JOINT STATEMENT BY
THE GOVERNMENT OF LIBERIA (GoL)
AND
THE DELEGATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU) IN LIBERIA
Liberia and the EU Enhance Their Relationship during the 13th Edition of EU-Liberia Partnership Dialogue
Monrovia, May 16, 2025
The EU-Liberia Partnership Dialogue took place for the 13th time in Monrovia on May 16, 2025. The meeting confirmed the mutual interest and commitment of the EU and Liberia to strengthen and deepen their relations based on common values.
The Dialogue was co-chaired by Her Excellency Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia, and Her Excellency Nona Deprez, Ambassador of the European Union to Liberia. The Government of Liberia was represented by H.E. Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Honorable Dehpue Y. Zuo, Deputy Minister for Economic Management, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning; Honorable Cllr. Charles D.F. Karmo II, Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs, Ministry of Justice; Honorable Andrew G. Paegar, Deputy Minister for Industry, Ministry of Commerce and Industry; Honorable Joecelia J. Taplah, Deputy Minister for Rural Development and Community Services, Ministry of Public Works; Honorable Charles Umehai, Deputy Minister for Energy, Ministry of Mines and Energy; Honorable David K. Akoi, Deputy Minister for Planning and Development, Ministry of Agriculture; Honorable Davidetta Browne-Lansana, Chairperson, National Election Commission; Honorable James Dorbor Jallah, Commissioner General, Liberia Revenue Authority; Honorable Cllr. Jallah A. Barbu, Executive Director, OWECC-L; Honorable Dweh Siehwloh Boley Sr., Deputy Executive Director, Environmental Protection Agency; and S. Ahmed Sheriff, Director for Technical Service, National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority.
This year’s Dialogue was preceded by five high-level technical meetings on strategic thematic areas between GoL sectoral entities and the EU delegation. The technical sessions enabled more targeted discussions and the development of practical, result-oriented actions aligned with shared priorities.
- International, Regional, Domestic Peace and Security and Global Governance:
The GoL and the EU reaffirmed their enduring partnership. In light of the upcoming EU-African Union Ministerial Summit, the parties underlined that Africa and Europe’s prosperity are intertwined and that their partnership supports mutual interests. The GoL expressed appreciation to the EU for its support in promoting African representation and leadership in global governance. In light of its UN Security Council membership bid, Liberia reiterated its commitment to advancing key agendas, namely, Youth, Women, Peace and Security; the climate change, environment, natural resources, and conflict nexus; and the reform of the UN Security Council, in alignment with the Common African Union Position on the Reform of the UN Security Council (Ezulwinin Consensus). The EU welcomed these priorities and expressed readiness to collaborate on these shared goals. The EU has recognized Liberia’s commitment to peace, security, and development in the region and its potential to make a positive contribution to the work of the Security Council.
The EU has been working to strengthen its partnership with Africa, and supporting Liberia’s Security Council bid is seen as an important aspect of this effort. The EU expressed its commitment to provide technical assistance in the area of peacebuilding and partnership in crucial areas, should Liberia be elected to the Council. Both sides recognized the potential for strengthened cooperation at multilateral levels and underlined the importance of greater international cooperation.
The parties exchanged views on the crises in Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, reaffirming shared positions on respect for the United Nations (UN) Charter and the rules-based international order, including the fundamental principles of respect for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of all states. The parties reiterated the need to urgently solve the humanitarian crises in Sudan and Gaza, and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine as a basis for lasting peace. The EU recognized Liberia’s constructive role within ECOWAS and the African Union, particularly in light of recent regional tensions.
Regional security and cooperation were also discussed, particularly regarding joint border management within the Mano River Union (MRU). Liberia informed the parties about the lack of technical capacity at border points and the flow of illicit substances and irregular regional migration.
Both parties agreed to work together on mapping the current EU and member states’ support for different security sectors in Liberia. The EU also pledged its willingness to support capacity building for the Liberia UNSC team and exchange lessons learned, should Liberia be elected on June 3, 2025.
The parties also agreed that disinformation, fake news and foreign information manipulation and interference are growing concerns and threats in both Liberia and the EU. There is a need to deliver more targeted, impactful, and coordinated responses to misleading narratives and manipulative behaviors.
- Trade and Economic Cooperation
The EU and the GoL reaffirmed their mutual commitment to strengthening the partnership in the areas of Public Financial Management (PFM) and Domestic Revenue Mobilization (DRM). The GoL emphasized its commitment to reinforcing Liberia’s accountability framework, ensuring full compliance with financial reporting across the three branches of government. In this regard, the EU recognized progress in strengthening the audit system, including the operationalization of the audit follow-up unit and the expansion of internal audit functions. However, the EU called for increased follow-up of audit findings to prevent irregularities from being left unresolved. The GoL highlighted its efforts to further strengthen anti-corruption efforts in view of the enhanced mandate of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), the enactment of the Whistleblower Act, and the commissioning of the Ombudsman’s office. At the same time, both parties stressed the need to address resource constraints, risks of institutional overlaps, and judicial delays, urging increased investment in institutional capacity. Both the GoL and the EU highlighted the importance of decentralization and the adequate funding/resourcing of County Services Centers to facilitate ease of doing business and ensure economic benefits are felt across the country.
On fiscal governance, the EU applauded the GoL’s ongoing efforts to optimize public resources, emphasizing rationalized spending, forward-looking cash management, and the pursuit of a results-oriented approach through Program-Based Budgeting. The EU expressed support for the GoL’s ambitious revenue targets, urging the strengthening of the tax system and the rationalization of tax expenditures while avoiding revenue leakages.
Both parties agreed to partner on the following issues over the next year:
- The development of the Public-Private Sector Development (PSD) platform. This platform, previously housed under the Economic Management Unit of the Office of the President, is seen as crucial for engaging the private sector in policy reforms aimed at improving the business climate and attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). The platform is housed at the Division of External Resources and Debt Management at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
- Holding of the Liberia-EU Business Forum.
- Accelerate efforts to identify conditions that will allow the disbursement of EU direct budgetary support to Liberia’s 2025 fiscal year budget.
- Accelerate efforts to determine Liberia’s credit rating.
- Advance efforts to improve Liberia’s collateral registry.
- Explore the possibilities of establishing a commercial court.
- Decentralization of the Liberia Business Registry,
- Decentralization of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), and collaboration on resolving Liberia’s “yellow card” sanction related to Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing practices,
- Rendering the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector financially more autonomous, better aligned and linked with the job market, with increased harmonization of the variety of studies on offer, and a need for further involvement of the private sector in TVET governance,
- Development of a national property cadastre and addressing system to unlock revenue from property taxes and support land administration,
- Build LRA Institutional Capacity Building Tax and Customs Administration, Extractive sector and targeted industries,
- Strengthen the Audit Capacity of the LRA in specialized sectors,
- Introduction of the Value Added Tax (VAT) to replace GST,
- Formalization of MSMEs through simplified tax regimes (e.g., presumptive taxation) and improved taxpayer services.
- Human Rights, Democracy, Good Governance, Justice, and Rule of Law
The Partnership Dialogue reiterated the shared commitment of the EU and Liberia to human rights, the rule of law, gender equality, and democratic principles. The GoL and the EU assessed developments across key areas of collaboration under this thematic area, with a strong focus on electoral reforms, upholding international human rights protocols, and the strengthening of democratic governance through respect for the Rule of Law, enabling a vibrant civil society and incremental support to integrity and anti-graft institutions. The Partnership Dialogue welcomed the accomplishments to date on extending the duration and the mandate of the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Court (OWEEC), the peaceful conduct of the Nimba by-elections, and the official commissioning of the Office of the Ombudsman in 2024. Both sides agreed to continue to ensure respect for diversity and non-discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. The parties also acknowledged remaining challenges in the fight against corruption, the death penalty, harmful traditional practices against women, and addressing racial issues, as well as in implementing priority recommendations of the EU’s Electoral Observation Mission. The EU side expressed concerns about the lack of funding for the implementation of the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, the third National Action Plan on Human Rights, and the National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325. In line with the End of Mission Statement and the forthcoming report of the December 2024 visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, the Parties welcomed the willingness of GoL to strengthen action to combat all forms of trafficking, especially of women and children, and highlighted areas for immediate action, with continuing international support.
Both parties agreed to collaborate and to work towards further progress on the following action points for next year:
- Advance governance and justice sector reform, with special emphasis on the abolition of the death penalty, a legal ban on harmful traditional practices against women, and ensuring adherence to key human rights priorities in line with Liberia’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations.
- Addressing challenges faced by the Office of the War and Economic Crimes Courts of Liberia, with a view to ensuring that courts are established in line with the mandate of the office.
- Reactivating the Interpol database system in Liberia under the Ministry of Justice.
- Addressing Electoral and Constitutional Reforms, most notably relating to boundary delimitation, gender quotas, and the continuous funding of the National Elections Commission.
- Climate Change, Energy, and Environmental Sustainability
The Government of Liberia and the European Union reaffirm their shared commitment to strengthening climate change resilience measures and adaptation, promoting sustainable development, and protecting Liberia’s rich biodiversity. In this context, the EU welcomed the GoL’s overall objective to harness sustainable and transparent ways to leverage its natural resources to raise the necessary capital for the actualization of its National Development Agenda (AAID). As part of the partnership, Liberia is advancing its climate agenda through the ongoing revision of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). Liberia is also undertaking efforts to integrate into the global carbon market. Both parties emphasize the critical importance of protecting forest ecosystems, especially in officially protected areas, strengthening anti-corruption measures in the forestry sector, and enhancing transparency and accountability across natural resource management. Furthermore, the GoL and the EU committed to deepening collaboration across key sectors, including mining, forestry, agriculture, and energy.
The GOL requested EU support in carrying out a national mapping of its natural resources to inform its decision on forest conservation, logging, and mining.
In conclusion, both parties agreed to partner in advancing the following issues over the next year:
- Accelerate modalities to secure funding/loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the Saint Paul River 2 Hydro Project (SP 2) and possible regional road connectivity.
- Incorporate EU private energy sector actors in the upcoming Liberia-EU Business Forum.
- Coordinate in advancing measures to enhance the protection of forest areas, especially in officially protected areas against illegal mining, logging, and unsustainable agricultural activities. Work jointly on transitioning from a VPA-FLEGT process to a forest partnership.
- Accelerate ongoing negotiations between EU private sector energy investors and the Liberian government.
- Develop additional mechanisms to support existing sustainable agricultural activities. The Government and the EU will continue to act together through “Team Europe initiatives” in two priority sectors: “Safe and Sustainable Food Systems” and “Forestry and Biodiversity.”