and stability. Some individuals, within and outside of our country, particularly those who have lost democratically held elections, have resorted to incitement, threats of violence, misuse of social media and hate speech, with the aim and objective of achieving power through undemocratic means. This is unacceptable and must not be encouraged by those who would wish Liberia well.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I am proud to say that I have kept this promise and that our country is today a beacon of democracy in Africa, where freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of association and other political and democratic rights are respected, under the rule of law. The political environment remains vibrant, with political actors and parties freely exercising their franchise and participating in various elections. I am delighted to report that there are no political prisoners in Liberia and that laws that hindered or threatened press freedom have been abrogated. Several protests have taken place from time to time, all of which have ended peacefully and have been welcomed by my Government as a positive manifestation of our democratic maturity.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“This is a responsibility to which I attach the greatest importance, because without peace, our world would be difficult. We are all aware of the terrible destruction of lives and property caused by civil war. However, long after the guns have been silenced, the survivors have to live with the collateral damage of the war-wounded, the shattered families, the displaced populations, the resettlement of refugees and all the other negative consequences of a national socioeconomic fabric that has been torn apart. Since I assumed the leadership of my country almost two years ago, I have remained focused on my charge of ensuring that peace prevails in Liberia. At that time, we committed ourselves to upholding our constitutional mandate, which is to ensure that all the democratic rights of our citizens are guaranteed and protected.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“His far-sighted leadership qualities keep the United Nations focused on its objectives in the face of daunting challenges. As I have acknowledged on many occasions, Liberia is a United Nations success story. After the country was devastated by a brutal civil conflict that lasted for 14 years, peace was restored and maintained by what was then the largest peacekeeping force in the history of the Organization. Under the auspices of United Nations Mission in Liberia peacekeepers, Liberians enjoyed 16 years of unbroken peace. We are pleased and grateful for the efforts and sacrifices they made to secure our peace. When the peacekeeping force was withdrawn two years ago, the responsibility for maintaining peace in Liberia was passed on to the Liberian Government.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“His election is not only an honour for him and for the Government and the people of Nigeria; it is also an honour for West Africa and the African continent at large. We are convinced that he will lead this body successfully and live up to the expectations and the confidence reposed in him. I wish to assure him of Liberia’s fullest support in the discharge of his duties. Permit me also to congratulate his predecessor, Her Excellency Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, on the astute manner in which she administered the affairs of the General Assembly at its seventy-third session. Let me also pay special tribute to the Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, for his enthusiasm and personal dedication to the work of the United Nations and for ably steering its affairs.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“I am honoured to address the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session on behalf of the Government and the people of Liberia. Before I begin, I would like to ask the Assembly to kindly join me in observing a moment of silence for the deaths of the 28 young scholars who died last week in a tragic fire in Liberia. May their souls rest in perfect peace. I would also like to thank the large number of members that shared in our grief and loss by sending us condolences through personal telephone calls and social media. God bless them for their compassion. Allow me first of all to congratulate His Excellency Professor Tijjani Muhammad-Bande on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“With the generous assistance and strong support of the United Nations, as well as that of other international institutions and Member States, and with God’s blessing, we will fulfil our agenda to lift our people out of poverty to prosperity.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Therefore, today, in concluding, I wish to reaffirm the support of my Government for the work of the United Nations in striving to achieve global peace, counter terrorism and reform the United Nations, as well as to achieve reform, security, good governance and the advancement of the principle of universal human rights. We further reiterate our commitment to the rule of law, the alleviation of poverty, gender equality, the elimination of gender-based violence and the empowerment of women, girls and young people. I also believe that the overwhelming mandate I received from the Liberian people is one to end corruption in the public service, and I remain fully committed to that task.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Our agenda is not one of division, but rather one that intends to provide an enabling environment for a united and reconciled people to be able to benefit and prosper from the economic dividends of peace. I recall with humility that I was once selected to serve as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, a mission that I undertook with passion, conviction and commitment to support and inform the world about principles for which this Organization stands. I was also privileged to be appointed as Messenger of Peace for Liberia, a mandate to apply these principles: preserving and maintaining peace, which the peacekeeping mission had so successful restored. I deeply and personally cherish those principles.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“But a nation that has experienced civil war must never take peace for granted or forget the long shadow that years of conflict still cast over people’s lives. We must realize and appreciate that ours is still a fragile peace. Our people across the country still bear the scars of conflict. We therefore intend to initiate a series of national peace dialogues throughout Liberia. We must relaunch those difficult conversations at the local level and include our youth, so that they, and we, do not repeat the costly mistakes of the past. It is clear to me that such frank exchanges are an essential step in bringing lasting healing, reconciliation and unity to our people.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Farid Zarif of Afghanistan, who, as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Liberia and the last Head of UNMIL, from 2015 to 2018, supervised the orderly withdrawal of troops, while simultaneously securing the peaceful environment that allowed a very robust political campaign to take place without incident. My country has finally turned the corner, having now experienced more years of peace than the preceding years of war, guided by our Peace Agreement, signed in Accra 15 years ago. We thank the members and the Security Council for the UNMIL peacekeeping mission, which brought stability and helped us rebuild our institutions and communities. We are a peacekeeping success story, and we are grateful for the support we were given.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Drawing on the experience of the 2014 Ebola epidemic, which took the lives of thousands of Liberians and health workers, we intend to efficiently and properly organize our health-care delivery system, to ensure that the health and well-being of our people is improved. Finally, we are placing emphasis on national security in order to enable our people to move and live freely without fear. With the recent withdrawal of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), we are now in charge of our own security. We thank the international community for the sacrifices made in securing and maintaining the peace in Liberia after our protracted civil conflict. In that regard, I would like to express my personal appreciation to Mr.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Conscious of the importance and impact of infrastructure on social and economic development, my Government has identified investment in roads, energy and ports as our key priority, and is therefore soliciting funding and other technical expertise to undertake those projects in pursuit of our goal to connect our cities and towns and power our economy. Agriculture, Liberia’s comparative advantage, has also been identified as one of our major poverty- alleviation instruments, since it can lead us to self- sufficiency in food production and self-employment, as well as open doors to industrialization. With the implementation of a new special economic zone, we intend to attract labour-intensive light manufacturing.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“As we focus on action plans to implement our development Agenda, we are acutely aware of the vulnerability of our youthful population, who are clearly disadvantaged as a result of high unemployment and a lack of access to quality educational opportunities. Our plan is to reverse their unfortunate situation and help them become productive citizens through the provision of adequate educational facilities at the high-school and college levels for those who remain interested in pursuing academic programmes. For those youths left behind due to the disastrous civil crisis and who have outgrown their school years, my Government is investing in technical vocational education and training programmes to build their entrepreneurial and marketable skillsets.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“But it is policy framework that gives priority to the alleviation of poverty, and its core objective and focus are to reduce the marginalization of the most vulnerable, while also creating a conducive atmosphere for middle- and upper- income Liberians to grow and prosper. We want to build a harmonious society based on the goal of economic empowerment, especially for the underprivileged. Our Pro-Poor Agenda is therefore designed to give power to the people, promote economic diversification, protect sustainable peace and encourage good governance. We appeal to our friends, bilateral partners and private investors to support the Agenda.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“The mantle and responsibility for leading that transformation was thereby placed on my shoulders, as the standard-bearer of the winning Coalition for Democratic Change, with my inauguration, on 22 January, as the twenty-fourth President of Liberia. The challenges of leadership are enormous, but, in each and every one of those challenges, I see opportunities to make things better and to bring permanent improvements to the lives of all Liberians, as we devise policies and programmes that will have a lasting and positive impact on the lives of our citizens. The umbrella programme under which we intend to pursue prosperity is the Pro-Poor Agenda for Development and Prosperity, our national development plan for the next five years. The Agenda is not only for the poor, it is for the benefit of all Liberians.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“This was the first time in 73 years that Liberians enjoyed a peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected Government to another. At the end of the long campaign, when the results were announced after the run-off, it became clear that the pendulum had swung in the direction of youthful leadership and the paradigm had shifted in favour of change and transformation. The United Nations and its various bodies, as well as regional organizations and many of our bilateral partners and friends, directly witnessed the maturity of the Liberian electorate, our respect for law and order, and our successful democratic processes.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Just two weeks ago, we joined millions in Ghana and around the world in bidding final farewell to former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who devoted his life to peacemaking and conflict resolution — a calling in which he was renowned and successful. With his passing, Africa has lost one of its most illustrious sons and the world has lost one of the most outstanding diplomats of our time. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Late last year, Liberians participated in presidential and legislative elections, the results of which represented a major shift in the underlying fundamentals of Liberian political dynamics. In an orderly, lawful and peaceful manner, Liberians voted in overwhelming numbers for change and hope.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“I am honoured to address the General Assembly at its seventy-third session on behalf of the Government and the people of Liberia. I should like at the outset to congratulate the President of the General Assembly, and the Government and the people of Ecuador, on her election to serve as President of the Assembly at its seventy-third session. With our eyes on history, Liberia takes special note of the fact she is the fourth woman to serve as President of the General Assembly, and we welcome her election. I should also like to express my appreciation to Secretary-General António Guterres, whose dynamism and far-sighted leadership continues to strengthen the United Nations in the face of perennial global challenges.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)